Archetypes

Name- Rajyaguru Mansi D.

Sem- 2

Roll no- 12

M.A-1

Topic- "Archetypal"

Submitted to,

Dr. Dilip Barad,

Bhavnagar University,

Bhavnagar. 

Archetypal- ar'che.typ'al (adj)

·       Representing or constituting an original type after which other similar things are patterned, "archetypal patterns", "she was the prototypal student activist."

·       Meaning of Archetype:

An Archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behaviour, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated. Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures.

·       What is Archetypal?

Archetypal criticism is a form of criticism based on the psychology of Carl Jung. He argues that there are two levels of the unconscious: the personal and the archetypal.

·       Archetypes are the unknowable basic forms personified in recurring images, symbols, or patterns which may include motifs. These motifs can be recognizable character types such as the trickster or the hero, symbols such as the apple or snake, or images such as crucifixion.

·       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. For example, for the myth critic Northrop Frye, an archetype is "a symbol, usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to be recognizable as an element of one's literary experience. "Frye elaborates taxonomy of modes, symbols, myths, and genres, established a complex and comprehensive correspondence between the basic genres-comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony- and the mythes and archetypal patterns associated with the seasonal cycle of spring, summer, fall, and winter.

·       Archetypes:

Archetypes are somewhat more difficult to understand than symbols and motifs. The concept of archetypes was developed by Carl Jung who said that we all have a "collective unconscious." Consisting of plots, character types, and patterns common to any culture. Embedded in our past experiences, certain images and patterns we expect to recur. And they often do in our literature. For example, the most common archetypal character is that of the hero. He/she usually must endure some sort of ritual or test, go on a journey, perform a task, and save the day.

v Archetypal character:

An archetypal character is a character who appears over in legends far and wide, even in cultures that have shut themselves off from the world. T he blood drinking risen dead are en Archetype as almost every culture has come up with their own legends independent of each other. Angel is an archetype: the tragic hero trying to overcome the evils of his past. Coyote is an archetype. Xene is an archetype. Any of these may be disguised as a space Alien.

·       Some lit-theories classify archetypes by the role/purpose the character inhabits for the story. These classes are: Protagonist, Antagonist, Reason, Emotion, Sidekick, Skeptic, Guardian, and contagonis.

·       A related concept is the 'ectype', a distorted or flawed version of the archetype. For example, Batman is archetypical. He is rich man who dedicates himself to anonymously fighting crime (protecting society) with a variety of gadgets.

·       Many of the characters in Watchmen are ectypes based on this archetype.

v The 8 Archetypal characters:

There are 8 essential archetypal characters each of which represents a different aspect of our own minds. Here are the eight archetypal characters, described in terms of their dramatic functions:

1.    Protagonist: The traditional protagonist is the driver of the story: the one who forces the action. We root for it and hope for its success.

2.    Antagonist: The Antagonist is the character directly opposed to the Protagonist. It represents the problem that must be solved or overcome for the protagonist to succeed.

3.    Reason: This character makes its decisions and takes action on the basis of logic, never letting feelings get in the way of a rational course.

4.    Emotion: The Emotion character responds with its feelings without thinking, whether it is angry or kind, with disregard for practicality.

5.    Skeptic:  Skeptic doubts everything- courses of action, sincerity, truth- whatever.

6.    Sidekick: The sidekick is unfailing in its loyalty and support. The sidekick is often aligned with the protagonist thought may also be attached to the Antagonist.

7.    Contagonist: The contagonist hinders and deludes the protagonist, tempting it to takes the wrong course or approach.

v What does Archetypal criticism means?

·      Archetypal Criticism:

The analysis of a piece of literature through the examination of archetypes and archetypal patterns in Jungian psychology.

In the literature, characters, images, and themes that symbolically embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live, are considered archetypes. Common literary archetypes include stories of quests, initiations, scapegoats, descents to the underworld, and ascents to heaven. A symbol which recurs often enough in literature to be recognizable as an element of one's experience devises an elaborate classification of modes, symbols, myths, and genres. It establishes a comprehensive.