Hello friends, in this blog I'm going to talk about Northrop Frye and his archetypal theory.
Northrop Frye, in full Herman Northrop Frye, (born July 14, 1912, died Jan. 23, 1991), Canadian educator and literary critic who wrote much on Canadian literature and culture and became best known as one of the most important literary theorists of the 20th century.
1.What is Archetypal Criticism ? What does the Archetypal critic do ?
Archetypal literary criticism is a theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes in the narrative and symbols, rituals, images and character types in a literary work. Archetype denotes recurrent narrative designs, patterns of action, character types, themes and images which are identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as in myths, dreams and even social rituals. Such recurrent items result from elemental and universal patterns in the human psyche.
2.What is Frye trying to prove by giving an analogy of 'Physics to Nature' and 'Criticism to Literature' ?
Northrop Frye has given a very unique idea of Archetypal Criticism by comparing the human emotions or human characteristics with the cycle of seasons. Here Frye compares both Physics to Nature and Criticism to Literature. Physics is a deep study of Nature but it is called physics, not Nature though it is based on Nature only it is called physics. In the same manner, In the literature, we are not learning literature but we learn to understand literature, how to read and how to criticise literature so we are not learning literature but criticising literature. So it is the criticism of literature. So Literature is equal to Nature and Physics is equal to Criticism. One can learn criticism of literature but can't learn literature.
3.Share your views of Criticism as an organised body of knowledge. Mention relation of literature with history and philosophy.
Literature is the central division of Humanities. Historical sense and Philosophy are about morality, ethics and all these things are required when we study literature. Philosophy is about existence and it progressively moves on, its ideas never stopped. Northrop Frye says that without reasoning and thinking to jump to any type of conclusion is not valid to process. We have Archetype criticism is based on philosophy and History of people. As it has been said that literature includes history as well as philosophy to convey its meaning so it displays events and ideas. History and philosophy are two important pillars of literature. History gives events and philosophy gives ideas and writers combine both and create work of literature.
4.Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Digger's scene.
Inductive method is a journey which leads from specific to general. As we read some specific literary work and come to a general conclusion, in this way we extend from specific outcome to general outcome.
Northrop Frye gives the example of Gravedigger’s scene from “Hamlet” to explain this method.
First, the question of existence can be seen. Every man dies at one point.
Second, the image of corruption can be seen.
Third, we see Hamlet’s love for Ophelia.
Forth thing is Hamlet represents Archetypal hero who is ready to die for his love.
Fifth is this method moves from “Particular to General”.
Sixth is on that scene there were two grave diggers & they seemed quite in harmony with their work.
The last one is we can see that they have no grief for a deadly one.
5.Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to music, painting, rhythm and pattern. Give examples of the outcome of deductive method.
Deductive method is a journey from general to specific. An Archetypal Critic, under the Deductive method of analysis, proceeds to establish the meaning of a work from the general truth to the particular truth. If we can go deep we can understand that literature is Like music & painting. Music and painting both are the form of an art. In music rhythm is an essential characteristic of music & in painting’ pattern is the chief Virtue. Rhythm is a narrative form, while pattern is simultaneous mental grasp of verbal structure and it has meaning and significance. It provides a mental visual. By listening to some of the music we can't get everything, but looking at the painting we can get an idea of it's pattern. In Literature both rhythm and pattern are recurrences of Images, forms and words.
6.If you can please read a small Gujarati or Hindi or English poem from the Archetypal approach and apply Indian seasonal grid in the interpretation.
As we know that In India there are three main seasons which are known as,
Winter
Summer
Spring
But, according to Hindu scripture we have six seasons.
This are below :
Vasant (Basant) Ritu : Spring
Grishma Ritu : Summer
Varsha Ritu : Monsoon
Sharad Ritu : Autumn
Hemant Ritu : pre winter
Shishir / shita Ritu : Winter
This is the poem by Narendra Modi. In his poem he describes Basant Ritu. The sweet songs of the angels of nature, the freshness that the fields breathe, the blossoming of the flowers… all announce the Advent of youthful spring, and the calendar says it's Basant.
7.Make an Archetypal study a poem or narrative or a scene from a movie.
In the movie Genius we find the Archetypal scene in the end. Using the voice of conch in the compound of the template and surviving hero it shows the positivity in the movie at last.
Here is the link of the video,
https://youtu.be/r1qcE2l1tYk
