Archetype - Academic Mode

Definition of Archetype
In literature, an archetype is a typical sign, action, or situation that appears to represent universal patterns of human nature.

An archetype, also known as a "universal symbol," can be a sign, theme, symbol, or many Literary critics believe that archetypes - which have a common and recurring representation in a given human culture or throughout the human race - shape the structure and function of a literary work.

Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype lies in "Collective unconscious" of humanity. The term “collective unconscious” refers to experiences shared by a race or culture. These experiences include things like love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle and survival. These experiences exist in the subconscious of each individual and are recreated in literary works or in other forms of art.

Examples of archetypes in literature
Below is analysis of common archetypes that exist in literature.

Archetypes in characters
Example 1: The hero
He or she is a figure who predominantly shows goodness and fights against evil in order to restore harmony and justice in society. Hercules in the book Hercules and d'Artagnan from The Three Musketeers.

Example 2: The Mother Figure
This character can be portrayed as a fairy godmother who leads and directs a child, Mother Earth who contacts people and offers spiritual and emotional nourishment, or as a stepmother who treats her stepchildren badly. Examples of a mother figure are:

In literature:

Lucy and Madame Defarge, from Charles Dickens' A History of Two Cities
Disely, from William Faulkner's The Sound and the Anger
Gladriel, from J. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Glinda, from Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizarda4In stories:
40 evil stepmother in Charles Perrault's Cinderella
The fairy godmothers in Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty
Mother Goose
The grandmother in Charles Perrault's Little Red Riding Hood
In mythology:

The mythological figures of Persephone, Demeter, H4atea4, who he or she likes with many weaknesses because of their trust, and is looking for them with many weaknesses brings it to other people. Usually the growing up experience comes in the later parts of the story. Examples of innocent youth are:

Pip in Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations
Nicholas in Charles Dickens' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Joseph from Henry Fieldings The Story of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews
Example 4: The Mentor
His or her job is to protect the main character . It is through the wise advice and training of a mentor the main character character achieves success in the world. Examples of mentors are:

Gandalf in J. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Parson Adams in Henry Fieldings Joseph Andrews
Senex in Madeleine L'Engles A wind in the door
Example 5: The doppelganger
It is a duplicate or shadow of a character Examples of doppelgangers in popular literary works are:

William Shakespeare's Hamlet40 a4Mary Shelleys Frankenstein
Edgar Allen Poes William Wilson
Robert Louis Stevensons Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Example # 6: The Scapegoat
A character who is to blame for anything bad. Examples of Scapegoat are:

Snowball in George Orwell's Animal Farm
Example # 7: The Villain
A character whose main function is to oppose the hero, or examples of villains are:

Shere Khan, from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book stories
Long John Silver , from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island
Archetypes in Situations
Example 8: The Journey
The main character can take a journey Be physical or emotional to understand his or her personality and the nature of the world. Examples of archetypes when traveling are:

Dante Alighieris The Divine Comedy
Henry Fieldings The story of the adventures of Joseph Andrews and his friend Mr.Abraham Adams
Jonathan Swifts Gulliver's Travels
Example 9: Initiation
The main character experiences history Examples of archetypes from
Henry440 Initiation Jones, a Foundling
Laurence Sternes The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Voltaires Candide
Example # 10: Good versus evil
Represents the clash of forces representing good with those representing evil. Examples of this archetype include:

William Shakespeare's King Lear
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness
Example # 11: The Fall
The main character falls from grace as a result of his o Autumn archetype Examples include:

Oedipus, from Sophocles' Oedipus the King
Lear from William Shakespeare's King Lear
Role of the archetype
The use of archetypal characters and situations gives a literary work universal acceptance, as readers identify characters and situations in their social situations. and cultural context. By using common archetypes, writers attempt to impart realism to their works, as situations and characters are drawn from experiences in the world.