Death Motif
Death as a character tends to be one of my favorite ideas. After all, what's more comforting that humanizing death? If Death has some aspect of compassion or humanity, that means that it's not just an end to what we knew, but a part of our lives. Something to hold onto.
On the other hand, death (little d!) can be found in many stories, particularly the kind we like around here. Sometimes it's not actual death, but a symbolic death, and to discuss this I'd like to bring up the hero's journey of Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces.
First of all, I have to say, if you haven't read this book, and you like fairy tales and mythology at all, you are missing a key part of your literature! Campbell encompasses the history of mythology, picking out the major themes and putting all these stories together with unifying themes. And yes, most of the book is at least as dense as that last sentence, but it's worth it. (Truuuuust meeeee)
Now I'm reaching back to my pre-graduate days on some of this, so bear with me on this hero's journey thing.
Basically, the journey is a cycle. The hero leaves home, to accomplish something, to save someone, etc. She (I don't want to say he or she every time, so I'm just going to say "she" to go against the stereotype. I'm tricky like that.) travels and is aided by the "helper" character(s). She dies/crosses into the underworld/undergoes some ritual. (Here's where we get really relevant.) She quests on the "other side" of the line, and succeeds (or fails, depending on the story). She crosses back to the world she left behind, bringing with her... knowledge or fire or an icon of success. With his wisdom/fire/icon, he makes the world he left behind a better place. (Threw you there, didn't I?)
This general outline depicts many fairytales, much of mythology, and the general realm of fantasy writing. Not to mention the whole Christian faith.
Off the top of my head:
Red Riding Hood -- is eaten by the wolf, cut from his belly, and emerges bloody but smarter.
Jesus -- dies on the cross, is resurrected from the dead, saves the world.
Lord of the Rings -- Frodo quests, is almost lost to the ring, escapes death through the intervention of Gollum, and returns home, but is so altered by his possession of the ring that he can't stay in the world he knew.
The Well at the World's End -- Ralph and Ursula (thanks, cathubodva) travel to the well at the world's end to find wisdom and life, suffering misfortune and overcoming adversity. (This is THE original epic fantasy; you should read it.) They cross a desert which few are able to pass, traveling beyond the realms of human occupation, in order to reach the well.
Peter Pan -- Wendy, John, and Michael travel beyond the human realms to a land where children never grow up. They have many adventures here, but return when they realize that they must grow up. (Gives it a whole new layer, doesn't it?)
The Princess Bride -- Wesley is "mostly dead" all day. (Seriously, I couldn't leave that one off.)
My favorite fairy tale, the six/seven/twelve swans/ravens. (Is that a fairy tale or a theme, itself??) The princess vows silence until she completes her task, and therefore is able to save her brothers.
See how it works? Now granted, we don't usually think of all of these as being "death," but following the Joseph Campbell model and looking at these changes/journeys/deaths as symbolizing death, can you see how it fits? (Obviously I'm cramming a lot of dense book into one journal entry, so I hope it makes sense.)
So what is your favorite fairy tale/ other story? Do these themes fit it? How does the hero "die" on HIS or HER journey? Does the hero return from this death? What new wisdom is gained -- how do others benefit?
On the other hand, death (little d!) can be found in many stories, particularly the kind we like around here. Sometimes it's not actual death, but a symbolic death, and to discuss this I'd like to bring up the hero's journey of Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces.
First of all, I have to say, if you haven't read this book, and you like fairy tales and mythology at all, you are missing a key part of your literature! Campbell encompasses the history of mythology, picking out the major themes and putting all these stories together with unifying themes. And yes, most of the book is at least as dense as that last sentence, but it's worth it. (Truuuuust meeeee)
Now I'm reaching back to my pre-graduate days on some of this, so bear with me on this hero's journey thing.
Basically, the journey is a cycle. The hero leaves home, to accomplish something, to save someone, etc. She (I don't want to say he or she every time, so I'm just going to say "she" to go against the stereotype. I'm tricky like that.) travels and is aided by the "helper" character(s). She dies/crosses into the underworld/undergoes some ritual. (Here's where we get really relevant.) She quests on the "other side" of the line, and succeeds (or fails, depending on the story). She crosses back to the world she left behind, bringing with her... knowledge or fire or an icon of success. With his wisdom/fire/icon, he makes the world he left behind a better place. (Threw you there, didn't I?)
This general outline depicts many fairytales, much of mythology, and the general realm of fantasy writing. Not to mention the whole Christian faith.
Off the top of my head:
Red Riding Hood -- is eaten by the wolf, cut from his belly, and emerges bloody but smarter.
Jesus -- dies on the cross, is resurrected from the dead, saves the world.
Lord of the Rings -- Frodo quests, is almost lost to the ring, escapes death through the intervention of Gollum, and returns home, but is so altered by his possession of the ring that he can't stay in the world he knew.
The Well at the World's End -- Ralph and Ursula (thanks, cathubodva) travel to the well at the world's end to find wisdom and life, suffering misfortune and overcoming adversity. (This is THE original epic fantasy; you should read it.) They cross a desert which few are able to pass, traveling beyond the realms of human occupation, in order to reach the well.
Peter Pan -- Wendy, John, and Michael travel beyond the human realms to a land where children never grow up. They have many adventures here, but return when they realize that they must grow up. (Gives it a whole new layer, doesn't it?)
The Princess Bride -- Wesley is "mostly dead" all day. (Seriously, I couldn't leave that one off.)
My favorite fairy tale, the six/seven/twelve swans/ravens. (Is that a fairy tale or a theme, itself??) The princess vows silence until she completes her task, and therefore is able to save her brothers.
See how it works? Now granted, we don't usually think of all of these as being "death," but following the Joseph Campbell model and looking at these changes/journeys/deaths as symbolizing death, can you see how it fits? (Obviously I'm cramming a lot of dense book into one journal entry, so I hope it makes sense.)
So what is your favorite fairy tale/ other story? Do these themes fit it? How does the hero "die" on HIS or HER journey? Does the hero return from this death? What new wisdom is gained -- how do others benefit?