Aaron Brown in The Hedgehog Review:
The monomyth, otherwise known as the “hero’s journey,” attempts to set structure to story. First developed by folklorist Joseph Campbell, the monomyth is the type of concept you are quizzed on in a college literature survey course—a multi-stage narrative journey that includes an archetypal hero, a departure from a homeland, a period of trial often necessitating a descent into an underworld, and a triumphant return with newfound power and experience. It is an attractive formula, in part because it monumentalizes many well-loved works of literature—turning anything from the Odyssey to Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings into a simple series of steps. The monomyth is helpful insofar as it illuminates patterns, but, like all theoretical frameworks, it is capable of obscuring distinctive aspects of any given work.
A narrow focus on narrative stages, for example, can obscure the emotional heft of a story—the unique punch that a novel, play, or poem delivers: Odysseus’s dog Argos, recognizing his master disguise and running to him, or the moment we see Gandalf the Grey plunge into the depths beneath the bridge of Khazad-dum. These are moments when we feel rather than fit puzzle pieces together—moments that affect us in head and heart.
More here.
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