Archetypal criticism argues that archetypes determine the form and function of literary works, that a text's meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths. Archetypes are the unknowable basic forms personified or concretized in recurring images, symbols, or patterns which may include motifs such as the quest or the heavenly ascent, recognizable character types such as the trickster or the hero, symbols such as the apple or snake, or images such as crucifixion (as in King Kong, or Bride of Frankenstein)--all laden with meaning already when employed in a particular work.
Archetypal criticism gets its impetus from psychologist Carl Jung, who postulated that humankind has a "collective unconscious," a kind of universal psyche, which is manifested in dreams and myths and which harbors themes and images that we all inherit. Literature, therefore, imitates not the world but rather the "total dream of humankind." Jung called mythology "the textbook of the archetypes" (qtd. in Walker 17).
Archetypal critics find New Criticism too atomistic in ignoring intertextual elements and in approaching the text as if it existed in a vacuum. After all, we recognize story patterns and symbolic associations at least from other texts we have read, if not innately; we know how to form assumptions and expectations from encounters with black hats, springtime settings, evil stepmothers, and so forth. So surely meaning cannot exist solely on the page of a work, nor can that work be treated as an independent entity.
Archetypal images and story patterns encourage readers (and viewers of films and advertisements) to participate ritualistically in basic beliefs, fears, and anxieties of their age. These archetypal features not only constitute the intelligibility of the text but also tap into a level of desires and anxieties of humankind.
[Whereas Freudian, Lacanian, and other schools of psychological criticism operate within a linguistic paradigm regarding the unconscious, the Jungian approach to myth emphasizes the notion of image (Walker 3).]
Like structuralist criticism, archetypal criticism proceeds from the
initial assumption that every work of literature can be categorized and
fitted into a large framework that encompasses all literature.
BASIC PREMISES OF ARCHETYPAL THEORY:
1. The critic is at the center of interpretive activity, and the critic
functions as teacher, interpreter, priest, seer. Criticism is a structure
of thought and knowledge in its own right.
2. The critic works inductively by reading individual works and letting
critical principles shape themselves out of the literature; that is, the
critic examines the individual work to ascertain the archetypes underlying
the work.
3. Literary taste is not relevant to literary criticism.
4. Ethical criticism is important; that is, the critic must be aware of
art as a form of communication from the past to the present.
5. All literary works are considered part of tradition.
6. Like mathematics, literature is a language that can provide the means
for expressing truths. Verbal constructs (i.e., the works of literature)
represent mythical outlines of universal truths.
The notes below are excerpted from Murfin and Ray's
Archetypal Criticism, which owes its origins to the work of Carl Jung,
emerged in the 1930s and focuses on those patterns in a literary work that
commonly occur in other literary works. Jung posited that humanity has a
"collective unconscious that manifests itself in dreams, myths, and
literature through archetypes: persistent images, figures, and story
patterns shared by people across diverse cultures" (22).
Archetypal critics search for archetypal patterns in literary works (e.g.,
character types, story lines, settings, symbols). According to Jung, these
patterns are embedded deep in the "collective unconscious" and involve
"racial memories" of situations, events, relationships from time immemorial
(23).
Maud Bodkin's book
contribution to the study of archetypal images in literature.
Northrop Frye's book "The Anatomy of Criticism" (1957) views literature as
an "autonomous language" and words as signs that contribute to the
"organizing structural pattern" or "conceptualized myth" of which the work
is one example. Frye proposes four "mythoi" (types of plots) that formed
the basis for four major genres associated with the seasons of the year:
1) comedy (spring)
2) romance (summer)
3) tragedy (fall)
4) satire (winter)
Literary critics who subscribe to Jung's archetypal theory seek to identify
archetypes and trace patterns in diverse literary works across eras and
cultures.
One of the most often traced archtypal patterns is that of the quest (or
search) by the protagonist (or hero), who must leave her/his home, travel
into unfamiliar territory, meet a guide, endure dangerous situations and
adventures, reach the object of her/his quest, gain important new
knowledge, and return home with that knowledge to share with others.
The Difference between mythological and archetypal criticism:
Mythological Criticism:
Has references to famous mythological stories in works of literature
These references are included in the hopes of getting a universal reactions from all readers
It is similar to a psychological approach because it also is concerned with the things that underlie human behavior
Myths are symbolic of people’s hopes fears, values, and other philosophical ideas.
Archetypal Criticism:
· First of all, archetypes are similar ideas, motifs, and images found in many different myths
· Normally defined as “universal symbols"
· Examples of archetypes are images (such as water, sun, certain colors or numbers, circles, the serpent, garden, tree, desert) “the hero,” "the earth mother", "the soul mate," "the trickster," motifs or pattern, and genres
Using Mythological and Archetypal Criticism:
Unlike the more traditional form of criticism that focuses on the history of the author and the piece itself, mythological and archetypal focuses on the history of the gods, goddesses, and other allusions mentions in the piece that involve mythology. Reason for this approach:
Only recently was the proper means to use this type of criticism through the studies of anthropology, psychology, and cultural history
Many are skeptical of this approach, since it appears to lean towards the occult
There is also much confusion over the definitions of the objects in the actual myths, and the fact that people are more interested in concrete ideas
Three Different Facets of Mythological and Archetypal Criticism:
Anthropology: Anthropological studies began to advance at the end of the 19th century, and has been one of the biggest influences on mythological criticism. They study of anthropology have a new understanding to the Greek myths, which are the most well known and often used allusions.
Jungian Psychology: C.G. Jung was a student of Freud and psychologist and philosopher, who came up with many new insights to archetypes. Jung felt that Freud’s approach was too narrow. He contributed to this criticism approach through his theory of racial memory and archetypes. He felt that archetypes were not inherited ideas, but a response to certain stimuli. Myths are ways to show archetypes (ideas) in an actual form.
The American Dream: The idea of the “American Dream,” which is relatively new, is considered to be myth in many ways. The characters created by American authors represent different aspects, both good and bad, of the American Dream. The myth comes from the Myth of Edenic Possibilities, which involves the idea of creating a second paradise.
Archetypes in Literature
EECE 441
Prof. Sibley
Definition of Archetype:
“A universally recognizable element . . . that recurs across all literature and life (Latrobe 13). Psychologist Carl Jung called these elements a kind of “collective unconscious” of the human race, prototypes rather than something gained from experience. The word is derived from the Greek: arche, original, and typos, form or model; thus, original model (Latrobe 13).
An archetype is the first real example or prototype of something (as the Model T is the prototype of the modern automobile). In this sense an archetype can be considered the ideal model, the supreme type or the perfect image of something (Brunel 111-112, 114).
A key to understanding folk literature is to understand archetypes. “An archetype is to the psyche what an instinct is to the body. . . . . Archetypes are the psychic instincts of the human species.” (Edinger as quoted in Knapp 10). Archetypes are universal in human beings. Archetypes result in a deep emotional response for readers.
“Archetypes are repeated patterns that recur in the literature of every age” (Sloan 48).
Examples of Archetypes
Characters:
Hero (think of the classic hero journey & qualities of hero)
• “The main character leaves his or her community to go on an adventure, performing deeds that bring honor to the community” (Herz and Gallo 121).
Mother figure
• Fairy Godmother (surrogate mother)—comforts and directs child, especially when he or she is confused and needs guidance. Represents powers that can be called on for help when it is needed. Helps young person to solve own problems (Knapp 71).
• Earth Mother
• Stepmother
The great teacher/mentor
• Wise old men/women—protects or helps main character when he or she faces challenges.
The innocent
• Child/Youth
• Inexperienced adult
Underdog
Double
• Split personality—the other side of an individual
Helping animals
The Sacrificial Redeemer
• “The protagonist is willing to die for his or her beliefs; the main character maintains a strong sense of morality” (Herz and Gallo 123).
Scapegoat/Sacrificial Victim
Enchantress/Temptress
The Giant/Monster/Ogre
Villain
• Wolf
Trickster
Evil figure
• The Devil
• Serpent
Settings
Garden
• Cultivated and carefully planned. Restricted to certain vegetation.
Forest
• Habitat of the Great Mother (Mother Nature), the lunar force. Fertility. The vegetation and animals flourish in this “green world” because of the sustaining power of the Great Mother. Symbolically the primitive levels of the feminine psyche, protective and sheltering. Those who enter often lose their direction or rational outlook and thus tap into their collective unconscious. This unregulated space is opposite of the cultivated gardens, which are carefully planned and are restricted to certain vegetation.
Tree
• Represents life and knowledge
Caves and tunnels
• Deep down where character delves into self
• Place that character goes when “invisible” or inactive
• At the extreme may signify death
Mountains and peaks
• Highest peak is place to “see” far
• Place to gain great insight
The River
• Crossing river may symbolize new territory
• Rivers can be boundaries or borders & on the other side is something new or different
• May represent human life or time passing as we follow the river from its source to its mouth
The Sea
• Vast, alien, dangerous, chaos
• Waves may symbolize measures of time and represent eternity or infinity
Fountain
• Stands for purification; the sprinkling of water (baptism) washes away sin. Water of fountain gives new life (Knapp 32).
Islands
• Microcosms or small worlds unto themselves
• Represent isolation or get-a-ways
Actions/Events:
Journey--“The protagonist takes a journey, usually physical but sometimes emotional, during which he or she learns something about himself or herself or finds meaning in his or her life as well as acceptance in a community” (Herz and Gallo 112).
• Linear
• Circular
• Quests
• Quest for material wealth
• Quest for security, as a secure place to live
• Quest for kin
• Quest for global good, such as when a kingdom is threatened
• Quest for self, for self-identity or self-assurance
Rites of initiation
Parental Conflict and Relationships
• “The protagonist deals with parental conflict by rejecting or bonding with parents” (Herz and Gallo 117).
Coming of age
Sleep
• Crucial for physical and/or psychological healing. During dreams, person can grow. Person can fantasize freely in sleep. A transitional and beneficial period. In dream sphere can descend to the sphere of the Great Mother. Person awakens with a greater understanding of human nature (Knapp 88).
Sacrificial rites
The Test or Trial
• “In the transition from one stage of life to another, the main character experiences a rite of passage through growth and change; he or she experiences a transformation” (Herz and Gallo 115).
Birth/Death and Rebirth
• “Through pain and suffering the character overcomes feelings of despair, and through a process of self-realization is reborn” (Herz and Gallo 110).
The Fall: Expulsion from Eden
• “The main character is expelled because of an unacceptable action on his or her part” (Herz and Gallo 111).
Annihilation/Absurdity/Total Oblivion
• “In order to exist in an intolerable world, the main character accepts that life is absurd, ridiculous, and ironic” (Herz and Gallo 116).
Works Cited
Brunel, Pierre. Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Franz, Marie-Louise von. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto: Inner City, 1997.
Herz, Sarah K., and Donald R. Gallo. From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005.
Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 6th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Johnson, Terry D., and Daphne R. Louis. Bringing It All Together. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1990.
Knapp, Bettina L. French Fairy Tales: A Jungian Approach. Albany: State U. of New York: 2003.
Latrobe, Kathy H., Carolyn S. Brodie, and Maureen White. The Children’s Literature Dictionary. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2002.
Sloan, Glenna Davis. The Child as Critic. 3rd ed. New York: Teachers College, 1991.
No comments:
Post a Comment