Ladhva Sagarkumar G.Roll No. 25

Enrollment No: 14101022Semester – M.A. Sem. 2

Paper : 7(Literary Theory and Criticism)Year :2015- 16

Email. Id : sagarladhva5507@gmail.com

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