User:UvaBe

UvaBe

I'm interested in some articles about fiction writing. Specifically archetypes, universal characters, and how they relate to themes and genres in literature and art.

Archetype
Genre
Theme (literature)
Theme (arts)

There seems to be adequate articles in Wikipedia, so far I've just made a research list here, or working draft.

Archetypes ( universal character types ) in literature and art

An archetype is a universal character that is defined by the role it plays in the story and/or theme in art. The most common type of lead character in action cinema and main character in comics for example is the hero. The superhero is a subtype of the hero archetype. What makes the hero character an archetype is its' universal appearance throughout the history of literature and the role the hero plays in the story, not his or her physical characteristics. With a good plot twist the hero can become the fool and the villain can be the damsel in distress and the fairy godmother can be the trickster.

examples of archetype character systems in history

Quite a few artists, writers and scholars have built color wheels or systems for defining archetypes:

• Jungian archetypes a system for defining characters in our universal subconscious.
• William Butler Yeats completed an automatic writing with his wife (Georgie) Hyde-Lees. This book A_Vision is a difficult read because of its' rather creepy style via its' occult origins but it contains an interesting mapping and list of 28 archetypes by these characters' will and fate.
• Tarot cards depict a system of archetypes used for divination of a persons' fate or story.
• The No plays of Japan, the characters skillfully depicted with exaggerated expression and elaborate costume clearly portray a system of archetypes.