Archetypes

In Life, Literature, and Myth

 Carl Gustav Jung
Jung, introduced the idea of the archetype

He emphasized understanding the mind

through exploring the worlds of dreams, art,
mythology, world religion and philosophy.
 Jung’s Ideas
Jung's theory divides the mind into three parts.
The first is the ego,which Jung identifies with the
conscious mind.
Second, the personal unconscious, which
includes anything that is not presently conscious,
but can be.
For example, you weren't thinking about zebras, but
now you are.
Third is the collective unconcsious. Cont..
 Examples of the Collective
Unconscious
Déjà vu (the feeling that this has happened
before)
Love at first sight
Immediate recognition of certain symbols
and myths
The call to the ring in The Lord of the Rings
 in other words
A good example would be a hungry baby. At first,
the baby just wants something to eat, without
knowing what it wants.

Later, with experience, the child begins to yearn

for something more specific when it is hungry -- a
bottle, a cookie, a broiled lobster, a slice of New
York style pizza.
So how does ARCHETYPE fit
in?
The contents of the collective unconscious
are called archetypes.
Definition: An archetype is an unlearned
tendency to experience things in a certain
way. In literature it is a model that must be
followed. We usually see it in specific
character types.
It is almost like an instinct
 Examples of Archetypes
The character archetype
The hero
The outcast
The wise old man
The scapegoat
The sacrificial lamb
The mother
These are just a few of many see handout for a
complete list.
 The Hero archetype
The Hero Archetype is made up of several
different steps. In order for a character to be
considered a Hero he must meet most of the
following requirements. Let’s use The Lord of the
Rings as an example.
Heroes are often mysterious
Heroes are neither fools nor are the invincible
They must make a journey
The hero’s way is not always clear
The hero’s way is lined with danger and loneliness
 The Hero Continued
A friend may accompany the hero
The hero has a guide or a “wise old man” that
helps them
The hero may descend into darkness and is
never the same
What the hero seeks is usually a symbol
destruction of the ring = peace

They bring back new insight