Archetypal Criticism
By
Northrop Frye
As a part of thinking activities here is my blog on" Archetypal Criticism " by " Northrop Frye. First let us see brief introduction about Northrop Frye.
Herman Northrop Frye was born in 14 July 1912 in Sherbrooke, Canada. He was a canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential critic in the 20th century. He was much more interested in Imagination, Archetype myth, the Bible etc. He got international fame with his first book, "Fearful Symmetry "( 1947 ). He was the first critic to postulate a systematic theory of Criticism, " to workout " in his own word a unified commentary on the theory of literary Criticism. Frye identifies formulas as the Conventional myths and metaphor " which he calls " Archetypes."
☆ What is Archetypal Criticism ? What does the Archetypal critics ?
" Archetype is a theory, which focusing on myths and archetypes in the narrative, symbols, Images and character types in literary works. "
" The term Archetype denotes recurrent narratives designs, pattern of actions, characters types, themes and Images which are Identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature as well as in myths, dreams and even social rituals. "
For example,
In the starting of the movie, " Oliver Twist " we can see barren tree, horrible wind, black clouds etc. as a symbol which indicates that something horrible will happen in the movie. And also it's indicates the helplessness of the mother of Oliver Twist. So, here we can see Barren tree and black clouds as a Archetypal symbols.
Carl G. Jung ,who applied the term Archetype to what he called " Premordial Images." Archetypal literary Criticism was given impetus by Moud Bodkin's " Archetypal Pattern in Poetry ( 1934 ) " and flourished especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Apart from him the other prominant practitioners of various modes of Archetypal critic were G. Wilson knight, Robert Graves, Philip Wheelwright, Richard Chase, Leslie Fiedler and Joseph Campbell. These critics tended to emphasise the occurrence of mythical pattern in literature, on the assumption that myths are closest to the elemental archetype than the artful manipulation of sophisticated writers.
☆ What is Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of " Physics to Nature " and " Criticism to literature " ?
Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of " Physics to Nature " on the basis of the death - rebirth myth that Frazer sees manifest in agriculture and the harvest is not ritualistic since it is involuntary. The alien and indifferent world of nature into Archetypal forms that serves to satisfy enduring human desires and needs. In this literary universe, four radical mythoi, correspondent to the four seasons in the four major genres,
Within the overarching Archetypal mythos of each of these genres, individual works of literature also play variations upon a number of more limited archetyes. There are two basic categories in Frye's framework,
1. Comedic and 2. Tragic.
Comedy and Romance for the Comedic
Tragedy and Satire for the tragic.
Each season is aliened with literary genres.
☆ Briefly explain Inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Diggers Scene.
Inductive method means,
" The method in which one goes from ' Perticular ' to General ' from examples to Definition from illustration to explanations."
It's example is Grave Digger's scene in Hamlet where in each step backward from illustration, leads us to ' Liebestod ' - the archetype of lover is ready to sacrifice for beloved.
In the Hamlet grave digging scene itself shows the symbol of Archetype Criticism because in graveyard is a symbol of death. According to Inductive method it's leads perticular to general. So, Hamlet seen the grave of Ophelia and he regrets. The fight between Laertes and Hamlet leads general death of all at the end of the movie.
☆ Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to music, painting, rhythm and pattern. Give of the outcome of deductive method.
" The method in which one goes from ' General ' to 'Perticular ' from Definition to Examples from explanation to illustration. "
The examples are cyclical movement of the Sun and the earth defines our narratives in literature. This example is deducted from pattern and rhythm of literature.
" The term Archetype denotes recurrent narratives designs, pattern of actions, characters types, themes and Images which are Identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature as well as in myths, dreams and even social rituals. "
For example,
In the starting of the movie, " Oliver Twist " we can see barren tree, horrible wind, black clouds etc. as a symbol which indicates that something horrible will happen in the movie. And also it's indicates the helplessness of the mother of Oliver Twist. So, here we can see Barren tree and black clouds as a Archetypal symbols.
Carl G. Jung ,who applied the term Archetype to what he called " Premordial Images." Archetypal literary Criticism was given impetus by Moud Bodkin's " Archetypal Pattern in Poetry ( 1934 ) " and flourished especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Apart from him the other prominant practitioners of various modes of Archetypal critic were G. Wilson knight, Robert Graves, Philip Wheelwright, Richard Chase, Leslie Fiedler and Joseph Campbell. These critics tended to emphasise the occurrence of mythical pattern in literature, on the assumption that myths are closest to the elemental archetype than the artful manipulation of sophisticated writers.
☆ What is Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of " Physics to Nature " and " Criticism to literature " ?
Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of " Physics to Nature " on the basis of the death - rebirth myth that Frazer sees manifest in agriculture and the harvest is not ritualistic since it is involuntary. The alien and indifferent world of nature into Archetypal forms that serves to satisfy enduring human desires and needs. In this literary universe, four radical mythoi, correspondent to the four seasons in the four major genres,
Within the overarching Archetypal mythos of each of these genres, individual works of literature also play variations upon a number of more limited archetyes. There are two basic categories in Frye's framework,
1. Comedic and 2. Tragic.
Comedy and Romance for the Comedic
Tragedy and Satire for the tragic.
Each season is aliened with literary genres.
☆ Briefly explain Inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Diggers Scene.
Inductive method means,
" The method in which one goes from ' Perticular ' to General ' from examples to Definition from illustration to explanations."
It's example is Grave Digger's scene in Hamlet where in each step backward from illustration, leads us to ' Liebestod ' - the archetype of lover is ready to sacrifice for beloved.
In the Hamlet grave digging scene itself shows the symbol of Archetype Criticism because in graveyard is a symbol of death. According to Inductive method it's leads perticular to general. So, Hamlet seen the grave of Ophelia and he regrets. The fight between Laertes and Hamlet leads general death of all at the end of the movie.
☆ Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to music, painting, rhythm and pattern. Give of the outcome of deductive method.
" The method in which one goes from ' General ' to 'Perticular ' from Definition to Examples from explanation to illustration. "
The examples are cyclical movement of the Sun and the earth defines our narratives in literature. This example is deducted from pattern and rhythm of literature.
We speaks of the rhythm of music and the pattern of painting; but later to show of our sophistication. Literature seems to be intermediate between music and painting.
☆ Read Small Gujrati or Hindi or English poem from the Archetypal approach and apply Indian Seasonal grid in the interpretation.
Here I would like to put Short Gujrati poem by હરીન્દ્ર દવે.
પાન લીલું જોયું ને તમે યાદ આવ્યાં
If we can apply here Northrop Frye's Archetypal Criticism then we can find out ' leaf, rain, Shravan month, bird, star as a symbol of Romance and love. So, according to Indian seasonal grid we can apply here SUMMER as a main season because it is a season of Romance and love. This is a poem of lovable memory of beloved and each line of the poem shows different romantic symbols and compared it with memory of his/her beloved. So, this is my interpretation of this poem on the basis of Archetypal Criticism.
☆ Literature and Religion :- Northrop Frye- Rituals, myth and the archetypes of literature.
As we know that the quest of myth is the basic archetype of all literature. Northrop Frye trying to say that the literature is as valuable as other sciences in society. Literature shall have organized body of knowledge. History and myth are connected with religion in our society. So, if we can see on the way of Northrop Frye then we can find out any perticular symbol in myth or any literary work. Literature and religion are connected each other because of myth is the fundamental thing in religion and literature both. Any writer or author wrote their work on the basis of any perticular myth or retelling of myth. Here I would like to put the myth of Ravan Dahan. The Ramayana is a great Epic in Indian literature. So, on the basis of myth our Idian people celebrates Ravana Dahan on the day of Vijayadashami because of according to our myth Ravana Kidnaps Sita and Rama fights with Ravana and kills him. This is the myth of Ravan Dahan in our Hindu religion. All Indian people celebrates Ravana Dahan since many years but if we can see Northrop Frye's Archetypal Criticism and symbol, here we can see Ravana as a symbol of evil person which indicates the triumph of Good on evil. In our today society Ravana Dahan means not the fight between Rama and Ravana but the triumph of good on evil. So, we can say that Religion and literature both are connected each other and it is important part of our society.
Reference
Thank you...
