1. Archetypal Criticism

2. Archetypal Criticism
The word archetype is from the Greek arkhetupon, first mold or model, in the meaning of being the initial version of something later multiplied.
In literature and art an archetype is a character, a tradition, an event, a story or an image that recurs in different works, in different cultures and in different periods of time.

3. Archetypes
Archetypal criticism focuses on those patterns in a literary work that commonly occur in other literary works. These patterns include persistent images, figures, and story patterns shared by people across diverse cultures. Archetypal critics are also interested in certain myths and rituals that recur in a wide variety of cultures.

4. What is an Archetype?
An archetype is a pattern from which other, similar things can be developed. It is a kind of “original model.” For example, “the Flood” is an archetypal image that exists in myths across many cultures. The basic model is a huge flood covering the entire planet, initiating a kind of “clean slate.”

5. Example of a Tradition Archetype
In the Western tradition of Easter, Jesus (considered the son of god in that tradition) is sacrificed to save humankind.
In the Eastern tradition of Mahashivarati, the god Shiva drank a lethal dose of poison that otherwise would have polluted the oceans of the world, thus saving humankind.
Both of these traditions center around a celebration of life and a deliverance from death.

6. Carl Jung
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that these archetypes existed in the collective unconscious. He based this assertion in part on the fact that there are images, character types, settings and story patterns that existed across cultures.
He suggested that this collective unconscious is not directly knowable and is a product of the shared experiences of our ancestors. This is why archetypal criticism is often discussed in psychological terms.

7. Jungian Criticism:
Jung theorized that all humans carry archetypes (universal images and patterns) in our individual and collective unconscious

8. Primordial and Universal
Jung believed that the collective unconscious and its contents are primordial. That is, we, as individuals, have these archetypal images ingrained in our understanding before we are born.
Jung also believed that these archetypes are universal, which is why they can be found all over the world and throughout history.

9. Archetypal Criticism
Archetypal criticism therefore seeks to identify and analyze the presence and variance of recognizable archetypes in works of literature.
These archetypes are said to be identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as myths, dreams and even ritualized modes of social behavior.

10. Jungian Quest:
Assumes that the monomyth of the Quest or Journey underlies archetypal images
Hero forced to leave comfortable surroundings and venture in an unfamiliar, new world filled with new challenges
Meet wise old man who helps out with guidance and advice
Barrier tests the fledgling hero (tends to separate familiar world from unfamiliar)

11. Jungian Criticism: Return Home Call guide Bestow wisdom Crossing
Familiar world
Land of adventure
Threshold
Call
guide
Crossing
Return
Adventure
Initiation

12. Archetypes on Parade
There are a number of identifiable archetypes in literature, art and film spanning centuries.
Some of the most easily recognizable archetypes in character, situation and symbol include the following:

13. Archetypal Characters
Hero/Heroine
Sidekick/Helper
Villain
Wise Sage
Outcast
Oracle
Caring Mother/Earth Mother
Mad Scientist
Femme Fatale
“Don Juan”
Star-Crossed Lovers
Witch/Shrew
Underdog
Stern Father
Damsel in Distress

14. Archetypal Situations
The task/trial
The journey
The Quest
The loss of innocence
The initiation
Apocalypse/end of the world
Pursuit of revenge
Descent into the underworld/heavenly ascent
Searching for father
Damsel in distress
Banishment of the prince

15. Archetypal Critical Questions
What images, symbols, figures, are present that are present in other literary works?
What myths, dreams and even ritualized modes of social behavior are present?