ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM

Archetypal Criticism

The word archetype is from the Greek arkhetupon, first mold or model, in the meaning of being the initial version of something later multiplied.

In literature and art an archetype is a character, a tradition, an event, a story or an image that recurs in different works, in different cultures and in different periods of time.

Archetypes

Archetypal criticism focuses on those patterns in a literary work that commonly occur in other literary works.

These patterns include persistent images, figures, and story patterns shared by people across diverse cultures.

Archetypal critics are also interested in certain myths and rituals that recur in a wide variety of cultures.

What is an Archetype?

An archetype is a pattern from which other, similar things can be developed.

It is a kind of “original model.”

For example, “the Flood” is an archetypal image that exists in myths across many cultures. The basic model is a huge flood covering the entire planet, initiating a kind of “clean slate.”

Carl Jung

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that common archetypes existed in the collective unconscious. He based this assertion in part on the fact that there are images, character types, settings and story patterns that existed across cultures.

He suggested that this collective unconscious is not directly knowable and is a product of the shared experiences of our ancestors. This is why archetypal criticism is often discussed in psychological terms.

Primordial and Universal

Jung believed that the collective unconscious and its contents are primordial. That is, we, as individuals, have these archetypal

images ingrained in our understanding before we are born.

Jung also believed that these archetypes are universal, which is why they can be found all over the world and throughout history.

Archetypal criticism therefore seeks to identify and analyze the presence and variance of recognizable archetypes in works of literature.

These archetypes are said to be identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as myths, dreams and even ritualized modes of social behavior.

Archetypes on Parade

There are a number of identifiable archetypes in literature, art and film spanning centuries.

Some of the most easily recognizable archetypes in character, situation and symbol include the following:

Archetypal Characters

Hero/Heroine Sidekick/Helper Villain Wise Sage Outcast Oracle Caring

Mother/Earth Mother

Mad Scientist Femme Fatale “Don Juan” Star-Crossed

Lovers Witch/Shrew Underdog Stern Father Damsel in

Distress

Archetypal Situations

The task/trial The journey The Quest The loss of

innocence The initiation Apocalypse/end of

the world

Pursuit of revenge Descent into the

underworld/heavenly ascent

Searching for father

Damsel in distress Banishment of the

prince