One
thing every writer fears is falling into the pit of clichés. Fantasy writers
especially, in a literary world
inundated with quests and elves and magic, face this fate with certain dread
and spend an awful lot of time grappling for that elusive "originality"
that will set their world and characters apart. It's a tremendous pressure, and
one that can be quite staggering sometimes.
Our
audience reads fantasy in search of a certain type of escapism. There are
themes readers long to see again and again, character types and dramatic
moments that thrilled them at first encounter and which they would love to
experience anew. Granted, our audience doesn't want to read the same plot over
and over, and it certainly doesn't want to be able to predict from page one how
everything is going to turn out. But lovers of fantasy and fairy tale are
looking for a certain sense of familiarity that stretches back to childhood
loves, to themes and stories they learned before they can even remember.
So
how do we strike a balance? How do we give our audience what they long for
while simultaneously avoiding the pitfalls of clichés and of losing all sense
of individuality?
The
answer lies in understanding the difference between "clichés" and
"archetypes."
Let
me start with a definition of "cliché." A cliché is a storyline or
character that has become trite or hackneyed. It is a theme, characterization,
or situation that has been used so many times that it is now commonplace and
predictable.
An
"archetype," by contrast, is an image, character, or pattern that
recurs throughout literature so often that it becomes universally recognized by
readers across the globe.
Can
you see the difference here? One has to do with the how the story plays out . .
. one has to do with what the story is about.
If
that difference remains foggy, let me use an example:
A small person and/or
child goes on a dangerous quest to destroy a powerful and magical talisman.
The
above storyline has become a cliché. We loved it the first time Tolkien did it
in The Lord of the Rings. But now
when it crops up again, we groan and say to ourselves, "I've read that before!"
But
wait a minute. There is more to this story! Because, you see, an archetype
would be:
A small person and/or
child goes on a dangerous quest.
Now
this is a storyline of which we never
tire! We'll read it again and again, be it in a fairy tale like Little Red Riding Hood or Puss in Boots, or in a longer fantasy
such as Harry Potter or The Lightning Thief. Humanity as a whole
responds to the idea of the underdog, the small person, the child, facing
extraordinary odds and somehow, against all expectations, overcoming and
proving victorious.
The
archetype of the small hero against the great enemy speaks to us at a universal
level, evoking a response that is deep and almost unconscious. We want to read
that story again. We don't want to see the same plot (i.e. small person
destroying the magical talisman) again, but we do want to see the theme (the
small person overcoming outrageous odds).
Archetypes
can be something as simple as a symbol. Consider your reaction to the symbol of
the snake vs. the eagle. Your immediate reaction is "snake = bad,"
"eagle = good." That's a universal response, a pattern of thought
ingrained in what Carl Gustav Jung would call the "collective
unconscious." We all respond to the perceived insidiousness of snakes and
nobility of eagles in the same way.
This
idea of the "collective unconscious" holds true with different types
of characters. Archetypal characters include the third son, the princess in
disguise, the chosen one, the girl disguised as a boy, the wise grandparent,
the prostitute with a heart of gold, the wicked uncle, the wicked stepmother,
the warrior princess, the clever thief.
Archetypal
storylines might be something like "the princess, prince, and dragon"
theme, which we have seen again and again in literature. Or even "the
enchanted sleep," "the princess locked in a tower," "true
love's first kiss," and many more.
All
of these archetypes evoke certain feelings and reactions in lovers of fairy
tales and fantasy. Granted, we don't want to see these themes and characters
used in exactly the same way they've
been done before. We want something fresh and different. But we do long for the
archetypes. We respond to them, and they are what keep us coming back to this
genre.
The
sooner we writers of fantasy recognize the difference between clichés and
archetypes, the sooner we have the freedom to take our stories in the fantastic
directions we long to explore!
Author Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.
Starflower
When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.
But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?
