Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outline of discussion
Carl Gustav Jung on the archetypes Joseph Campbell on the hero monomyth Stages of the heros journey Female heroes: Elizabeth Gilbert, Leah Bustamante, and Frida Kahlo
Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung posited the existence of the collective unconscious, the repository of human wisdom throughout the ages The most common expression of patterns from the collective unconscious are the archetypal characters in myths
Archetypes are universal psychic forces formed through the history of human experience
Joseph Campbell adopted Jungs views on the psychological import of myths, asserting that a personal understanding of myth would be beneficial in ones own life
Campbell advanced his theory of the monomyth, the structure shared by all myths across history and across the world In particular, he focused on the myth of the hero
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. (Campbell, 23)
Neo chooses between the red and the blue pills (The Matrix)
Orpheus loses Eurydice just before they emerged from the Underworld
Female heroes
Although the hero archetype is traditionally male, this does not preclude women from having their own hero quest Due to gender role conditioning, femininity has been defined in terms of nurturing, vulnerability, and passivity In myths and traditional stories, women are often portrayed as damsels in distress, domesticized caregivers, or, at the other extreme, as seductresses
Female heroes
According to Carol Pearson, Women receive very mixed messages, since to succeed they are told they need to act like men have. If they do so, they are frequently seen as unfeminine, or even unnatural. There is also a relatively strong prohibition against claiming the power of the Ruler in any external way unless that power is strongly diluted through the Caregiver/Lover lens.
Female heroes
Traditional Womans Journey
Innocent
Lover
Caregiver
Orphan
Seeker
Warrior
Destroyer
(Seeker-Warrior) Creator Self
Orphan
Seeker
Warrior
Female heroes
ARCHETYPE Innocent Orphan Warrior Caregiver Seeker Lover Destroyer Creator Ruler Magician Sage Fool GOAL Remain in safety Regain safety Win Help others Search for a better life Bliss Metamorphosis Identity Order Transformation Truth Enjoyment FEAR Abandonment Exploitation Weakness Selfishness Conformity Loss of love Annihilation Inauthenticity Chaos Evil sorcery Deception Nonaliveness
Female heroes
However, due to the feminist movement of the past century, gender roles have started to change dramatically. Thus, its now possible to think of the hero myth as applicable for both sexes
Female heroes
Some examples of subversive female archetypes are Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Leslie Winkle in Big Bag Theory, and Deborah Morgan in Dexter
Female heroes
Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes discusses the Wild Woman archetype, which describes contemporary womens quest to find their essential selves
Female heroes
Healthy wolves and healthy women share certain psychic characteristics: keen sensing, playful spirit, and a heightened capacity for devotion. Yet both have been hounded, harassed, and falsely imputed to be devouring and devious, overly aggressive, of less value than those who are their detractors.
Female heroes
When women are close [to their Wild Woman nature], the fact of that relationship glows through them. This wild teacher, wild mother, wild mentor supports their inner and outer lives, no matter what.
Female heroes
The narratives that will be discussed in this course follow the quest of three women who undertook the painful road to self-discovery, breaking out of the traditional feminine archetypes and thus becoming heroes in their own right
Female heroes
Watch closely for their respective quests,
and whether they succeed.
Elizabeth Gilbert
Leah Bustamante
Frida Kahlo
References
Campbell, Joseph. 2008. Hero with a thousand faces. California: New World Library. Estes, Clarissa Pinkola. 1992. Women who run with the wolves: Myths and stories of the wild woman archetype. New York: Ballantine Books. Jung, Carl Gustav. 1976. The portable Jung, ed. by Joseph Campbell. Trans. by R.F.C. Hull. New York: Penguin Books. Pearson, Carol. 1991. Awakening the heroes within: Twelve archetypes to help us find ourselves and transform our world. New York: HarperOne.
Group activity
Group yourselves into four- or five-member groups. Discuss a myth or fairy tale and try to retell it critically, i.e. with a view to providing an alternative to sexist, heterosexist, racist, classist, lookist, ageist, etc. assumptions in the original story. Be able to present a 10-minute skit next meeting (bring props or costumes as you see fit).