Rant: The Hero’s Journey
All right, folks, my first official rant for this blog.
This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I could write dissertations on this. I probably will write dissertations on this.
If you do not know what the Hero’s Journey is, let me break it down for you:
The Hero’s Journey is also known as the Hero’s Archetype and the monomyth. I like to use monomyth, but most people don’t recognize that one.
In essence, the monomyth is a pattern which has been noticed and documented historically and in literature. It is a series of basic stages in the life of a hero, which most heroes will go through.
It is not:
–set in stone
–a rigid set of rules dictating the what, where, and how of everything
It does not extend to stereotypes.
Let me say that again: It does not extend to stereotypes.
In fantasy, in particular, raging stereotypes abound. Many, many writers excuse themselves by saying they are only following the formula of the Hero’s Journey, or they are only using the archetypes of fantasy. This is way off-base. Why? Because the grey, old mentor isn’t an archetype–that is a stereotype, something which had been generalized to the genre and then used to death.
Archetypes are commonalities found in narratives–devices used because they make sense culturally, psychologically, and even physiologically. They are broad themes that can easily be changed or customized according to the will of the author or the needs of the story.
Oh, that brings me to my main point rather nicely:
You do not need to consciously use the Hero’s Journey.
Got that? Good. Here’s the thing–99.9999999% of EVERYTHING you come up with, ever, will follow the Hero’s Journey in some fashion or another. It’s human nature. That’s ALL the Hero’s Journey is, really. Human nature. You don’t need to make the Journey into some epic formula that you MUST follow to the letter.
When Joseph Campbell compiled his stages of the Hero’s Journey, he wasn’t intending it to be used by authors to consciously plot out their stories. He was pointing out the commonalities across cultures, which linked us all together as human.
So, if you want to write a good story, don’t worry about the archetypes. Don’t worry about the monomyth. You’ll do just fine on your own, drawing from your experiences–the very experiences which make you human. That is what your audience will relate to.
Upcoming rants:
–Archetypes and stereotypes
–Artists and audiences, or Do artists write for themselves or for others?
