Thu Sep 28, 2023
Please read Chapter "Practical Guide" from Book One: Mapping the Journey of Christopher Vogler's Writer's Journey.
Pick out 3 quotes from the text and write one paragraph of response for each quote. Pick out the things that do and do not make sense to you, things you do - or do not agree with. Find the main takeaway form the article for you personally.
“He [Jung] noticed a strong correspondence between his patients' dream figures and the common archetypes of mythology. He suggested that both were coming from a deeper source, in the collective unconscious of the human race.”
Often times it feels that once we know of the concept or what it supposedly represents, we re-evaluate and re-align the way we thought about a certain event to the proposed perspective. This can be seen in personality quizzes and dream analysis, where we trust the writer to be able to understand us more than we do. In the same vein, I think of this point of the representation of archetypes in Jung's patients' dreams could be a result of exposure to those ideas first, solidifying them in our conscious. Would Jung's concept of the common archetypes be applicable to all cultures? Jung presents his concept as relevant to the human race but one cannot break free of the bias of how they interpret experiences based on their own cultural background, and I imagine that would hold true of Jung too.
“The experiences of the preceding stages have led us, the audience, to identify with the hero and her fate. What happens to the hero happens to us."
People may have different ideas of what makes a great story, from the strength of the world-building, the characters, or the themes explored. But looking at what stories resonate most with us, how we relate to the the journey of the characters in a way that we can carry on their lessons in our own journey seems to be what makes the story memorable to us. It does not matter how different the world or situation of the characters in the story may be to our reality, but their journeys can be translated to any situation as the hero's emotions and tribulations are what we connect to.
“Tales of vampires, werewolves and other shapechangers are symbolic echoes of this shifting quality which men and women see in each other. The hero's Ordeal may grant a better understanding of the opposite sex, an ability to see beyond the shifting outer appearance, leading to a reconciliation."
This explanation of the symbolic representation of vampires, werewolves, and shape-changers in storytelling as a reflection of the shifting nature of human relationships between men and women is an interesting metaphor I hadn't thought of. In the Metamorphosis by Kafka, the transformation of the hero Gregor into an insect serves as a bold example of how the relationship between individuals and their families can shift. Modern day representation of vampires and werewolves may have changed the symbolism of their nature. Vampires, for instance, seem to be emblematic of desire and struggle with one's darker impulses, and werewolves often represent the battle between societal norms and our inner instincts. But the ability of these concepts to continue changing shape as social constructs evolve reflects the ever-changing dynamic of human relationships.