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In-Depth Information
The Universal Story
From the turn of the 19th century and on, there are documented discussions between writers
and theorists who noticed that the similarities in story went beyond specifi c regions, cultures,
and time periods. [2] Some of them theorized that this was because humankind had similar
natural phenomena that needed to be explained. This might be the reason for similarities in
theme, but didn't explain the similarities in story and plot.
All of these stories followed a three-act structure that had fi rst been defi ned by Aristotle nearly
2,300 years ago. Aristotle called this structure
Plot
. Plot was not just the sequence of events
in a story, but also the emotions that were necessary to move the audience through the story.
In the fi rst act, pity and empathy must be established for the hero so that the audience cares
about the character and will engage in his pursuit. Then, the second act is the scene of suf-
fering and challenge, creating fear and tension surrounding the hero and his challenges. In
the fi nal act, fear and tension are released by catharsis, the emotional release that allows
for closure to end the story. [3]
In the 20th century, Joseph Campbell, an American mythology professor, writer, and orator,
began to think that he understood reasons for the similarities in story that went beyond the
experience of external phenomena. Campbell worked in the fi elds of comparative mythology
and comparative religion studying stories. What he found was that there were universal
images and characters that existed in
one
story shared by all cultures through all time
periods. Because this story occurred again and again, he called it the monomyth—the one
story, the universal story.
The monomyth told the story of a hero and is appropriately called “The Hero's Journey.”
Campbell's theory has many stages, but they can be summarized as follows [4]:
Introduce
the
Hero.
The hero is the character through whom the story is told. The hero
is having an ordinary day in his ordinary world.
The
Hero
Has
a
Flaw.
The audience needs to empathize with the hero and engage in
his pursuit of success. So the hero is not perfect. He suffers from pride or passion, or
an error or impediment that will eventually lead to his downfall or success.
Unexpected
Event.
Something happens to change the hero's ordinary world.
Call
to
Adventure.
The hero needs to accomplish a goal (save a princess,
retrieve a treasure, collect a boon, and so forth). Often the hero is reluctant to
answer the call. It is here that he meets with mentors, friends, and allies that
encourage him.
The
Quest.
The hero leaves his world in pursuit of the goal. He faces test, trials, temp-
tations, enemies, and challenges until he achieves his goal.
The
Return.
The hero returns expecting rewards.
The
Crisis.
Something is wrong. The hero is at his lowest moment.
