The Archetype of Modern Science-Fiction and Fantasy Heroes
Everyone recognizes characters such as Luke Skywalker, Aragorn, Harry Potter or the heroes of numerous comics and films, such as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, but not everyone knows that the adventures, lives, and paths of these modern science-fiction and fantasy heroes were all largely inspired...
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| Format: | Master Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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[M. Škundrić]
2016
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| Online Access: | https://dk.um.si/IzpisGradiva.php?id=60911 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?id=96559&dn= http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=22464520&fmt=11 |
| Summary: | Everyone recognizes characters such as Luke Skywalker, Aragorn, Harry Potter or the heroes of numerous comics and films, such as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, but not everyone knows that the adventures, lives, and paths of these modern science-fiction and fantasy heroes were all largely inspired and influenced by ancient heroes from myths and legends, the heroes of Greco-Roman mythology or the famous British leader King Arthur. In this thesis, the influences and similarities between modern science-fiction and fantasy heroes and the fantastic stories of the lives and deeds of these archetypal “ancient” heroes will be discussed. Is there a universal pattern? Can we find common characteristics between these heroes? How important are myths and ancient stories when creating a heroic character? These are just some of the questions that are explored. I will focus on Joseph Campbell’s notion of the “Monomyth” and his ideas of the “Hero’s Journey” or “Hero Cycle” as well as past and contemporary ideas on what it takes to be considered a “hero.” I also examine the works of Carl Gustav Jung and Northrop Frye and their views on archetypes. My goal is to identify the connections between ancient and modern heroes by showing how ancient stories and legends influence modern authors and movie directors such as George Lucas, J.R.R. Tolkien, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel and Stan Lee when creating their own heroic characters. Le kdo ne pozna junakov, kot sta Luke Skywalker ter Aragorn, ali junakov številnih stripov in filmov, kot so Superman, Batman, Spider-Man? Pa vendar vsi ne vedo, da so dogodivščine in življenja teh sodobnih junakov iz znanstveno-fantastične in fantazijske literature nastala z zgledovanjem po antičnih junakih iz mitov in legend ali celo slavnem britanskem kralju Arturju. V svoji magistrski nalogi sem raziskal vplive in podobnosti med sodobnimi junaki iz znanstveno-fantastične in fantazijske literature in fantastičnimi zgodbami o življenju in dejanjih arhetipskih junakov. Ali obstaja univerzalen vzorec? Ali lahko tem junakom najdemo skupne značilnosti? Kako pomembni so miti in starodavne zgodbe, če želimo ustvariti junaško osebnost? To so le nekatera od vprašanj, ki sem jih raziskal in na katera sem si prizadeval najti odgovor. Osredotočil sem se tudi na pojem "monomit", ki ga je prvič uporabil Joseph Campbell in pri katerem se pojavijo ideje o "junakovem popotovanju" in "junaškem ciklu", kakor tudi pretekle in sodobne ideje o tem, kaj vse je dejansko potrebno, oziroma kateri pogoji morajo biti izpolnjeni, da bi nekoga lahko označili kot "junaka". Med drugimi sem raziskal tudi dela Carla Gustava Junga in Northrop Fryea ter njuna pogleda na arhetipe. Končni cilj je poiskati ter opredeliti povezave med staro- in sodobnimi junaki, in sicer s ponazoritvijo, kako so starodavne zgodbe in legende vplivale na sodobne avtorje in filmske režiserje, kot so George Lucas, J.R.R. Tolkien, Stan Lee, Bob Kane in Jerry Siegel, ko so sami ustvarjali svoje "heroje". |
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