How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Assignment Six

Archtype. At first glance, I most certainly thought that this word meant a particular type of ark. Maybe Noah's perhaps? Anyway, after some reading in that good ole book of mine and some further research, I realized that an archtype simply means a copy. It is the term used to describe the representations that form from other pieces of work. In short, THERE IS ONLY ONE ORIGINAL STORY.

I began to scroll through my mental brain files, and soon realized that there are quite a few instances in which similarities in basic stories started to arise. My first thought started with Disney. The prince charming, an evil stepmother, a prince in hiding, and of course the basis for all of it, an orphaned child. So many of those "original" stories have the same main plot line, but by changing up the scenery and characters the author creates thousands of different worlds.

The characters from these Disney movies and stories are archtypes. Most of these characters can be related back to even 19th century literature, and probably even further. For example, the story of Cinderella can most likely be compared to the novel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Can't it?

Both novels have a seemingly normal girl who wants to be swept away by Prince Charming. However, getting them to meet and have the proper events fall into place seems nearly impossible. It all seems like an intense game of tag, where one chases the other in the game of love.

Though it may not seem this way, most stories and literary works can be categorized as archtypes. They all are like a color wheel; Different colors and different shades mix together to create tons of wonderful combinations.