2013life of pi mythological archetypal

8/11/2019 2013Life of Pi Mythological Archetypal

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Brought to you by:

Wilfred Guerin, Michael Hall, Earle Labor,and Lee Morgan in:

Lit: Literature and Interpretive Techniques

published by HarperCollins College

Division in 1985.

Some Terms that may need

clarification


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Critics who read texts with the

mythological/archetypalapproach are looking for .Jung said that an is

(The

problem of types in poetry 1923).He believed that human beings

were born knowing

certain


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The of this, Jung claimed, lies in thefact that

Many inhave in

(long before the Greek andRoman Empires spread to Asia and northernEurope).

Most of the and

(the origins of life, what happensafter death, etc.)


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Every Culture has a y,

a and aand

these stories (when studied

comparatively) are far moresimilar than different.

When reading a work looking for

archetypes or myths, critics lookfor very general


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In modern times, the same types ofarchetypes are used in film, which is why it

has been so easy for filmmakers to take awork like Jane Austens and adapt itinto the typical Hollywood film .

By drawing on those

modern authors allow readers to know thecharacters in a work with a little or no

explanation.Imagine how would be if

the author had to give every detail aboutevery single minor character that entered

the work.


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Archetypal Characters

A figure, larger then life, whosesearch for self-identity and/or self-fulfillmentresults in his own destruction (oftenaccompanied by the destruction of thegeneral society around him).

While this applies to modern superheroessuch as (Clark Kent searching forthe balance between his super self and hismortal self), it also applies to the Christianfaiths (a mortal man who comesto terms with his destiny as the messiah),and thousands of other literary and religiousfigures throughout history.

Some Variations Of The


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Some Variations Of TheHero Figure Include:

The prince or the lost chieftains sonraised ignorant of his heritage until he is

rediscovered. (King Arthur) The : An innocent character on whom a

situation is blamed, or who assumes the blame forthe situation, and is punished in place of the trulyguilty party, thus removing the guilt from the culpritand society.

The or : A character who isseparated from (or separates him or herself from)society due to a physical impairment or anemotional or physiological realization that makesthis character different. Jesus goes into the desert to

discern his destiny; Buddha leaves society to cometo terms with his philosophy. Victor Frankensteintravels to remote locales to avoid people when herealizes that he has created a monster. Often, theHero is an outcast at some point in his or her Story.

Th C V i ti Of Th


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The Common Variations Of TheLoner Are:

The , the smaller, weaker, less-worldly-wise character, who usually emerges

victorious at the end of the story;The in search of redemption.The : the male or female personification

of evil. Note that, while nearly all literature hasan antagonist to provide conflict with the

protagonist, not all antagonists are villains.Villains are indeed personifications of evil.Their malice is often apparently unmotivated,or motivated by a single wrong (or perceivedwrong) from the past. The villain's malice oftenlimitless, and rarely is the villain reformedwithin the context of the story. Examples ofarchetypal villains are ,

the , and (from NorseMythology)


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the female who possesses whatthe male desires and uses his desire (eitherintentionally or unintentionally) as a means tohis ultimate destruction. Examples are Eve,Juliet, Lady Macbeth.

Mother Nature,Mother earth-the nurturing, life giving aspect of

femininity. : The often unidentified

feminine inspiration for works of art andliterature. Examples would be Dantes Beatrice,Shakespeares Dark Lady Ect.

: Largely of eastern origin, the sage isthe elderly wise man; the teacher or mentor.Examples from Western literature would beMerlin and Tiresias. Yoda from Star Warsand

Gandalf from The Hobbitand Lord Of The Rings.


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Some Variations Of the SageInclude:

The . Note that,while the male SAGEs wisdom is

usually or (oftenwith political or military applications),the wise womans wisdom tends to be

more an understanding of theworkings of , thus theconnection of the wise woman withwitchcraft and all of the associated

superstitions.The stern, but loving figure.

: male or female prophet,

fortune teller, sooth-sayer.


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Archetypal Images:


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are . They are symbolsthat have the same or

They are usually symbols that

occur in mythologies and literature fromcultures, continents, and eras. The following are some

of the archetypes and symbols that will be helpful in thecurrent unit.*

A Handbook of Critical Approaches to LiteraturebyGuerin, Labor, Morgan, Willingham, 1999.Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons and theMeanings Behind Themby Biedermann, translated byHulbert, 1992.

A Dictionary of Symbolsby J.E. Cirlot.


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: Female, because of its passivity as

the receiver of the suns light (as in the yin),and also because of similarities between thelunar month and the menstrual cycle.

The waxing and waning of the moon, and the

inevitable return of the same lunar form,marks a striking symbol for all of thephilosophies combining death and rebirth

the three most striking phases of the moon

(first quarter, full, and dark or new) areassociated with the three phases of awomans life (maiden, mother, oldwoman)(Cirlot 224-5).


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4Symbolizes completion, solidity, andcomprehensiveness. Visually represented by a

square. It is the doubling of duality (2).Examples: four elements, four seasons, fourphases of the moon, four elements of thecompass, four weeks, four horsemen of the

apocalypse, four winds.


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rc e ypa mages


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rc e ypa magesContinued


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Variations Of The Quest:


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Q

Variations Of The Quest Cont.


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Variations Of The Quest Cont.

Variations On The End Of TheW ld!


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World!

2013life of pi mythological archetypal

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