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Interrelationship between literature and society
Literature and society
Interrelationship between literature and society
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The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is a fantasy tale written in 1937 by J.R.R. Tolkien, a literature professor from Oxford, England. LOTR is a classic in fantasy and story-telling and has earned wide acclaim for the appeal and complexity of the world. LOTR follows the pattern of many major myths throughout the world independent of time and place. The central myth-pattern of LOTR is the hero’s journey or monomyth, as conceptualized by Joseph Campbell, and will be discussed in relation to LOTR by using the three essential stages of the hero’s journey. What is a monomyth and how is it related to the hero’s journey? They are the same, the monomyth or hero’s journey is a story told in countless ways over the centuries. The monomyth, a concept developed by Joseph Campbell, is a story, myth, or legend that follows the same singular plot, no matter the location, culture or year. Though with different variations, they all derive from one singular story, with essential commonalities and teachings on different levels. At the surface of the monomyth, it is simply a story, a tale of triumph and sorrow that ignites interest. Delving deeper, it is a moralistic struggle of good versus evil, the idea of good rising over the powers of evil imbues us with …show more content…
Frodo and the Fellowship take on challenges including the nine riders, the Barrow-downs, Saruman, Moria, the Balrog, Galadriel’s soul-searching, orcs and Shelob, Gollum and Mount Doom. This shapes them for the future endeavors. They must also face their dark or shadow side, Frodo battling against the power of the ring and eventually finding the courage to get to Mordor and to face Mount Doom. Boromir forces Frodo’s decision to leave Parth Galen by showing the destructive power of the ring over men but also shows redemption by protecting Merry and Pippin to the death. Saruman and Gollum are examples of giving in to the dark
Most myths have a common pattern between them. Today, this pattern is often seen in some of our most beloved motion pictures. Joseph Campbell-a respected 20th century American mythologist, lecturer, and writer- observed this and created a theory based off of the similarities he saw. He showed the world that almost every story with a hero follows the three stages in his theory he called “Monomyth” (Campbell). The monomyth, often times called “The Hero’s Journey” or “The hero with a thousand faces”, includes the departure, initiation, and return stages (Campbell). In these stages the hero leaves his normal life behind, fulfills him/herself in some activity, and returns as a hero (Campbell). These stages can be applied to a smash hit released in 2009, a science-fiction film titled Star Trek. James T. Kirk in Star Trek closely follows Campbell’s theory as he departs from his childhood home in Iowa, fights a rogue Romulan enemy, and returns to Earth as a Starfleet captain.
Along their journey, they have memorable experiences and learn about the One Ring’s imperceptible powers. Furthermore, Frodo and his fellowship discover the powers of the One Ring growing along with the armies of Sauron with respect to time. Ultimately, Frodo and his eight companions must do what it takes to destroy the One Ring and
The mold of the heroic template is evident throughout various types of media. Within movies, novels, and poems the hero’s journey is present. Of course, not every piece of literature or movie follows the cycle. However, the idea of the monomyth arose from Joseph Campbell. He wrote his own book, The Hero of a Thousand Faces, within his writing he describes that heroes’ follow the same basic procedure throughout their quest(s). This is where the idea of the hero monomyth arose. In Michael Lewis’s novel, The Blind Side, he portrays “The heroic monomyth.” The Blind Side consists of the basic characters and archetypes that accurately reflect the heroic template.
This story begins with a small fellow by the name of Bilbo Baggins. This fantasy story was written in 1956 by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is about a hero’s journey through the dangers and wonders of Middle Earth. Although it was not meant to become such a well-known book, it is filled with much literature. Throughout the book, Tolkien uses literary devices such as repetition, similes, and metaphors to develop the theme of cunning and cleverness.
Monomyths are dominant archetypes found in many narratives around the world. They usually have an underlying purpose and teach a lesson about society. “The Step Not Taken,” by Paul D’Angelo, is a short story that follows the story of a man on a personal quest to discover how to rightfully respond to the suffering of other people. The short story follows the three stages of the monomyth: separation, struggle or initiation, and return and reintegration. The narrator can be seen as a hero who takes part in a journey in which he gains great knowledge that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Unlike other monomyth narratives, such as The Lord of the Rings series where the stages are much clearer since the story is adventurous, in this short story, the monomyth stages are underlying and not as obvious. In “The Step Not Taken,” the protagonist progresses through the three stages of the monomyth, allowing him to gain a greater understanding of the importance of sympathy in today’s world.
Heroes play a critical role in society. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth explores the archetype of a hero as well as its necessities to society. In a hero’s journey, the hero will always return changed after being away for a long time. The archetypal hero in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, a work of science fiction, is Ender Wiggin. Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien, and Beowulf, mirrors the traits that Ender portrays in Macbeth. By displaying acts of selfishness, extreme violence, and being egotistical, a hero, no matter and previous act, society no longer considers the a hero, a hero. Through the societal damage resulting from these acts, heroes show their true worth to society.
The monomyth was created in 1949 by Joseph Campbell as an archetype for storytelling. The monomyth is a series of stages that a hero experiences through the majority of fictional novels and movies. The monomyth is also referred to as the hero’s journey. The Odyssey by Homer, is an accurate example of a story that follows the monomyth.
In every culture, there are stories that get past down from generation to generation (Campbell 1). Tales of knights who slay dragons and princesses who kissed frogs are a part of every culture. All over the world, stories share comment characteristic. Joseph Campbell introduces a theory based on this idea called the monomyth, the idea that stories all share the same narrative pattern, in the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Overall, this theory shows the same narrative pattern in stories throughout the world, which symbolically reveals all humans must tackle difficulties and overcome them many times throughout life (5). Specifically, Campbell’s hero’s journey is comprised of six steps, which, collectively
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
After years of being told various stories in your lifetime you’ll start to see a pattern. Stories will repeat or be similar to others, known as archetypes. Joseph Campbell is the creator of monomyth also known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. The Hero’s Adventures by Campbell focuses on the monomyth or hero’s journey. In the hero’s journey, the hero needs to be an antagonistic to its ego then reconcile the problems through the psychological transformation. Campbell describes the monomyth as an idea of a cycle that consists of departure, initiation, and return. The cycle will lead to the death of one’s old self because one will go through the psychological transformation and leave their old life to become a “richer
In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell argues that most of the world’s mythologies and stories that feature a protagonist, or “hero,” going on a journey share an eerily similar structure. Campbell dubs this structure the “monomyth,” which he describes as follows: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man” (30). What is most important, however, is the purpose behind this journey. Campbell writes that the “modern hero-deed must be that of questing...
The monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, is an outline or pattern of events that a hero may follow in a story or movie. This so called pattern takes place in two locations: the ordinary world and the supernatural world. Joseph Campbell was the first person to notice this outline and actually research it. Osmosis Jones is just one example of a movie which follows the monomyth. This movie also serves as a great lesson of perseverance because even throughout the trials and tribulations, Jones never gives up and in the end is rewarded.
During the course of this World Literature class, several stories have been covered that accurately describe Joseph Campbell's mono-myth, or basic pattern found in narratives from every corner of the world. The Hero's Journey in it's entirety has seventeen stages or steps, but if boiled down can be described in three; the departure, the initiation, and the return (Monomyth Cycle). Each stage has several steps, but the cycle describes the hero starting in his initial state, encountering something to change him, and this his return as a changed person. To further explain this concept, there are a few stories covered in this class that can be used.
Frodo’s adventure is not one of originality. It follows a cookie-cutter character through its journey to save that which is dear to him. In the case of Frodo he must protect the shire from devastation, and potentially all of Middle-Earth, by throwing the ring back into the fires of Mordor. This quest takes Frodo through a series of plot elements that famous Greek heroes have followed, his mission to rid Middle-Earth of ominous forces.
Murray, Roxane Farrell. "The Lord of the Rings as Myth." Unpublished thesis. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1974.