Are you eager to write a fantasy or science fiction novel that centers on. The heros journey is so prevalent in film and books that it makes a great jumping off point for a comparative literature study, and these texts are. Teaching the heros journey the daring english teacher. The monomyth was first conceptualized by joseph campbell in his book the hero with a. Divergent hero s journey analyze the divergent book through the lens of the hero s journey. Important archetypes like the hero, the mentor, the shadow, the ally, the trickster, and the threshold guardian appear as well. As harry potter daniel radcliffe begins his sixth year at hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as the property of the halfblood prince and begins to learn more about lord voldemorts ralph fiennes dark past. The heros journey is a common narrative archetype, or story template, that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory with that newfound knowledge, and then returns home transformed. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. The pattern of thj is easy to spot in the type of stories, where the hero goes on a literal journey and comes out as a transformed man at the other end. Looking for examples of each stage of the heros journey. Where the mountain meets the moon by grace lin, a wrinkle in time by madeleine lengle, the girl who circumnavigated. Star wars is the most commonly used example of that, because we know for a fact that george lucas based his story on joseph campbells. Breaking down the heros journey plot structure well.
In this project, you will learn the stages of the archetypal hero s journey and decide for yourself if a story you are reading follows this cycle. And it can be a really great framework for novel writing. Often, something will try to prevent you from crossing the threshold. Campbell notes that heroes who refuse their quest frequently become characters in demand of delivering or in minos instance. Our hero generally refuses that call in the beginning, either afraid of what will happen or satisfied with life as it is. It was just another ordinary peach days in brigham city, utah. The heros journey sample essay example graduateway. For fun, and as a writing exercise, i might try out this formula with one of the stories from my own life. Joseph campbells heros journey can teach you how to live. Hero s endeavors land him in an actual physical conflict near the end of the first 1,500 words. Neale, in his book, distills the 12 steps in campbells hero journey. Examples of works that utilize the heros journey include star wars. There are examples provided but it still helps to do. Harry potter and the philosophers stone 2001, star wars 1977, the matrix 1999, spiderman 2002, the lion king 1994 and the lord of the rings trilogy 20012003.
Near the end of first 1,500 words, there is a complete surprise twist in the plot development. The hero s journey is not primarily focused on ancient myths, but the elements from the hero s journey is also shared with modern stories. The hero s guidebook sale item humorously illustrated with over 40 cartoons by the author, this book takes readers through the stages of the hero s journey using examples from books, films, and even video games. Its a plot archetype that forms the building blocks of most modern movies, books and tv shows. Examples of works that utilize the heros journey include star wars, harry potter and the sorcerers stone, the hunger games, the hobbit, the lord of the rings, and enders game.
Contents1 the ordinary world2 the call to adventure3 refusal of the call4 meeting with the mentor5 tests, allies, enemies6 the reward seizing the sword the ordinary world it was an ordinary saturday. This infographic shows the progression of the heros journey in six iconic movies. Together, they discuss the movie and create a poster that represents all of the elements of the heros journey. According to campbell, a hero s journey begins when an individual leaves his home to travel to an unfamiliar world. Harry potter and the heros journey essay example 1085. One must overcome fear and cross the threshold into the unknown world. Commonlit the heros journey free reading passages and. In the world of literature, several stories are connected with joseph campbells description of a hero s journey. The 12 steps of the hero s journey matched to the charcters and plot of the first book of the hunger games trilogy. How to use the heros journey to structure your novel. R tolkiens the hobbit and the lord of the rings are also excellent examples of a hero s journey narrative structure. The heros journey is a story structure identified by the american writer and scholar of mythology joseph campbell. Once youre familiar with the 12 stages of the heros journey, its hard not to identify it in any movie you. Which movies are the best examples of the heros journey.
The heros journey is so prevalent in film and books that it makes a great jumping off point for a comparative literature study, and these texts are a great place to begin. In narratology and comparative mythology, the monomyth, or the hero s journey, is the common template of a broad category of tales and lore that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed various scholars have introduced theories on hero myth narratives, including edward burnett tylor, otto rank, and lord raglan. Where the mountain meets the moon by grace lin, a wrinkle in time by madeleine lengle, the girl who circumnavigated fai. One of the most commonly cited examples is star wars, which does follow the plot structure very closely, except that luke encounters his mentor, obiwan kenobi, before he refuses the call to adventure. The outer journey follows the external plot line and includes all of the obstacles that the hero faces during her quest to reach her goal. Serious story structure for fabulously funny films kaplan, steve on.
I dont think youll find a contrasting alternative to the hero s journey or monomyth. How to follow the heros journey personal growth medium. The heros journey is a classic plot structure that appears in many speculative fiction books, films, television shows, and other forms of media. Still, lukes classic heroism, the trials he faces against the dark side, and the allies he gains along the way are so textbook that star wars lends. I find its a good idea to find examples, from books or movies, while reading through each stage of the book. Take a look at this post to see how the hero s journey can be applied to mystery novels. The hero s journey begins with the hero in the ordinary world, going about ordinary life, except that something isnt quite right. Teaching joseph campbells the heros journey creative. In his 1949 book the hero with a thousand faces, campbell claimed that the heros journey is the natural basis of all stories be they jokes, fairy tales, folklore. What do star wars, harry potter, and red riding hood have all in common.
Classics such as beowulf and odysseus as well as more recent, but epic, tales such as that of batman all follow the same path of the heros journey. In 2007, screenwriter christopher vogler refined campbells original structure in his book, the. The hero s journey is a model for both plot and character developmentas the hero traverses the world, theyll undergo inner and outer transformation at each stage of the journey. This piece features heroes that star in book based film adaptations such as harry potter, spiderman. Memoir, formula, and the heros journey shirley hershey. By now youre probably familiar with the heros journey. Pixars screenwriters are the best at squeezing in multiple heroes journeys into a single screenplay, while having an overarching hero s journey joining them all together. Joseph campbell was an american mythologist, writer, and lecturer. From 1929 1934 he spent five solid years just reading one book after another and wherever they led him he just kept reading. The road back and finally recuperated his one and only true love. Call to adventure refusal mentor helper n y percy jackson. Such modern stories that display the hero s journey are the wizard of earthsea by ursula k. The most important study of the archetypal hero on a quest is the hero with a thousand faces by joseph campbell.
His book the hero with a thousand faces explores the common journey that heroes from different works of literature take. An ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir, the last olympian by rick riordan, harry potter and the sorcerers stone by j. In 2007, screenwriter christopher vogler refined campbells original structure in his book, the writers journey. In the first book, hagrid serves as harrys mentor, but later in the series, its albus dumbledore who guides. Meeting with the mentor in most hero s journey stories, the hero is first seen in the ordinary world when he or she receives a call to adventure. Students form groups of 23 and select a movie or book that they feel is a quintessential representation of the heros journey. In it, vogler expanded upon campbells three phases, defining 12 stages that make it up. What books contrast the ideas set out by campbell and his. We tracked the heros journey in six iconic movies to find out the. The heros journey can be boiled down to three essential stages.
Breaking down the heros journey plot structure wellstoried. This concept of the heros journey is one that has gained much praise and consideration of worth in the literary community. Here are 6 iconic movies that follow the heros journey. Campbell studied the worlds myths and literature and found that, although the specifics of each hero may be different, they all go on a quest journey made up of parts. What youll find is plenty of criticism that these unifying concepts are not useful templates for understanding the vast variety of myths, legends, and folklore. Divergent heros journey storyboard by bridgetbaudinet. The lightning thief hero s journey follow percy jackson on his quest. How 6 popular movies follow the heros journey infographic. Sure, we know that lord of the rings, hunger games, and harry potter are modern examples of the heros journey, but there are a lot of other popular films that also fit joseph campbells monomyth. Every great novel and movie follows a common narrative pattern known as the hero s journey.
1004 849 623 708 69 385 510 1333 1076 1063 385 388 1481 1013 971 773 601 1238 1482 1391 706 555 1345 672 530 129 499 91 597 1260 473 1283