One of the fun things that I have discovered about writing is reading about writing. Right now I am reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I have Nina Munteanu to thank for introducing me to the book. (The other thing I’ve discovered is how much fun a writing course is.) The book is heavily steeped in myth, mythology, folktales and Jungian psychology. I took a course about Jung and archetypes in university, low these many years ago, so I was familiar with many of the concepts he talks about. Campbell has drawn heavily on archetypes, backing them up with examples from tales gathered from around the world.
The book traces the journey of the hero. When we think about a good story, be it fantasy, mystery, or just plain fiction, the thing that makes it good is the journey of the main character. The journey may be towards enlightenment, solving a mystery, or saving a world but the journey stripped to its barest essentials is the same: departure, search, return.
Departure is the moment when the journey is started, either willingly or unwillingly. The hero has to leave where she/he is most comfortable and go out into the unknown to find something of value, to themselves, their loved ones or their world. It doesn’t matter about the scope. However large or small the reason, it is the scary first step into the unknown.
The search is where the hero is faced with trials. It is during this search that the hero comes into his own, learns about her/himself and finds out what she/he is capable of. Sometimes the hero is accompanied by friends or mentors, sometimes they find them on their way. And sometimes, they are alone. They are faced with betrayal and rescue from unlikely sources.
The return is the tricky part. They go back to their roots which may or may not actually welcome them. New knowledge is presented in opposition to accepted knowing. OR they may decide not to go back at all.
I’m not yet finished with the book but I am finding it so very enjoyable to read. The best thing that I have got from it? That we all are on a hero’s journey, right now, many journeys. From going off to school , to new jobs, to new careers, new homes, new families,to meeting new friends. It is so exciting to think that life is a heroic adventure. If things don’t go as planned, and we know that not all adventures are fun, that this is just the trial part of our heroic journey. The people that we meet are there to help or hinder us. That what we gain will help not just us but other’s around us. That we return to where we feel safe or maybe comfortable and from there we set off once more on another journey until we embark on the ultimate journey, death.