Northrop Frye - Archetypal criticism

 

(Northrop Frye)

What is  Archetypal Criticism?

• Archetypal criticism depends heavily on symbols and patterns operating on a universal scale.
• It is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s (1875-1961) psychological theory. Jung believed in acollective unconscious that lay deep within all of us and contained the “cumulative knowledge, experiences, and images of the entire human race” (Bressler, 1994, p. 92).
• Jung identified certain archetypes, which are simply repeated patterns and images of human experience found in literature, such as the changing seasons; the cycle of birth, death, rebirth; the hero and the heroic quest; the beautiful temptress.
• The basis of archetypal criticism is that all literature consists of variations on a great mythic cycle within the following pattern:

1.  The hero begins life in a paradise (such as a garden)

2.  The hero is displaced from paradise (alienation)

3.  The hero endures time of trial and tribulation, usually a wandering (a journey)

4.  The hero achieves self-discovery as a result of the struggles on that journey

5.  The hero returns to paradise (either the original or a new and improved one)

• The journey motif is very common in children’s stories and usually takes one of the two forms:

1.  The linear journey: The hero moves away from home, encounters adventures, and finds a new home better than the first.

2.  The circular journey: The hero moves away from home, encounters adventures, and returns home a better person.

• Strength: It allows us to see the larger patterns of literature
• Limitation: It tends to ignore the individual contributions of the author and the specific cultural and societal influences.

Archetypal Critics

   Archetypal literary criticism was given by impetus by Maud Bodkin's archetypal pattern in poetry 1934 and flourished especially during the 1950 and 9060.

Apart from him...G Wilson Knight,  Robert Graves, Philip Wheelwright, rechard Chase, and Joseph Campbell all are prominent practitioners of various modes of archetypal Criticism.

what does they do?

In their criticism thes critics tended to emphasize the occurance of mythical patterns in Literature, on the assumption that myths are closest to the elemental archetype then the artful manipulation of sophisticated writers.

major theme of their work or architect of archetype of archetypes was 

- the death/ rebirth. 

- cycle of the season. 

- organic cycle of human life. 

- Myths and rituals.

(2) what is Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of Physics to nature and criticism to literature ?  

Northp Frye says that every organised body of knowledge can be learn progressively, and Physics is oraganized knowledge of Nature thus the students of Physics learn nature but in other hand Literature can not teach but the criticism of literature can be teach to prove that Frye giving an anology physics to nature and criticism to literature. 

(3) My views of Criticism as an organised body of knowledge. Mention relation of literature with history and philosophy.

 Northrop frye says on the relation of literature with history and philosophy that literature is the central division of the Humanities, flanked on one side by history and on other side by philosophy and historian deals with events and Philosopher for ideas but critic use both wisdom of philosophy and action of a history. Thus, literature is a connected with history and philosophy both.

(4) Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Digger's scene.

Inductive mathod is using particular facts and from specific to general.

When the Grave Digger's scene of Hamlet arise May audience alredy knows that now something going to bad because the Mineral Structure of Scene is Tragic a grave and also a darkness and cold wind of autumn shows the sign of tragedy. Thus these are the some specific examples from that scene which is lead towards general.

(5)Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to Music, Painting, rhythm and pattern. Give examples of the outcome of deductive method.

Deductive Method is from general to specific. In this, the researcher takes into account a theory and generates a hypothesis, which can be tested, after that the observation are recorded, which leads to particular data.

(6) Refer to the Indian seasonal grid (below)., please read small Gujarati or Hindi or English poem from the archetypal approach and apply Indian seasonal grid in the interpretation.

Frye talking about solar cycle of the day and solar cycle of year and seasonal grid. Here three examples of poems in three languages Gujrati , Hindi and english shows seasonal grid.

સોનાવરણી સીમ બની

મેહુલિયે કીધી મ્હેર રે ભાઈ મોસમ આવી મહેનતની...

નદીઓના જળને લોકોમાં લહેર રે 

ભાઈ મોસમ આવી મહેનતની...

 લીલો કંચન બાજરો ને 

ઉજળો દૂધ કપાસ રે 

જુવાર લો તો લૂમેઝૂમે હૈયામાં ઉલ્લાસ રે U

ઉપર ઊજળા આભમાં કુંજડીઓના કિલ્લોલ રે 

વાતા મીઠા વાયરા ને લેતા મોલ હિલોળ રે 

લિ'યો પછેડી દાતરડાં આજ સીમ કરે છે સાદ રે 

રંગે સંગે કામ કરીએ થાય મલક આબાદ રે 

રળનારો તે માનવી ને દેનારો ભગવાન 

સોનાવરણી સીમ બની ભાઈ મેહુલિયે કીધી મ્હેર રે...
Here in this poem Poet Nathalal describes the happiness of farmer bacause season of harvest is comimg. Farm are full with grains and farmers are ready to harvest with great enthusiasm . Thus, the season of harvesting is presented in this poem.

सखि, वसन्त आया ।
भरा हर्ष वन के मन, 
नवोत्कर्ष छाया।
किसलय-वसना नव-वय-लतिका
मिली मधुर प्रिय-उर तरु-पतिका,
मधुप-वृन्द बन्दी-
पिक-स्वर नभ सरसाया।
लता-मुकुल-हार-गन्ध-भार भर
बही पवन बन्द मन्द मन्दतर,
जागी नयनों में वन-
यौवन की माया।
आवृत सरसी-उर-सरसिज उठे,
केशर के केश कली के छुटे,
स्वर्ण-शस्य-अञ्चल
पृथ्वी का लहराया।

here another example of hindi poem by Surykant Tripathi Nirala in which poet welcomes the spring and decribes it with nature's metaphors.

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Blow, blow, thou winter wind, 

   Thou art not so unkind 

      As man’s ingratitude; 

   Thy tooth is not so keen, 

Because thou art not seen, 

      Although thy breath be rude. 

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: 

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: 

   Then, heigh-ho, the holly! 

      This life is most jolly. 

   Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, 

   That dost not bite so nigh 

      As benefits forgot: 

   Though thou the waters warp, 

      Thy sting is not so sharp 

      As friend remembered not. 

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly

 This poem addresses to the winter wind and poem says that it can be blow as much as hard , it can likes because it is not harsh and rude like mens nature of being ungreatful. Use of several methphors like frozen water and sky... Through that poet want to say that the frozen faces of the world are more painful then the frozen water. Thus, here William Shakespeare use winter as tragic season and through it shows people's ungreatful nature.

Refrences.

http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/12/northrop-frye-archetypes-of-literature.html?m=1http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/12/northrop-frye-archetypes-of-literature.html?m=1

https://m.poemhunter.com/poem/blow-blow-thou-winter-windhttps://m.poemhunter.com/poem/blow-blow-thou-winter-wind/

http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/study_criticism.htmhttp://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/study_criticism.htm