Thinking Activity
' ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM ' :-
Hello readers! Here I am going to write down one another blog. This blog is inspired by Dr.Dilip sir barad - Department of English, Bhavnagar University - MKBU. This blog is a part of our thinking activity in which we have to give answers of some of the questions which is related to Northrop Frye's an Archetypal criticism with the help of ChatGPT.
Click here to know more about this Interesting topic. But Before going further, First let us have a brief Introduction about the theorist.
• Northrop Frye :-
His book :- Anatomy of criticism (1957) one of the most important works of literary theory published in the 20th century. The American critic Harold Bloom commented at the time of its Publication that ' Anatomy of criticism ' established Frye as ' the foremost living student of western literature.' Northrop Frye's contributions to cultural and social criticism Spanned a long career during which he earned widespread recognition and also received many honours.
In his most famous Essay :- The Archetypes of literature he begins with the sentence that ;
Every organized body of knowledge can be learned progressively; and experience shows that there is also something progressive about the learning of literature. It means that - It is impossible to “learn literature : one learns about it in a certain way, but what one learns, transitively, is the criticism of literature.
• we all are learning criticism in literature. So That is how Northrop Frye's essay is very much important to be Understand that how Northrop Frye taking entry into this and what he thinks about literature and criticism.
Now, Before moving into Further discussion First let us try to understand the word - Archetype.
1. What is an Archetype :-
An Archetype is an idea, symbol, Pattern or character type in a story. It is an story element that appears again and again in stories from cultures around the world and symbolizes something universal in the human experience. Archetypes are hidden. In Simple terms , we can also understand that Archetypal criticism it's a new critical approach that studies universal patterns.
Let us try to make this point more clear with the help of following points.
• All Literatures - Beginning
- Ending
• The most common and important kind of Archetypes. Most popular characters have a universal Archetypes such as hero - Anti hero.
• Symbols that appear repeatedly in human cultures.
For Example :- Dawn - Dusk
• Morning is a symbol of something positive. While, Night is a symbol of something which is bad or negative. Just like Black and White.
So, one can very easily understand that all this universal patterns are common in Archetypal criticism. Now let us see the question - answers. As Per Sir's instruction we can take help of ChatGPT. So, all the answers of the questions are generated from ChatGPT.
Question 1 :- What is Archetypal Criticism?
Answer :- Archetypal criticism is a literary criticism approach that explores the use of Archetypes, or Universal symbols in literature. Archetypes are recurring patterns of human behaviour, symbols and motifs that are present in the collective unconscious of all human beings. These symbols have been present in literature since its inception and archetypal criticism examines how they are used and re - used in literature to express ideas, emotions and themes that are relevant to human experience.
Archetypal criticism often focuses on the study of mythological and Folkloric stories and how they have influenced literature. It is also concerned with the exploration of literary works that deal with human Psyche, dreams and the Unconscious. Archetypal criticism looks at how authors use Archetypes to create characters, plot, structures and themes that resonate with readers on a universal level.
Some of the most common archetypes found in literature include the hero, the Villain, the mentor, the trickster, the mother figure, the father figure and the Journey. Archetypal criticism seeks to identify these recurring patterns and Symbols and understand how they are used to create meaning in literature.
Archetypal criticism is closely related to Jungian Psychology, as both explore the collective unconscious and universal symbols that are present in human experience.
Question 2 :- What is Contribution of Northrop Frye in Archetypal criticism?
Answer :- Northrop Frye was a Canadian literary critic and theorist who made significant contributions to the field of Archetypal criticism. Frye's Archetypal criticism was based on his belief that literature contains universal patterns that reflect the human experience.
One of Northrop Frye 's key contribution was his concept of the ' Mythos ' which he defined as a set of cultural and literary archetypes that are common to all societies. According to him these archetypes include the hero, the quest, the mother figure and the trickster, among others.
Frye's contributions to archetypal criticism can be seen in his book ' Anatomy of criticism' which was first published in the year 1957. In this book he presents his theory of literary criticism which is based on the idea that all literature can be categorised into Four Genres:- Romance, Tragedy, Comedy and Irony / Satire. He developed the idea of Mythos grid which is the underlying structure or pattern of a literary work.
Another Northrop Frye's key contributions to Archetypal criticism is his theory of monomyth. Which he borrowed from the work of Joseph Campbell. The monomyth is a universal pattern that appears in many myths and stories , including the hero's Journey. According to Frye he believed that the hero's Journey is a common Archetype in literature that involves a hero leaving their ordinary world, going on a quest , Facing challenges and obstacles in his life and returning home transformed.
Northrop Frye also identified several other archetypes in literature including the 'anagogic' which refers to literature that has a spiritual or religion meaning and the 'demonic' which refers to literature and deals with evil or supernatural.
Overall, Northrop Frye's contributions to archetypal criticism have had a lasting impact on literary theory and continue to influence the way that scholars approach the study of literature.
Question 3 :- What do Archetypal critics do? Explain with examples.
Answer :- Archetypal Critics analyze literary works by examining the underlying universal symbols, and Patterns or archetypes that are present in the text. These archetypes are images or motifs that have been repeated throughout human history and across cultures and are believed to be deeply embedded into collective unconscious. Archetypal criticism was developed by Carl Jung - the Swiss Psychoanalyst , and that has been applied to literature, mythology, and other forms of cultural expression.
Archetypal critics attempt to identify the archetypes that are Present in a work and to explore their meaning and significance. They examine how the archetypes interact with each other and with other elements of the work such as Plot, character and setting. They may also consider the historical and cultural context in which the work was created and how it reflects or responds to broader cultural themes.
• Explanation with the help of Examples :-
1. In William Golding's novel - Lord of the Files, archetypal critics might identify the characters of Ralph, the leader and Jack the rebel as representing the archetypes of hero and villain. They might also analyze the setting of the deserted island as an archetype of the primal, Uncivilized world. Through this archetypal lens, they could explore how the characters interaction with each other and their environment reflect broader themes of human nature and society.
2. In another example of Homer 's epic poem 'The Odyssey' archetypal critics might identify the character of Odyssey as representing the archetype of the hero on a journey of self discovery. They might also analyze the character of Penelope as an archetype of the faithful wife waiting for her husband's return. Through this archetypal lens, they could explore how the characters interaction with each other and with the gods reflect broader themes of Fate, Identity and the human condition.
Overall , archetypal criticism provides a very powerful tool for analyzing literature by examining the deep seated patterns and symbols that are Present in human culture and exploring how they manifest in individual works.
Question 4 :- " Every organized body of knowledge can be learned Progressively; and experience shows that there is also something Progressive about the learning of literature. - Our opening sentence has already got us into a semantic difficulty." - Explain the semantic difficulty.
Answer :- The semantic difficulty in the opening sentence is related to the use of the term - Progressively in two different contexts. In the first Context " Progressive" refers to the idea that any organized body of knowledge can be learned in a gradual and incremental way. This implies that as one gains more knowledge, they progress in their understanding of the subject matter.
In the second context, "Progressive" is used to describe the learning of literature, implying that there is also a gradual and incremental process involved in understanding literary works. However the word Progressive in this context may be interpreted in different ways. It could refer to the idea that a reader's understanding of literature becomes more advanced or sophisticated as they read more books and gain more experience. Alternative, it could suggest that literature itself is Progressive and in that it reflects changing social, cultural and historical contexts over time.
The semantic difficulty arises because the word Progressive is being used in two different sentences in the same sentence. This could lead to confusion or ambiguity for the reader, as they may interpret the word differently in each Context.
Question 5 :- " The relation of criticism to religion, when they deal with the same documents , is more complicated. In criticism , as in history , the divine is always treated as a human artifact. God for the Critic , whether he finds him in Paradise lost or the Bible , is a character in a human story".
Answer :- The relation between criticism and religion can be complex and nuanced, Especially when they both deal with the same religious documents. In Criticism, divine is often treated as a human artifact rather than an otherworldly force or deity. This means that God or other divine beings are seen as characters in a human story, rather than as purely supernatural entities.
For example, when a literary critic analyzes a work like Paradise Lost or the Bible, they may examine the character of God or other divine figures as they would any other character in the text. They might consider the motivations, actions, and relationships of these characters and how they contribute to the overall themes and messages of the work.
In contrast, for many religious believers, God is not simply a character in a story. But a real and active presence in the world. They may see the Bible or other religious texts as divinely inspired and consider them to contains truths that go beyond human understanding.
However, within religious traditions,there can be different approaches to interpreting and understanding religious texts. Some may take a moral approach, seeing the stories and teachings as a direct communications from God, while others may take a more metaphorical or symbolical approach, seeing the texts as containing deeper meanings and insights into human nature and the divine.
Overall, while there can be an overlap between criticism and religion in their treatment of religious texts, their perspectives and goals are often quite different. Critics aim to analyze and understand the texts as works of literature or history, while religious believers may look to the texts for guidance, inspiration, and Spiritual insight.
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