The Hero’s Journey

AKA “The Monomyth”

Haven’t I heard that story before?

Is Hollywood just lazy . . .

. . . or is something else going on here?

Both.

Meet Carl Jung . . . •Jung was a psychoanalyst who conceptualized the idea of the “collective unconscious” to explain the commonality of archetypes, images, and situations found in all people and stories around the world. •His idea was that the archetype of the hero stems from our psyche’s quest to be individual, unique.

Meet Joseph Campbell. . .•Joseph Campbell built upon Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious to explain all the world’s mythologies. •http://billmoyers.com/content/ep-2-joseph-campbell-and-the-power-of-myth-the-message-and-the-myth-audio/

So, what does this have to do with 80-90% of all Hollywood films and popular fiction? And what does this have to do with our new unit?

Remember what Cambell said:“Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life.”

The Hero with a Thousand Faces•In 1949, Campbell published a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces in which he outlined and discussed the basic pattern of many narratives from around the world. •His ideas not only recognized that powerful archetypes are present throughout mythology and storytelling, but that all of these archetypes stem from humans’ basic desire for a rich life.•He called this idea “the monomyth,” or “one story”

Classical examples•Cambell argued that the stories of the leading figures in all major world religions (Moses, Jesus, Siddartha Gautama [Buddha], Muhammad, etc.) followed the pattern. •Classical literature is full of examples, from Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.•Naturally, more modern storytellers continue to borrow, reshape, and reuse the same storylines.

The Hero’s JourneyCampbell outlined 17 stages of the basic journey, although not all myths contain all 17 stages.

Let’s take a look at some modern examples. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGV1BvnyvGo

“Read myths with the eyes of wonder” -Joseph Campbell