THE ARCHETYPES OF

Northrop Frye(1912-1991)Prepared by Geethu Soman

LITERATURE

INTRODUCTIONAbout the author- Northrop Frye

Born in Sherbrooke, Canada on July 14, 1912. Born in Quebec but raised in New Brunswick,

Frye studied at the university of Toronto and Victoria University.

Canadian Literary scholar. He was ordained to the ministry of the united

church of Canada and studied at Oxford before returning to Voft.

ARCHETYPES OF LITERATURE

• Archetypes are universal symbols.• Certain concepts are also archetypes.• Jung defines an archetype as a “primordial

image”.• It is a part of the collective unconscious.• Archetypes are the residue of innumerable

experiences of the same type undergone by the mind.

• Same experiences when repeated over centuries of aeons leave a trace or mark on the human mind.

• The solar cycle, seasonal cycle and life cycle are such repetitive phenomena.

SOLAR CYCLE SEASONAL CYCLE

LIFE CYCLE

Sun rise Spring Birth

Noon Summer Youth or Marriage

Evening Autumn Old age

Night Winter Death

The three types of cycles are shown below:

Northrop Frye developed a theory of literature based on myths and Archetypes.

He says literature is not reflection of life nor expression of personality.

Seasonal myths appears in Hamlet.Frye wanted to develop a unifying theory of

criticism – something like the Darwinian theory of Evolution for Literature.

He call it as a kind of Literary Anthropology.He detects an archetype or myth in every kind

of literature.All branches of Literature and their genres

are transformations of Myths. Myths of dark power triumphing flood return

of chaos defeat of hero irony and satire.

The Archetypes of lifeSolar cycle

Seasonal cycle

Life cycle Literary cycle

1 Dawn Spring Birth Myths of birth of the hero, Revival, Resurrection, Creation

2 Noon Summer Youth Myths about entering paradise, sacred marriage, myths of apotheosis

3 Sunset Autumn Death phase

Myths of Fall, dying god, isolation of the hero,Sacificer

4 Darkness Winter Dissolution

Myths of dark power triumphing flood return of chaos detect of hero

Comedy

Romance

Tragedy

Irony and Satire

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.Nagarajan, M.S. English Literary Criticism and Theory. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan Private Limited, 2011.

2.Frye, Northrop. The Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957.

THANK YOU

Prepared by,

GEETHU SOMAN