Ladhva Sagarkumar G.Roll No. 25
Enrollment No: 14101022Semester – M.A. Sem. 2
Paper : 7(Literary Theory and Criticism)Year :2015- 16
Email. Id : [email protected]
Topic:- Symbolism in Archetypal criticism of Northrop Frye
Submitted to:
Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English
M.K.Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.
A Bit of Background
Reading the poetry of William Blake, I realized
that there was a basic mythology and set of
symbols that supports all Western literature.
This theory is presented in Frye’sBook A Fearful Symetry
It is a type of critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes in the narrative, symbols, images, and character types in a literary work.
Archetypal Criticism
What is an archetype? Arche “first” and typos “form” An original model or pattern from which
copies are made.
•“Archetypal criticism looks in literature for patterns and traces them through works of classical antiquity into modern texts, and interprets those reverberations as symbols or manifestations of universal human conflicts and desires.”Jamses G. Frazer gave theory of Archetypal in ‘The Golden Bough’Developed in 1934.
According to Carl Jung, these patterns are embedded deep in the "collective unconscious" and involve "racial memories" of situations, events, relationships from time immemorial.
Archetypes: Where does this idea come from?
Archetypes were first suggested by Carl Jung, pronounced “Young” (1875-1961)
Categories of Archetypes
Archetypes can be divided into categories:• Conflicts• Characters• Situations• Themes• Myths• Symbols
These are conflicts we see appear again and again in literature:
• Young v. Old• Strong v. Weak• Rich v. Poor• Insiders v. Outsiders• Dreams v. Reality• Men v. Women
Archetypal Characters
• Innocent Youth• Bully• Everyman• Devil• Dreamer• Scapegoat• Outcast• Magician
• Shrew (Nag)• Warrior• Dragon Slayer• Outsider• Hero • Seductress• Wanderer
Archetypal Situations
• Coming of Age• Being Tempted• Making a Sacrifice• Falling from a High
Position
• Dying• Being Reborn• Loss of Innocence• Quest
Archetypal SymbolsEvery symbol is an archetype!
Water Sea Garden Sun Colours
Flowers Rain Fire Flooding Animals
Common Character Archetypes
The Hero: The courageous figure, the one who’s always running in and saving the day.
Example : Ram, Tom Jones , Hamlet
The Outcast: A figure who is banished from a social group for some crime against his fellow man or has left it on a voluntary basis. Usually destined to become a wanderer.
E.g. - Budha , Mahavira , Pandvas
The Scapegoat: The scapegoat figure is one who gets blamed for everything, regardless of whether he/she is actually at fault; sacrificed but they often become more powerful force dead than alive.
E.g. – Vanechandno varghodo.
The Star-Crossed Lovers: This is the young couple joined by love but unexpectedly parted by fate.
Human
Comic Human• Wish fulfillment • Being community
centered
Tragic Human• Isolation• The Fallen Hero
Comic
genre
• Docile and pastoral
Tragic genre
• Predictors and hunters
Animal
Vegetation
The comedic is pastoral but also represented
The Tragic
Mineral
• Cities, Temples are represents comic mineral.
• Tragic mineral realm is noted for being a desert.
Water • Symbol of life. It is strong life force and
often depicted as a living reasoning face• Cleansing and rebirth
comic
Tragic
River
Sea
Sea—spiritual mystery and infinity; timelessness and eternity
River—death / rebirth (baptism), flowing of time into eternity, transitional phases of the life cycle
Sun Represents energy, creativity, thinking,
enlightenment, wisdom, spiritual vision, the passing of time, and life
Examples:Rising Sun—Birth and Creation
Setting Sun—Death
Numbers
The Holy TrinityLight - Spiritual - Awareness
stage of life: childhood, teenage, middle age and old age
unity between 3 and 4, completion and perfect order
Shapes
Circle (Sphere)—wholeness, unity
Egg (Oval)—the mystery of life and the forces of regeneration
Cheater or Foard
1.2
SeasonFrame work
Comedic Tragic
ComedySpring
(REBIRTH)
RomanceSummer
(LIFE)
TragedyAutumn(FALL)
Satire/Irony Winter
(DEATH)
Other symbols
• The Task• The Quest• The Loss of Innocence• Colors• Serpent • Wise old man• Garden • Tree• Desert• Creation• The great fish