Journaling Warm-up

On a piece of lined paper…Write a “story” about a time that you grew as a person (no not like that, the time you realized you were 5’6 and then were 5’7) tell about a time you discovered something transformative about yourself or the world around you.

Vocabulary “Archetype…” A pattern or symbol that is

repeated in cultures through mythology and stories. A pattern from which copies

are made. These patterns and

symbols appear regardless of time or place.

• “Archetypes are symbols/ patterns imprinted on the human brain.” Carl Jung (1875-1961), founding

father of psychology

Examples of Archetypes…

Situational patterns:• The

quest/task/journey.• The loss of

innocence.• Tales of

redemption.

Characters:• The hero• The mentor• The shrew

Archetypes tend to fall into 2 different categories.

THE QUEST…“Once you figure out quests, the rest is easy.”

-Thomas C. Foster

Read: How to Read… (1-2)

“Every Trip’s a quest…except when it’s not.”

The Quest is a narrative structure/pattern.

The most basic quest consists of: A quester A place to go A stated reason to go

This will generally if not always be a external goal: defeat a villain, escape an evil or danger, get a bottle of milk…

Challenges and trials en route The real reason to go

This reason is generally a mission of self-discovery and internal goal/change and will rarely be foreseen at the beginning of the trip. (Theme of a quest)

When a Quest Begins, Also Look For…

Mentors both…True: • teachers who

will lead the hero to his self discovery.

False: • Guides who

seem wise, but lead the hero astray. These Guides do not need to be “evil.”

Some things to note…

These elements interact to cause certain things to happen in a quest…

Because the end of a quest is self discovery, the quester is generally: Young (Old people either

already know themselves or never will)

Innocent (Meaning lacking knowledge)

Sometimes the quest starts when the character is young and does not conclude until much later. (Oedipus)

Is every trip a quest???

Sometimes an author just needs to get a character from here to there. Not every trip is a quest; however, when ever a character ties her shoes or puts on his jacket and heads out the door, start looking for the pattern of a quest.

Rule: Assume every trip is a quest until it is proven that it is not.