INTRODUCTION
Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, described a cycle of images and events common to mythological traditions from different cultures. Not all stories tell all the events, but, he argued, they often contain similar elements which can be compared, and which together add up to a greater metaphorical, psychological truth. The original Star Wars, created by George Lucas with the input of Joseph Campbell, was a smash hit and the concept of "The Hero's Journey" went on to be popularized by Christopher Vogler in a memo which spread like wildfire through Hollywood and developed into his book The Writer's Journey. It's the fundamental structure of a lot of novel writing and screenwriting that's come since, including in Michael Hauge and Blake Snyder's screenwriting books.
The thumbnail of the hero journey, with which you're probably familiar, is roughly: A hero is called out of his ordinary life, faces trials, goes through a crisis event resulting in an all is lost/dark night of the soul experience comparable to death, from which he emerges, if victorious, with something he can bring back to his old world - whether that's an actual 'boon' or 'life-giving elixer' or self-knowledge or more heart. Ideally, the boon is something that revitalizes not only the hero, but the society as a whole.
WHY IT MATTERS
- At the basic level, it's a great story structure for a writer to understand that engages the reader/audiences emotions and can be cathartic if it's done well.
- At a secondary level, there are psychological truths contained in the symbology - Campbell was highly influenced by Jung and you can analyze the hero journey as a hero venturing from the conscious/rational world into the much more dangerous, amorphous world of dreams and the unconscious, where he can get lost or re-emerge with wisdom.
- Finally, it can have a mystical interpretation - Campbell writes about the hero journey in Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
I think all these levels - and multiple interpretations within them - are possible and valid, but the mystical/spiritual reading is what I gravitate to. I think the hero journey has been secularized in our culture, with the result that some of the essential messages and symbols now feel 'off.'
UPCOMING TOPICS:
REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAMPBELL & VOGLER'S ADAPTATION
