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British Literature > Archetypes > Flashcards

Archetypes Flashcards

1
Q

Day

A

safety; knowledge; order

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2
Q

Night

A

danger; lack of knowledge; disorder

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3
Q

Garden

A

ordered and controlled environment that is usually safe, happy, and nurturing

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4
Q

Forest

A

dangerous garden; a place of trials; the unconscious; “lost in the forest”

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5
Q

Desert

A

death; spiritual loss; hopelessness; isolation; wasteland

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6
Q

Mountains

A

personal achievement; meeting place of heaven and earth; insight and enlightenment

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7
Q

Caves

A

descent into the unconscious or the inner self; a place to face innermost fears

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8
Q

River

A

ever-flowing time and eternal change; also boundaries and borders; general water imagery can represent purification or new life

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9
Q

The Sea

A

vast, alien, and dangerous; waves can represent infinity

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10
Q

Islands and Ships-at-Sea

A

a microcosm of society; spiritual as well as physical isolation or exile

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11
Q

Maze

A

difficult, confusing, challenging task; in order to escape from a maze, the hero must discover the essential reality of his nature

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12
Q

Hero

A

exhibits outstanding qualities and abilities; embodies the ideals of his society; embarks on a quest, confronts his adversary, has an epiphany, and returns

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13
Q

Innocent

A

a child or naïve young man who has been sheltered from evil; often wears white; this character moves from innocence to experience through a trial and initiation process

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14
Q

Outcast

A

a figure who is banished from society for some crime (real or imagined) against his fellow man; destined to wander from place to place

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15
Q

Shadow

A

an alter-ego or double; represents the hidden or repressed parts of a character

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16
Q

Villain

A

an evil character who attempts to destroy the hero

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17
Q

Earth Mother

A

a wise feminine provider, nourisher, and nurturer

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18
Q

Wise Old Man

A

a masculine counterpart of the Earth Mother; he cares for, instructs, and councils the hero

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19
Q

Fatal Woman

A

a temptress; a witch; a woman who through her power can render a strong man weak and a wise man foolish

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20
Q

Damsel-in-Distress

A

a vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero; often used to trap or ensnare the unsuspecting hero

21
Q

Faithful Companion(s)

A

loyal retainers who are heroic themselves; their duty is to assist and protect the hero also helpful animals – less heroic than the Faithful Companions, but no less helpful to the hero

22
Q

Scapegoat

A

a sacrificial victim; a character who suffers or is blamed unjustly in order that others may escape; his death often makes him a more powerful force

23
Q

Trickster

A

a character who, through superior wit or cunning, can deceive and manipulate those who seemingly have greater strength and authority; they also enjoy playing tricks on the stupid, pompous, or greedy

24
Q

The Battle between Good and Evil

A

also seen as light versus dark; mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds

25
Q

Natural World versus Mechanical World

A

usually nature is benevolent and technology/machines are malevolent

26
Q

The Fall

A

the hero experiences a downfall; the downfall often involves an expulsion from a paradise; in continuing the cycle of life, this spiritual death maybe followed with a redemption or rebirth

27
Q

The Initiation

A

the (usually young) character moves from innocence into experience; from childhood into adulthood

28
Q

Quest

A

a journey or search for origins (roots), identity, perfection (nirvana), fulfillment, love, the true father or mother, treasure, fame, wisdom, or salvation; describes the search for someone or some talisman which, when brought back/destroyed, will restore

29
Q

The Task

A

a piece of the Quest; the hero must save the kingdom, win the fair lady, or identify himself so he may reassume his rightful position; the hero must perform superhuman deed

30
Q

Transformation

A

a character literally changes from one form to another form

31
Q

The Father-Son Conflict

A

tensions often result from separation during childhood or from an external source when the individuals meet as grown men; a mentor often has a higher place in the affections of the hero than the natural parents

32
Q

Sword

A

a warrior’s honor, dignity, and name are tied to his sword; also represents a legacy or destiny passed from father to son

33
Q

Tree

A

the center or beginning of sacred power; the navel of the world; the cosmic axis that unites the underworld, the earth, and the heavens; essential symbol of connections

34
Q

Circle

A

completion, especially of a cycle; eternity (as circles have no beginning or ending); inside a circle can offer protection or be a conduit of power

35
Q

Snake

A

a complex symbol that on one hand represents evil, cunning, and manipulation, while on the other hand represents eternal life and wisdom; the snake is kin to the dragon or monster which Western culture depicts as needing to be slain

36
Q

Unhealable Wound

A

this wound is either physical or psychological and cannot healed fully; indicates a loss of innocence and always aches

37
Q

Three

A

associated with the triangle and divinity; symbolizes spiritual awareness, light, and unity: “past, present, future” and “mind, body, soul”

38
Q

Four

A

associated with the circle and the earth; symbolizes the cycle of earthly life and orderly arrangement: four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter), four elements (water, earth, air, fire), four compass points/corners of the earth (north, south, east, wes

39
Q

Five

A

associated with the pentagon and man; symbolizes divine love and justice: man has five senses, four limbs & head, four fingers & thumb

40
Q

Seven

A

most potent of all symbolic numbers; signifies union of three and four: perfect order, harmony, completion of cycle (seven days on a week)

41
Q

Twelve

A

cosmic order and salvation; also signifies the union of three and four: 12 apostles, 12 tribes of David, 12 signs of the zodiac, measure of time (months, hours)

42
Q

Red

A

the color of blood and fire; symbolizes life, energy, passion, sacrifice, strength, and leadership, but also war, anger, too much ambition, danger, and disorder

43
Q

Green

A

the color of nature and the land; symbolizes renewal, hope, fertility, youth, and growth, but also the wild, uncontrolled forces of nature and man found in envy, jealousy, inexperience, and decay

44
Q

Blue

A

the color of the sky and the sea; symbolizes nobility, steadfastness, security, truth, calmness, and spiritual purity, but also discouragement and doubt

45
Q

Gold/Yellow

A

the color of the sun; symbolizes illumination, perfection, intuition, but also money and greed, cowardice, treachery, and adultery

46
Q

Purple

A

the color of royalty; symbolizes wisdom, temperance, clarity of mind, but also power and its many abuses

47
Q

Black

A

the totality of (or absorbs all) color; symbolizes maturity, wisdom, and mystery, but also death, chaos, and evil

48
Q

White

A

the absence of (or reflects all) color; symbolizes purity, innocence, timelessness, and the supernatural, but also mourning, hypocrisy, and terror, particularly in supernatural form

British Literature (2 decks)

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