We all love stories. Starting from those
told by our parents as they regale us with wondrous tales while we sit on their
knees, to sitting and listening to those told by grandparents around the fire,
up until later life, when we discover books, movies and television. We remain
glued to majestic stories and seek them out. After all, our earliest history we
only know via stories told over generations – stories are intrinsic to human
nature!
Every story differs in its details, making
it unique. Yet when you look closer, there’s a common thread running through
many stories. Some are due to its presentation – movies are often presented in
three acts, while stage plays and television shows have five acts, each
somewhat self-contained, and each driving our story forwards. Still, when you
examine some of our most popular tales, our wildest stories, our finest myths,
you find a structure that pervades across all presentations. You find the
monomyth.
The monomyth has three stages. In the first,
the Departure, our hero begins his or her journey. At first, the hero is living
a normal life, either revelling in it, or yearning for more. Then comes the
call to adventure, where our hero must leave what is known and travel into the
unknown. This usually comes from an external agent, either mystical or in
person, driving them towards it. Think of Joseph being sold to slavery in the
Bible, or Gandalf arriving in the Shire in The Lord of the Rings, or the Droids
bought for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. The hero might resist the call, or go
willingly, but ultimately they leave their old world behind.
Having crossed that first threshold, they
then enter the unknown world of adventure, where the old rules no longer apply.
They meet their mentor, and acquire new companions on their journey. Then, they
face their first challenge – and they’re defeated. This usually also involves
losing the mentor. Witness Joseph’s service as a slave and imprisonment,
Gandalf’s death in Moria, and Obi-Wan’s death in Star Wars.
This starts them on the second stage, the
Initiation. This is where the hero is tested on a road of trials. The hero can
meet an untrustworthy person whose help is needed on the quest (for Joseph, the
Pharaoh’s cupholder). They might meet a god/goddess that helps them on their
journey (Galadriel in Lord of the Rings). They are tempted to abandon their
quest, either by a romantic interest, or their companions (Han Solo offering a
way out of the conflict for Luke in Star Wars). Ultimately, they face their trials
and challenges and overcome them to reach the apotheosis, or climax, of the
story.
Armed with new knowledge, the hero faces
the toughest challenge yet – and is sometimes assisted by their formerly
‘untrustworthy’ friend who comes through in the end (like the cupholder, Han
Solo, and yes, poor old Gollum in the end of Lord of the Rings). The hero
experiences a rebirth, and receives the boon they have been craving all along.
Joseph becomes vizier of Egypt, Frodo gains his freedom and Luke recognition.
Then the final stage – the Return. Faced
with their rebirth and newfound boon, they have to reintegrate with their old
lives. They cross the threshold back into ordinary life, now a master of both.
Joseph experiences this when his family come to Egypt for food, and he
resettles them there. Frodo has his journey back to the Shire, where he has
more challenges when he gets there. Luke finds a new home for himself in the
Rebellion.
The monomyth was first introduced to the
world by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, back in 1949, and
has found itself embedded in popular culture since then. When examined, you’ll
find the monomyth in many of our most popular stories, from a wide variety of
authors and filmmakers. In fact, most superhero origin stories follow the
template almost to a T.
Why is this, though? Perhaps the most
explored area that concerns itself with this is called memetics – the study of
memes. First proposed by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Meme, he
proposed that there is, similar to how genes self-replicate, mutate and respond
to societal pressures, a similar method by which ideas do so. Thus was born the
idea of a meme: "an idea, behaviour, or style that spreads from person to
person within a culture." Needless to say, the meme soon itself became a
meme, and the name is now coupled with an internet phenomenon based on
templates of pictures.
At its core, however, the monomyth is
perhaps the most solid evidence for the persistence of memes. A story structure
that has pervaded all cultures to become embedded in our psyches, and one we
instinctively flock to when we need to tell the story of a hero. Perhaps aptly,
it is also commonly known The Hero’s Journey.
However, just because the monomyth is so
persistent in our culture, does not mean that it is the only way to tell a
story. After all, you can probably yourself name many stories that don’t follow
this template – and in fact, it is sometimes used to make the exact
counterpoint to what the hero’s journey expresses. One of my favourite novels,
Dune, expressly aims to follow the monomyth so as to subvert it, cunningly
making the point that an infallible hero’s mistakes are always amplified by
those who follow them without question.
So while our stories may have structure,
and seem similar, you should always take the time with your own stories to see
what archetypical story you’ve followed, and ensure it sends the message you’ve
envisaged. And perhaps, if you’re struggling to tell your own story, you can
use the structures, the memes, of those who came before you, and make them work
for you. Most importantly, however, is to remember that these memes are like
genes, and if you follow a blueprint, you should twist and subvert it enough to
be novel.
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