Archetypes
Definition
A typical character, an action, or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.
Origin
It comes from the languages of Latin and Greek, which are from Italy and Greece.
Are archetypes used today?
OF COURSE! They are used a lot in writing for characters. For example, in the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy turns out to be a combination of innocence and explorer.
The Effect
Archetypes effect the modern day world because they are based off of real experiences that the author wants to take from the modern, real world as a way of being able to connect to the book in one way or another.
Examples
An Archetype is basically a symbol or well-known thing that everyone is aware of. Since it represents the combining forces of kindness and evil, it's a very strong story. An example of this is Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz" by Frank Baum and "King Lear" by Shakespeare. Also, in the story "Cinderella", The Fairy Godmother is considered an archetype. There are also many other different examples, like the ones listed below.
Character Archetypes Examples:
- Good vs Evil
- Wisdom vs Educated Stupidity
- Nature vs Magical world
- Innocence
- Explorer
- Dreamer
Setting Archetypes
- The Garden- Symbolizes love
- The Forest- Can be a crazy place with lots of danger!
- Small Town- Everyone knows everyone
- The Sea- Can be good or bad, and also shows infinity.
- The Island- Symbolizes isolation