Literature has been being created for many centuries.
It’s a term used to describe written or spoken material. It could be used to
describe any type of writing. It’s mainly used to describe works of the creative
imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, and non- fiction literature. We
tend to read literature because it represents a language or a tradition in an
individual’s life. Literature is like having a learning experience. The amount
of information we learn from books and literature is significant. We not only
learn from books and literature but also from the comedies and tragedies of
poems, stories and plays, and other famous works. Literature affects us in many
other ways as well. When we read a sad poem or watch sad movie we sometimes
feel upset or depressed afterward. This would also depend on the type of
individual the person is. There are some individuals that show no emotion after
watching something disturbing or disappointing. If these individuals were to
use archetypes then maybe they could view the world from a different point of
view. These would change whatever they view to an archetype. Every time they
read or watch something they would always think of an archetype and who to
compare that certain character to.
The background of someone in
fiction would be labeled as an archetype. The templates for characters make
them stand out so the reader could get familiar with them. These are important
to use in literature because it gives the story a sense of meaning. Archetypes
could sometimes be confused with stereotypes. Stereotypes are templates just
like archetypes but a stereotype is categorized as an oversimplified conception
of an idea. For example, in Western Fiction, the mainly used stereotype is
where a brave cowboy is trying to save a girl from a pack of wild Indians and
fights them and rides away into the sunset with the girl. An archetype has
human qualities and interacts with its reality according to its nature. This
would also mean how the “archetype” reacts to certain situations that are
brought upon him within the work of art. Archetypes should be looked as how
that character behaves and how they are seen upon from your own view within the
text or film. Archetypes in works of literature are all different. They all
depend on the character. Once you know what the personality of the character
then you could decide what kind of archetype that character is. All archetypes
have different traits. You wouldn't call someone who is evil and wants to
destroy the world as “The Hero” archetype. It all depends on the personality
and mood of the character.
The term "archetype"
has its origins in ancient Greek. The root words are archein, which means "original or old"; and typos, which means "pattern, model
or type". The combined meaning is an "original pattern" of which
all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are derived, copied, modeled,
or emulated. There are 12 different types of archetypes. The archetypes are The
Innocent, The Orphan, The Hero, The Caregiver, The Explorer, The Rebel, The
Lover, The Creator, The Jester, The Sage, The Magician, and The Ruler. Each
type of archetype has their own set of meanings and role that they play. Also,
each archetype is given their own goals and motto. These archetypes represent
basic human motivations. These twelve are divided into three sets of four, Ego,
Soul, and Self. When we encounter them in art, literature, sacred texts,
advertising—or in individuals or groups—they evoke deep feeling within us. Studying archetypes can help you
better understand your own journey in life. They can also increase
communication between your conscious and unconscious minds. These archetypes
give you a greater sense of meaning and fulfillment in life. Some individuals
believe that by the use of archetypes they could inspire and motivate others.
By using archetypes you are allowing yourself to cope more effectively with
difficult people. This is a good thing because some people could be very
hard-headed and difficult to understand sometimes. You get to have greater
flexibility to respond to the challenges of life by the use of archetypes.
Studies have shown that people who use archetypes have a greater bond with
their family, friends, and even their workplace. Archetypes not only help
individual differences but also buisnisses and organizations. They create a
healthy and balanced organizational culture. It also promotes to inspire
customer and employee loyalty. These all lead to a positive contribution to the
world. Most individuals in life play several archetypes but they also have that
main archetype that dominates their personality. It’s useful to know which
archetype you play a role in because you gain insight on personal behaviors and
motivations. Archetypes basically are what make a literary text stand out.
Without them then texts would be boring and wouldn’t have a meaning.
Archetypal functions help
literature because they help identify the background behind each character.
Every character in a work of literature has a meaning behind them. They each
have a certain role to play. Without archetypes then every character in a story
would almost be basically the same if the story is romantic then there must be
a character with the archetype of “The Lover”. Archetypes are the grounding
point to a story. They set the main idea and the setting of the story. In every
story there is at least one type of archetype. Without this then writers would
have to find a different way to make the reader identify each character. Every
character is different from one another. No character could ever be exactly the
same. Archetypes are also important because they break things down into
categories. When you mention the type of archetype a character is then it’s
easier to understand. The classification makes a huge difference. The
archetypes in the film “Stardust” have a big impact on the movie. You can point
out which character is which archetype. The young man named “Tristan” would be
labeled as “The Lover”, this is because he was set out on an adventure to find
a star for his crush named Victoria. Tristan found the star for Victoria called
Yvaine. On his journey back to Victoria, Tristan starts to realize he is not
the only one looking for the star. There are a group of witches who would be as
“The Witch” archetype. These witches want the star and want to eat her heart
out. Another person set out to obtain the star is the son of the king of
Stormhold. He told his son’s the first one to receive the star would be the new
king of Stormhold. The son would be labeled as “The Ruler”. During Tristan’s
whole adventure he realized who he truly loved. It wasn’t Victoria because she
was selfish and only cared about herself. He was with his true love the whole
time. The star Yvaine could be seen as the “The Magician” archetype. Her motto
is to make things happen. Her goal is to make dreams come true. This highly
represents the character Yvaine was playing. Without the help of archetypes
this story would be hard to understand. Archetypes made it simple to understand
because of the way each character has their own role that they play. Archetypal
functions help identify what was going on throughout the film and how the film
revolved.
In conclusion, archetypes play
an important role in every type of literature. They are needed in order to get
a better understanding of the film or literature. For example, in “Stardust”
archetypes are shown all throughout the film. They are seen as one of the most
important guidelines of writing a work piece. Archetypal functions are mainly
used to describe the personality of a character in a work of literature.
Without these functions then individuals wouldn’t be able to distinguish
between what type of character they are reading about or seeing in a movie. This
is why I believe archetypes are important because they make it easier to
understand who the character is and what their main role in the story or in the
movie. These functions come together to provide a better reading experience.
Although it is a bit more comprehensive it is still more useful to have because
of its role. “Stardust” is a great example for archetypes because there are so
many to choose from. Each character in the film is a different type of
archetype. This film is drawn between different types of archetypes. If there
weren’t any archetypes in “Stardust” then I believe the film/story would have a
totally different meaning. The ways the character developed all throughout the
scenery is important because it shows how archetypal functions can change a
character. These functions could dramatically change the whole main idea of the
story while it still remains with the same character and all of their traits.
Archetypes remain important in any film or story because of how easier they
make it to distinguish characters from one another.
