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Archetypal Settings

 

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Definition

ar·che·type  (är k -t p ) n.

1. An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype: "'Frankenstein' . . . 'Dracula' . . . 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' . . . the archetypes that have influenced all subsequent horror stories" New York Times.

www.dictionary.com

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More Explanation

  • Recur across all literature
  • Prototypes rather than something gained from experience
  • Universal in human beings
  • Result in a deep emotional response for readers

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http://www.mnstate.edu/sibley/EECE%20441Archetypes%20in%20Literature.doc

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Archetypal Settings

An archetypal setting or setting element has some universal aspect that is associated by most people with a particular human experience.

Some archetypal setting elements:

  • The river
    • crossing = new territory
    • rivers = boundaries and other side is something new or different
    • human life or time passing as we follow river from it source to its mouth
  • The garden
    • Cultivated and carefully planned. Restricted to certain vegetation
  • The wasteland
  • The maze
  • The castle

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Archetypal Settings Continued

  • The tower
  • Tree
    • Represents life and knowledge
  • The wilderness/forest
    • Fertility
    • Those who enter often lose their direction or rational outlook and thus tap into their collective unconscious
    • Unregulated space is opposite of cultivated gardens
  • The threshold
  • The Sea
    • Waves may symbolize measures of time and represent eternity or infinity
    • Vast, alien, dangerous, chaos

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Archetypal Characters

  • Hero
  • Mother figure
  • Great teacher/mentor
  • Innocent
  • Underdog
  • Double
  • Sacrificial redeemer
  • Scapegoat/sacrificial victim
  • Enchantress/temptress
  • Giant/monster/ogre
  • Villain
  • Trickster
  • Evil figure

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Archetypal actions/events

  • Journey
  • Parental conflict and relationships
  • Sleep – necessary for healing
  • Test/trial
  • Birth/death and rebirth
  • The fall: expulsion from Eden
  • Annihilation/absurdity/total oblivion

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Sources

www.dictionary.com

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http://www.mnstate.edu/sibley/EECE%20441Archetypes%20in%20Literature.doc

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