Gravity/Survival Discussion; Jungian Archetypes; Pan's Labyrinth

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This morning, please take 5 minutes to take this online quiz: 12 Survivors. After getting your result, take another 5 minutes to reflect in writing to what you have learned from the test. [If the site does not load the test, refer to the handout regarding the 12 "survivor" archetypes. Which one resonates most with you? Which one do you identify with the most?]

Together, let's discuss the film Gravity. When we finish, get together briefly with your book group and discuss possible survivor archetypes in the novel you are reading.
  • Do you recognize any event/plot in the survivor archetype? Is there a character that is trying to survive? Is there a character that reflects the victim? The saboteur? The prostitute? The inner child? How? When?
  • Do you recognize any of the characters as one of the 12 archetypal survivor characters? Who? When? Why?
At about 8:10, let's take a look at the psychological theories of C.G. Jung. See handout.

In his book Pathways to Bliss, Joseph Campbell defines four functions of myths:
  • Evoke existential thought (answer: what is the meaning of my life?)
  • Present an image of the cosmos (and your relation to it)
  • Validate society or culture (& its rules)
  • Make sense of a person's stages of life (birth, adolescence, adulthood, old age, death)
What Makes a Hero? (short video)

Archetypal Theory or Myth Criticism

Arche = original
Typos = form

The Collective Unconscious is a collection of latent images, not in one’s personal unconscious but from the ancestral past, as well as pre-human or animal ancestors. Not inherited, the Collective Unconscious belongs to all of us in a certain culture and time. Latent images manifest from our unconscious minds so that we can recognize patterns and symbols in an icon or persona. It is these primal symbols and concepts that create the tropes we use in storytelling. A full list of tropes can be found here.

C.G. Jung: Psychology of the Unconscious
Here's a link referring to Jung's theory of Archetypes (also see handout(s)).

Patterns, as those found often in literature, originate in the collective unconscious.

As we watch Pan's Labyrinth, look for evidence of the hero's journey and other Jungian archetypes.

Guillermo del Toro:
HOMEWORK: Finish reading the script handout. Also, keep reading your chosen novel. Look for examples of Jungian archetypes in the text (and take notes noting them...) Aim to complete your reading by the end of next week. If you didn't look at it today, please read about Jung and view this short video for our next class/discussion: Jung's theory of Archetypes.

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