Friday, May 4, 2018
The Hobbit
The Hobbit is one of the most influential fantasy stories of its time and is most definitely one of the books you think of when you think about the fantasy genre. Personally, this is not my favorite book. It is, however, a good example of the hero's journey archetype. Bilbo gets called to an adventure when Gandalf comes knocking on his door and then brings tons of frugal dwarves with him the next day. Gandalf mentors (and assists) Bilbo and the dwarves while they cross the forest until he leaves them. Bilbo faces many trials (a dangerous riddling goblin, a greedy dragon, and an epic battle). Ultimately, Bilbo returns home and readjusts to his new life as a supposed hero. These events that are listed only scratch the surface of the hero's journey. As a writer, reading this book could be useful to remember and understand how important the hero's journey is in writing. If you really think about it, every single piece of writing can follow the hero's journey. For me, The Hobbit is an example of how not to write fantasy, considering that I found it extremely dull and hard to concentrate on. Perhaps this is due to the narrator getting sidetracked constantly, the characters of the dwarves were too voluminous to remember specifically, or the fact that the "hero" of the story doesn't even do anything at the climax of the book except run away (Bilbo doesn't kill Smaug the dragon, for Smaug flies away and then someone else kills it for him. To top that off, Bilbo just hangs around with his invisibility ring for most of The Battle of the Five Armies.). One small benefit of reading The Hobbit is that you can compare it to the movies and understand the movies better as well.
The Romance Archetype In "The Princess Bride"
The Princess Bride is a decent movie about a book being read to a sick young boy by his grandfather. The boy grows to love the story full of adventure, love, and heroics.
The romance archetype tends to follow this pattern:
1. The protagonist falls in love with another character.
2. There is an obstacle or two that prevents the two lovebirds from getting together.
3. The first attempt at romance is always thwarted, delayed, or put off.
4. Characters are often caught up in their own emotions or problems.
5. Lovers are tested by many trials or conflicts.
6. If the love is "forbidden", then the characters have to come to terms with what is preventing them from being together. To put this in simpler terms, they sort it out.
7. Lovers usually tend to get together at the end of the story.
How this occurs in The Princess Bride:
1. The two young adults, Westley and Buttercup, fall in love.
2. Being no more than a poor servant, Westley had no money for marriage. They still loved each other, but young Westley knew he had to do something.
3. Westley leaves Buttercup (thus delaying their love) to go out to sea and earn his reaches in faraway lands. However, Buttercup is soon told that Westley was attacked by pirates and killed.
4. Depressed and alone, Buttercup is trapped in her own emotions and wants only Westley. She is stricken with grief. To make matters worse, Prince Humperdinck picks her to become his wife, for he can choose anyone in the kingdom. Buttercup knows she will be forced into a loveless marriage, but accepts it at the time because her lover is dead.
There is a gap in the archetype here that is merely action. To sum it up briefly, Buttercup gets kidnapped and soon afterward Prince Humperdinck sets off after her. Her kidnappers meet a series of trials set up by "the man in black", who we find out is really Westley. The two attempt to escape Prince Humperdinck's oncoming posse.
5. Westley and Buttercup face many trials and all the way up to the end of the story. The two must traverse the fire swamp (plumes of flame, quicksand, and giant rats). When they exit the fire swap, Prince Humperdinck meets them with his posse and threatens Westley's life. When all is said and done, Westley gets captured and taken in for torture. Buttercup is taken in for torture too, seeing as she is supposed to marry Prince Humperdinck.This leaves escaping the castle as the final trial that the two must face.
6. One may argue that this step is or is not involved here. However, with the chronological order that I am currently explaining this in, the castle and the place of which they live is an obstacle that obstructs these lovers from getting together.
7. After raiding the castle with a few new friends, Westley and Buttercup are free and gladly pursue their relationship together. At the end of the movie, they kiss and literally ride off into the sunset on their white horses.
The romance archetype tends to follow this pattern:
1. The protagonist falls in love with another character.
2. There is an obstacle or two that prevents the two lovebirds from getting together.
3. The first attempt at romance is always thwarted, delayed, or put off.
4. Characters are often caught up in their own emotions or problems.
5. Lovers are tested by many trials or conflicts.
6. If the love is "forbidden", then the characters have to come to terms with what is preventing them from being together. To put this in simpler terms, they sort it out.
7. Lovers usually tend to get together at the end of the story.
How this occurs in The Princess Bride:
1. The two young adults, Westley and Buttercup, fall in love.
2. Being no more than a poor servant, Westley had no money for marriage. They still loved each other, but young Westley knew he had to do something.
3. Westley leaves Buttercup (thus delaying their love) to go out to sea and earn his reaches in faraway lands. However, Buttercup is soon told that Westley was attacked by pirates and killed.
4. Depressed and alone, Buttercup is trapped in her own emotions and wants only Westley. She is stricken with grief. To make matters worse, Prince Humperdinck picks her to become his wife, for he can choose anyone in the kingdom. Buttercup knows she will be forced into a loveless marriage, but accepts it at the time because her lover is dead.
There is a gap in the archetype here that is merely action. To sum it up briefly, Buttercup gets kidnapped and soon afterward Prince Humperdinck sets off after her. Her kidnappers meet a series of trials set up by "the man in black", who we find out is really Westley. The two attempt to escape Prince Humperdinck's oncoming posse.
5. Westley and Buttercup face many trials and all the way up to the end of the story. The two must traverse the fire swamp (plumes of flame, quicksand, and giant rats). When they exit the fire swap, Prince Humperdinck meets them with his posse and threatens Westley's life. When all is said and done, Westley gets captured and taken in for torture. Buttercup is taken in for torture too, seeing as she is supposed to marry Prince Humperdinck.This leaves escaping the castle as the final trial that the two must face.
6. One may argue that this step is or is not involved here. However, with the chronological order that I am currently explaining this in, the castle and the place of which they live is an obstacle that obstructs these lovers from getting together.
7. After raiding the castle with a few new friends, Westley and Buttercup are free and gladly pursue their relationship together. At the end of the movie, they kiss and literally ride off into the sunset on their white horses.
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