Archetypes in Literature

            For this final post focusing on Warrior Heir, I thought it would be fun to talk about Archetypes. Wikipedia lists this definition: “An archetype is a universally understood symbol, term, or pattern of behavior; a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated. Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures.”

(to read more about archetypes, click here)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype

            Carl Jung, a Swiss philosopher, first applied the term “archetype” to literature. He recognized that there were universal patterns that showed up in all stories and mythologies regardless of the culture and time period they came from. Jung hypothesized that part of the human mind contained what he called a collective unconscious that was shared by all members of the human race; a type of universal, primal memory. He discusses his findings in his book, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.  Joseph Campbell, who developed the Hero’s Journey Monomyth, took Jung’s ideas and applied them to world mythologies; that’s why the archetypes and the Monomyth share so many similarities and work so well together.

Read more about Carl Jung here:

http://www.carl-jung.net/archetypes.html

            The term archetype can be applied to an image, a theme, a symbol, an idea, a character type, even a plot pattern.  Archetypes can be found in myths, dreams, literature, religions, fairytales, and folklore. There are a lot of different types of archetype; we will only focus on a few of the character archetypes.

            1. Hero: The Hero must pay a price to obtain his goal. Our hero, of course, is Jack Swift, and the price he had to pay was to give up the normal life he’d known for one of danger, intrigue, magic and warriors,

            2. Mentor: The Mentor is a character who aids or trains the hero.  In Warrior Heir, the mentor character is Leander Hastings, the mysterious wizard who specializes in training warriors.

                        3. Threshold Guardian: The Threshold guardian is the first obstacle to the hero on his journey. The Threshold Guardian archetype is the wizard Wylie from the Red Rose House. Wylie’s the wizard Jack has to fight in the graveyard as he’s retrieving Shadowslayer from behind his grandma’s headstone.

            4. Shapeshifter: The Shapeshifter changes role or personality, often in significant ways; the Shapeshifter’s alliances and loyalties are uncertain. The role of Shape shifter is filled by Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Leesha Middleton, who turns out to be a wizard from the White Rose sent to keep an eye on Jack.

            5. The Shadow: The worthy opponent—the villain. This archetype is filled by more than one person in our story. It is the entire power-mad Wizard Houses of both the White and the Red Rose. They are all after Jack to either force him to their side, or to destroy him before the other House can persuade him to join them.

            6. Trickster: A clown, a mischief maker, a source of comic relief.  This is filled by Jack’s friend, Fitch. He’s a little mild as far as tricksters go, but he gets the job done.

            7. Damsel in Distress: The vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero. There isn’t a clear Damsel in Distress in our story. Sometimes it’s Aunt Linda, sometimes it’s Jack’s mom, Becka, who is clueless about the Weirlind world.

            I hope you have enjoyed learning about some of the different methods you can use to add depth to your reading experience. I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you. Try applying some of them to your favorite books, and make them more than just an ordinary pleasure-read!

            Remember....”Fairytales, fantasy, myths and parables are the only universal language which crosses over barriers of race, culture and time.”

                                                                                     ~Erich Fromm, The Forgotten Language

Happy Reading!

Tru

P.S. There are more books in the Heir series, with new ones on the way!