the Outcast d. the Fool

Archetypes are universal, inborn models of people, behaviors, or personalities that play a role in influencing human behavior. They were introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who suggested that these archetypes were archaic forms of innate human knowledge passed down from our ancestors.

Archetypal literary criticism is a type of analytical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes (from the Greek archē, “beginning”, and typos, “imprint”) in the narrative, symbols, images, and character types in literary works.

Here’s a list of some of the most commonly found archetypes in literature.

• The Hero. Summary: The hero is always the protagonist (though the protagonist is not always a hero).
• The Mentor. Summary: The mentor is a common archetype in literature.
• The Everyman.
• The Innocent.
• The Villain.

Archetype: Generally, the original model from which something is developed or made; in literary criticism, those images, figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that, according to the Swiss analytical psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung, are universally shared by people across cultures.

They have the ability to shape the entire function and structure of the literary text. Archetypes can determine what kind, and how much, of a connection the audience/reader will have with the work; therefore, their presence can greatly affect the characters, themes, and plot.

In fact, a motif should contribute some form of symbolic significance to the story. For instance, a motif may be used to establish mood (here’s a mood definition for literature) and atmosphere, or to reinforce/further explore the overriding themes of a story.