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fandomhigh2010-02-02 01:56 am
steel-not-glass.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2010-02-02 01:56 am
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Monomyths [Tuesday, February 2, Period 3]
Cindy was perched on the edge of her desk today, cradling a cup of coffee. She began speaking as soon as the bell rang; they had even more material than usual to cover today. "Two weeks ago, we talked about the worlds where the heroes of the masculine and feminine journeys began. Heroes on the masculine journey start out in a world of perfection--it's safe, secure, and usually filled with people who care for him. Heroes on the feminine journey start out in a world filled with the illusion of perfection, but we also discussed the coping mechanisms they use to ignore the places where the illusion grows thin. Overall, what do we have? Two sets of heroes that have no real reason to go anywhere or do anything. Which is incredibly boring to watch or read. Which brings us to today's lesson: kicking the heroes' collective asses out of the world they're living in and onto the path of adventure."
Setting her coffee aside, she angled forward a bit. "So, how is that done? It's probably easier to guess how the boot is applied to the feminine journey than the masculine one. How do you get someone out of the illusion of the perfect world? Easy enough: you shatter the illusion. Which is why the second part of Act I is called The Betrayal or the Realization: something happens and the hero wakes up to the web of lies that makes up her life. Or his, because, remember it's the journey that specifically gendered, not the hero--though I generally stick to the same-gendered pronouns for simplicity's sake. Anyway, the betrayal may come from society, from the hero herself, or from the villain if there is one. In some cases, it may be as simple as a realization that the hero wants something more from life than she's getting, but that's very rare. Usually there is an outside factor or event, perhaps even one instigated or created by the hero, that caused this betrayal. And it's a betrayal so close to home that the hero can't avoid facing it at all. She realizes that no one else can fix this and so she has to do something, because the pretty world she's believed in all along has now come crashing around her ears."
"For the heroes on the masculine journey, however, things are much more simple. There's no painful betrayal or realization at work. Instead, the hero just hears...The Call." Cindy's expression and posture shifted on 'The Call'. Her hand became a fist, poised over her heart, her eyes went distant, and if she's been playing a movie, the screen would have just switched to a montage of heroic images and square-jawed men going off to serve Uncle Sam for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Her voice, on the other hand, carried just the slightest hint of mockery. Hey, it was tough not to be over-the-top when you were talking about something titled 'The Call.' "The hero can hear The Call--" pose "--from any number of sources. It could be a challenge issued by the villain, an idea or an order from a friend or superior, or just the trumpet of his own ego sending him forth. He usually has some goal in mind, though since he hasn't yet gotten in touch with his heart, he most likely doesn't know what's really important to him or what he truly wants to accomplish."
[OCD up!]
Setting her coffee aside, she angled forward a bit. "So, how is that done? It's probably easier to guess how the boot is applied to the feminine journey than the masculine one. How do you get someone out of the illusion of the perfect world? Easy enough: you shatter the illusion. Which is why the second part of Act I is called The Betrayal or the Realization: something happens and the hero wakes up to the web of lies that makes up her life. Or his, because, remember it's the journey that specifically gendered, not the hero--though I generally stick to the same-gendered pronouns for simplicity's sake. Anyway, the betrayal may come from society, from the hero herself, or from the villain if there is one. In some cases, it may be as simple as a realization that the hero wants something more from life than she's getting, but that's very rare. Usually there is an outside factor or event, perhaps even one instigated or created by the hero, that caused this betrayal. And it's a betrayal so close to home that the hero can't avoid facing it at all. She realizes that no one else can fix this and so she has to do something, because the pretty world she's believed in all along has now come crashing around her ears."
"For the heroes on the masculine journey, however, things are much more simple. There's no painful betrayal or realization at work. Instead, the hero just hears...The Call." Cindy's expression and posture shifted on 'The Call'. Her hand became a fist, poised over her heart, her eyes went distant, and if she's been playing a movie, the screen would have just switched to a montage of heroic images and square-jawed men going off to serve Uncle Sam for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Her voice, on the other hand, carried just the slightest hint of mockery. Hey, it was tough not to be over-the-top when you were talking about something titled 'The Call.' "The hero can hear The Call--" pose "--from any number of sources. It could be a challenge issued by the villain, an idea or an order from a friend or superior, or just the trumpet of his own ego sending him forth. He usually has some goal in mind, though since he hasn't yet gotten in touch with his heart, he most likely doesn't know what's really important to him or what he truly wants to accomplish."
[OCD up!]
Activity #1--The Feminine Journey
"The Pleasing Hero finds herself trampled on and taken advantage of. No matter how hard she tries, nothing is good enough; she's ridiculed, devalued, and harshly criticized. She may even be penalized for her actions, like taking time off to have a child or nurse a sick relative back to health. Her kindness and politeness are used to make her into a victim."
"The Exceptional Hero discovers she isn't as much of 'one of the guys' as she thought. Perhaps she's passed up for another promotion, even if she's the better qualified candidate. She sees way in which she's treated unequally to the men or excluded from their talks or activities. Credit for her work is taken by another, or even given to another on the basis that it was 'too good to come from a woman, even her.' Her romantic relationship might sour because she can't juggle both a life and a career."
"The Fairy Tale Hero is left without male protection or support. Perhaps a more beautiful woman comes on the scene, causing men to flock to her, or perhaps her protector dies. She may realize she's been used only as a sexual object, while her man was pursuing another woman to marry and bring home to mother or her social standing might fall because she's rumored as being 'easy' or 'used goods.' Perhaps a jealous rival tears her reputation or relationship to shreds."
"Lastly, the Disappointed Hero has just been pushed too far, usually by someone in a position of power. Her back is against a wall, and she's unable to avoid the attack or humiliation that's coming. It is with this type that we're most likely to see the spontaneous realization, as the hero at last understands that she is the only person who can save herself."
"Either singly or in pairs, come up with several other scenarios that are tailored to each coping method. How else can these types of heroes face a betrayal that would affect them deeply? What kind of betrayals did our heroes from last week's examples (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomhigh/2363010.html?thread=153993602#t153993602) undergo? Are there any examples from other works or your own life that you'd feel comfortable sharing and where did they fit in?"
Re: Activity #1--The Feminine Journey
He thought maybe her journey had actually begun before the story started. Her illusion had been shattered in the exposition that Kermit had delivered. She was a Fairy Tale heroine, no doubt about that. Her male protector, her father had turned out to be an idiot, and then that curse had been placed on her.