Literary Literary ArchetypesArchetypes ““Archetypes are repeated Archetypes are repeated patterns that recur in the patterns that recur in the

literature of every age” (Sloan literature of every age” (Sloan 48).48).

What is an archetype?What is an archetype? An archetype is a term used to describe An archetype is a term used to describe

universal symbols that evoke deep and universal symbols that evoke deep and sometimes unconscious responses in a readersometimes unconscious responses in a reader

In literature, characters, images, and themes In literature, characters, images, and themes that symbolically embody universal meanings that symbolically embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live, are considered when or where they live, are considered archetypes.archetypes.

Common literary archetypes include stories of Common literary archetypes include stories of quests, initiations, scapegoats, descents to the quests, initiations, scapegoats, descents to the underworld, and ascents to heaven.underworld, and ascents to heaven.

Primordial: That is, we, as individuals, Primordial: That is, we, as individuals, have these archetypal images have these archetypal images ingrained in our understanding even ingrained in our understanding even before we are born. before we are born.

Universal: These archetypes can be Universal: These archetypes can be found all over the world and found all over the world and throughout history. The manifestation throughout history. The manifestation of the idea may be different, but the of the idea may be different, but the idea itself is the same. idea itself is the same.

Archetypes are…Archetypes are…

Carl Jung Swiss psychologist/psychiatrist whose study of the nature of the human mind resulted in two basic concepts that are important in examining and analyzing literature.

Collective unconsciousness unconscious/subconscious mental record of all common human experiences (examples –love, passion, birth, death, anger, peace, evil, spirituality, etc)

archetypes – symbols which express our “collective unconscious,” which are our common human experiences

Common Character ArchetypesCommon Character Archetypes The Star-Crossed The Star-Crossed

LoversLovers This is the young couple This is the young couple

joined by love but joined by love but unexpectedly parted by unexpectedly parted by fate.fate.example - Romeo and Romeo and JulietJuliet

Unfaithful wife married to a man she

sees as dull and unimaginative physically attracted to a more virile or desirable man

example - Guinevere

Hero The main character leaves

his or her community to go on an adventure, performing deeds that bring honor to the community

examples – Beowulf Devil figure

offers worldly goods, fame, offers knowledge to the protagonist in exchange for possession of his soul

examples - Lucifer, Satan Villain a cruelly malicious person

who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime

ScapegoatThe scapegoat figure is The scapegoat figure is one who gets blamed for one who gets blamed for everything, regardless of everything, regardless of whether he/she is actually whether he/she is actually at fault.at fault.

Example – Tom Robinson

Outcast a figure who is banished

from a social group for some crime against his fellow man

he/she is usually destined to become a wanderer

example - GollumGollum

TricksterTrickster crosses both physical and crosses both physical and

social boundaries-- the social boundaries-- the trickster is often a traveler, trickster is often a traveler, and he often breaks societal and he often breaks societal rules. Tricksters cross lines, rules. Tricksters cross lines, breaking or blurring breaking or blurring connections and distinctions connections and distinctions between "right and wrong, between "right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and young and old, living and dead“dead“

Anansi Anansi The innocentThe innocent Child/YouthChild/Youth

Inexperienced adultInexperienced adult Jem and ScoutJem and Scout

The great teacher/mentor

wise old man represents knowledge, wisdom, spirituality of

soul, insight protects or helps main

character when he or she faces challenges.

example -, Merlin

Earth mothersymbolic of fruition and abundance as well as fertility

example - Mother Nature

The Shrew The Shrew This is that nagging, This is that nagging,

bothersome wife bothersome wife always battering her always battering her husband with verbal husband with verbal abuse.abuse.

example - KatherineKatherine Enchantress-

Temptress characterized by

sensuous beauty usually involved in downfall of the hero or protagonist

examples - the Sirens, Calypso, and Cleopatra

Situational Situational ArchetypesArchetypes

The Loss of InnocenceThe Loss of Innocence This is, as the name This is, as the name implies, a loss of implies, a loss of innocence through sexual innocence through sexual experience, violence, or experience, violence, or any other means.any other means.

The InitiationThe Initiation This is the process by This is the process by

which a character is which a character is brought into another brought into another sphere of influence, sphere of influence, usually (in literature) into usually (in literature) into adulthood. adulthood.

Ex. Jem and Scott in To Ex. Jem and Scott in To Kill a MockingbirdKill a Mockingbird

Quest are searching for something, are searching for something,

whether consciously or whether consciously or unconsciously. Their actions, unconsciously. Their actions, thoughts, and feelings center thoughts, and feelings center around the goal of around the goal of completing the quest. completing the quest.

example - Ahab’s quest for the albino whale

Task A situation in which a A situation in which a

character, or group of character, or group of characters, is driven to characters, is driven to complete some duty often of complete some duty often of monstrous proportion. monstrous proportion.

example --Frodo’s task to Frodo’s task to keep the ring safe in keep the ring safe in The The Lord of the RingsLord of the Rings

Fall describes a descent, usually

of a hero, from a higher to a lower state of being

usually involves spiritual defilement and/or loss of innocence

also involves an expulsion from some kind paradise

example - Adam and Eve

Night journey descent into earth followed

by a return to light usually, knowledge has been

gained through the experience

example - Orpheus

Common Image ArchetypesCommon Image Archetypes

Certain images that recur in myths and Certain images that recur in myths and other genres of literature often have a other genres of literature often have a common meaning or tend to elicit common meaning or tend to elicit comparable psychological responses and comparable psychological responses and to serve similar cultural functions.to serve similar cultural functions.

WaterWater SunSun ColorsColors Shapes, Numbers, & Other objectsShapes, Numbers, & Other objects

WaterWater a symbol of life, cleansing, a symbol of life, cleansing,

and rebirth—represents and rebirth—represents the mystery of creationthe mystery of creation

Examples: Examples:

SeaSea—spiritual mystery and —spiritual mystery and infinity; timelessness and infinity; timelessness and eternityeternity

RiverRiver—death / rebirth —death / rebirth (baptism), flowing of time (baptism), flowing of time into eternity, transitional into eternity, transitional phases of the life cyclephases of the life cycle

SunSun Represents energy, Represents energy,

creativity, thinking, creativity, thinking, enlightenment, enlightenment, wisdom, spiritual wisdom, spiritual vision, the passing vision, the passing of time, and lifeof time, and life

Examples:Examples:

Rising SunRising Sun—Birth —Birth and Creationand Creation

Setting SunSetting Sun—death —death

ColorsColors RedRed—love, sacrifice, hate, —love, sacrifice, hate,

evil, anger, violent evil, anger, violent passion, sin, blood, passion, sin, blood, disorderdisorder

GreenGreen—birth / death, —birth / death, fertility, luck, hope, fertility, luck, hope, jealousy, decay, greedjealousy, decay, greed

BlueBlue—sadness, spiritual —sadness, spiritual purity, truth, religious purity, truth, religious feelings of securityfeelings of security

BlackBlack—power, doom, —power, doom, death, darkness, mystery, death, darkness, mystery, primal wisdom, primal wisdom, unconscious evilunconscious evil

WhiteWhite—purity, innocence, —purity, innocence, death, terror, death, terror, supernatural, blinding supernatural, blinding truthtruth

ShapesShapes

CircleCircle (Sphere) (Sphere)wholeness, unitywholeness, unity

EggEgg (Oval)—the mystery (Oval)—the mystery of life and the forces of of life and the forces of regenerationregeneration

AnimalsAnimals

SnakeSnake (serpent, worm)(serpent, worm)—evil, —evil, corruption, corruption, sensuality, sensuality, destruction, destruction, wisdom, wisdom, temptationtemptation

Dark-colored bird Dark-colored bird (raven, hawk)—death, (raven, hawk)—death, hate, corruptionhate, corruption

Light-colored Light-colored birdbird (dove)— (dove)—peace, love, lifepeace, love, life

NumbersNumbers

Three Three (3)—represents unity, spiritual (3)—represents unity, spiritual awareness, and lightawareness, and light

FourFour (4)—cycle of life, (earth, water, (4)—cycle of life, (earth, water, fire, air) naturefire, air) nature

SevenSeven (7)—unity between 3 and 4, (7)—unity between 3 and 4, completion and perfect ordercompletion and perfect order

garden paradise, innocence,

unspoiled feminine beauty, fertility

desert lack of spirituality,

death, hopelessness

Mountains and peaksMountains and peaks Highest peak is place to Highest peak is place to

“see” far“see” far Place to gain great insightPlace to gain great insight Caves and tunnelsCaves and tunnels Deep down where Deep down where

character delves into selfcharacter delves into self Place that character goes Place that character goes

when “invisible” or when “invisible” or inactiveinactive

At the extreme may At the extreme may signify deathsignify death

ForestForest Habitat of the Great Habitat of the Great

Mother (Mother Nature), Mother (Mother Nature), Fertility. The vegetation Fertility. The vegetation and animals flourish in and animals flourish in this “green world” this “green world” because of the because of the sustaining power of the sustaining power of the Great Mother. Great Mother. Symbolically the Symbolically the primitive levels of the primitive levels of the feminine psyche, feminine psyche, protective and protective and sheltering. Those who sheltering. Those who enter often lose their enter often lose their direction or rational direction or rational outlook and thus tap into outlook and thus tap into their collective their collective unconscious. unconscious.

Treeproliferation,

life, immortality growth,

road or trainjourney

through life

Character ArchetypesCharacter Archetypes

The great The great teacher/mentorteacher/mentor

HeroHero OutcastOutcast VillainVillain Earth mother Circle The innocent

RingRing GaladrielGaladriel SauronSauron AragornAragorn GollumGollum GandalfGandalf FrodoFrodo

Summer ReadingSummer Reading Think about the Think about the

books you read over books you read over the summer, (The the summer, (The Life of Pi, Girl with a Life of Pi, Girl with a Pearl Earring, A Pearl Earring, A Northern Light, Northern Light, Peace, Like a River, Peace, Like a River, Like Water for Like Water for Elephants, The Kite Elephants, The Kite Runner, and To Kill a Runner, and To Kill a Mockingbird). What Mockingbird). What archetypes did you archetypes did you notice in those notice in those books? For example, books? For example, water in the Life of water in the Life of Pi.Pi.

http://www.slideshare.net/RachalJames/the-psychology-of-color-presenhttp://www.slideshare.net/RachalJames/the-psychology-of-color-presentationtation

Orange Orange – vibrant vibrant – combination of red combination of red

and yellow and yellow – denotes energy, denotes energy,

warmth, and the warmth, and the sun sun

– less intensity or less intensity or aggression than red aggression than red

– calmed by the calmed by the cheerfulness of cheerfulness of yellow yellow

Brown Brown – wholesomeness and wholesomeness and

earthiness earthiness – represents represents

steadfastness, steadfastness, simplicity, simplicity, friendliness, friendliness, dependability, and dependability, and health health

– warm neutral color warm neutral color that can stimulate that can stimulate the appetite the appetite