Transcript Archetype Symbols

Literary
Archetypes
“Archetypes are repeated
patterns that recur in the
literature of every age”
(Sloan 48).
What is an archetype?
An archetype is a term used to describe
universal symbols that evoke deep and
sometimes unconscious responses in a reader
 In 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.
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Archetypes are…
 Primordial:
That is, we, as individuals,
have these archetypal images
ingrained in our understanding even
before we are born.
 Universal: These archetypes can be
found all over the world and
throughout history. The manifestation
of the idea may be different, but the
idea itself is the same.
Carl Jung
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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 Archetypes
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The Star-Crossed
Lovers
This is the young couple
joined by love but
unexpectedly parted by
fate.
example - Romeo and
Juliet
Unfaithful wife
married to a man she
sees as dull and
unimaginative
physically attracted to a
more virile or desirable
man
example - Guinevere
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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
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Scapegoat
The scapegoat figure is
one who gets blamed for
everything, regardless of
whether he/she is
actually 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 - Gollum
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Trickster
crosses both physical and
social boundaries-- the
trickster is often a traveler,
and he often breaks societal
rules. Tricksters cross lines,
breaking or blurring
connections and distinctions
between "right and wrong,
sacred and profane, clean
and dirty, male and female,
young and old, living and
dead“
Anansi
The innocent
Child/Youth
Inexperienced adult
Jem and Scout
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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 mother
symbolic of fruition and
abundance as well as
fertility
example - Mother
Nature
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The Shrew
This is that nagging,
bothersome wife
always battering her
husband with verbal
abuse.
example - Katherine
EnchantressTemptress
characterized by
sensuous beauty
usually involved in
downfall of the hero or
protagonist
examples - the
Sirens, Calypso, and
Cleopatra
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The Loss of Innocence
This is, as the name
implies, a loss of
innocence through sexual
experience, violence, or
any other means.
The Initiation
This is the process by
which a character is
brought into another
sphere of influence,
usually (in literature) into
adulthood.
Ex. Jem and Scott in To
Kill a Mockingbird
Situational
Archetypes
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Quest
are searching for something,
whether consciously or
unconsciously. Their actions,
thoughts, and feelings center
around the goal of
completing the quest.
example - Ahab’s quest for
the albino whale
Task
A situation in which a
character, or group of
characters, is driven to
complete some duty often of
monstrous proportion.
example --Frodo’s task to
keep the ring safe in The
Lord of the Rings
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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 Archetypes
Certain images that recur in myths and
other genres of literature often have a
common meaning or tend to elicit
comparable psychological responses and
to serve similar cultural functions.
 Water
 Sun
 Colors
 Shapes, Numbers, & Other objects
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Water
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a symbol of life, cleansing,
and rebirth—represents
the mystery of creation
Examples:
Sea—spiritual mystery
and infinity; timelessness
and eternity
River—death / rebirth
(baptism), flowing of time
into eternity, transitional
phases of the life cycle
Sun
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Represents energy,
creativity, thinking,
enlightenment,
wisdom, spiritual
vision, the passing
of time, and life
Examples:
Rising Sun—Birth
and Creation
Setting Sun—death
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Red—love, sacrifice, hate,
evil, anger, violent
passion, sin, blood,
disorder
Green—birth / death,
fertility, luck, hope,
jealousy, decay, greed
Blue—sadness, spiritual
purity, truth, religious
feelings of security
Black—power, doom,
death, darkness, mystery,
primal wisdom,
unconscious evil
White—purity, innocence,
death, terror,
supernatural, blinding
truth
Colors
Shapes
Circle (Sphere)
wholeness, unity
Egg (Oval)—the mystery
of life and the forces of
regeneration
Animals
Snake
(serpent,
worm)—evil,
corruption,
sensuality,
destruction,
wisdom,
temptation
Dark-colored
bird
(raven, hawk)—death,
hate, corruption
Light-colored
bird (dove)—
peace, love, life
Numbers
 Three
(3)—represents unity, spiritual
awareness, and light
 Four
(4)—cycle of life, (earth, water,
fire, air) nature
 Seven
(7)—unity between 3 and 4,
completion and perfect order
garden
 paradise, innocence,
unspoiled feminine
beauty, fertility
 desert
 lack of spirituality,
death, hopelessness
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Mountains and peaks
 Highest peak is place to
“see” far
 Place to gain great insight
 Caves and tunnels
 Deep down where
character delves into self
 Place that character goes
when “invisible” or
inactive
 At the extreme may
signify death
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Forest
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Habitat of the Great
Mother (Mother Nature),
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.
Tree
proliferation,
life,
immortality
growth,
road or train
journey
through life
Character Archetypes
The great
teacher/mentor
 Hero
 Outcast
 Villain
 Earth mother
 Circle
 The innocent
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Ring
 Galadriel
 Sauron
 Aragorn
 Gollum
 Gandalf
 Frodo
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Summer Reading
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Think about the
books you read over
the summer, (The
Life of Pi, Girl with a
Pearl Earring, A
Northern Light,
Peace, Like a River,
Like Water for
Elephants, The Kite
Runner, and To Kill a
Mockingbird). What
archetypes did you
notice in those
books? For
example, water in
the Life of Pi.
http://www.slideshare.net/RachalJames/the-psychology-of-colorpresentation
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Orange
– vibrant
– combination of red
and yellow
– denotes energy,
warmth, and the
sun
– less intensity or
aggression than red
– calmed by the
cheerfulness of
yellow
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Brown
– wholesomeness and
earthiness
– represents
steadfastness,
simplicity,
friendliness,
dependability, and
health
– warm neutral color
that can stimulate
the appetite