Archetypal Criticism

   Archetypal Criticism:

➡️Hello learners. I'm a student. I'm writing this blog as a part of thinking activity. Given by Dilip sir Barad. In which I have tried to some answers to intresting questions. Click here.(Teacher's blog). 

Response : 1 : 

1) What is Archetypal Criticism?

➡️ Archetypal criticism is a literary approach that analyses texts though recurring symbols , themes, and character types—known as archetypes—that are believed to be universally present in human culture and literature. It is heavily influenced by Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious and Northrop Frye’s structural approach to myth and literature. This method identifies patterns such as the hero’s journey, the tragic fall, or the mentor figure, arguing that literature taps into deep, universal human experiences.

2) What Do Archetypal Critics Do?

➡️ Archetypal critics examine literary works by:

Identifying recurring themes and symbols (e.g., the flood myth, the dying-and-reviving god).

Recognizing character archetypes (e.g., the hero, the trickster, the wise old man).

Analyzing narrative structures (e.g., the hero’s journey, comedy vs. tragedy).

Exploring how literature connects to myths, folklore, and religious stories across cultures.

Studying how these universal patterns affect a reader’s response and shape literary meaning. 

3) Example of Archetypal Criticism in Practice

➡️ Let’s apply archetypal criticism to Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus:

Faustus as the "Tragic Hero": He embodies the classic archetype of the overreaching individual, much like Icarus in Greek mythology or Lucifer in Christian tradition.

The Faustian Bargain as a Universal Theme: The story echoes other myths of forbidden knowledge, such as Adam and Eve’s fall in Genesis or Prometheus stealing fire from the gods.

Mephistopheles as the "Trickster Figure": He plays the role of the deceiver, offering Faustus power while leading him toward his downfall.

The Journey Toward Damnation: Faustus follows the pattern of the doomed protagonist who seeks knowledge or power beyond human limits, a theme seen in other tragic figures like Macbeth.

By identifying these patterns, an archetypal critic argues that Doctor Faustus is not just a Renaissance play but part of a much larger mythic and psychological tradition, making its themes resonate across cultures and time periods.

Response : 2 :

✡️Characters Animals /insects Colours Seasons and months Birds Places Countries Rivers and lakes Flowers Language Objects Others

Sibyl Dog Red Autumn Nightingale The West Land England Thames Liacs English The Tarot Cards Himalaya

Tiresias Dolphine Brown Summer Swallow The Medititerrane Germany Ganga Hyacinth Sanskrit The Wheel Dust Madam Sosotris Bats Orange Winter Crow Lady's chamber Italy Lake Lemans Rose Latine The Unreal City Rock

The fFsher King Rats Green Spring Cockerel Coffee shop India Starnbergersee Magnolias Greek Jar Hyacinth Garden Marie Spider Golden April Vulture London bridge France Nail Violets French Glass Thunder Hyacinth Girl Cricket White May Bat Jerusalem Euphrates Daffodils Italian Chair Music

Typist Horse Violet December Seagull Athens Rhine river German Windows Fire Clerk Fish Black Phoenix Alexandria Hebrew Stumps Cicada

Lill Wolf Yellow Swan Vienna Cadle Flames

Albert Vulture Silver Highbury Chessboard

King Terues Snake Margate Sands Belladonna

Philomela Carb Desert Rocks

Procne Burial ground Thunder George Water

Budhdha The Fisher King’s Wound Mr.Porter Handful of Dust Mr.Eugenides Golden Cupid Nyphs

Phlebas

The Sailor

Tarot Cards

Poet Woman

Stetson

TheThames daughter

The Hanged man

• Examine seasonal imagery (e.g., Spring, Winter, April) and its connection to renewal and decay.
• Analyze archetypal figures (e.g., The Fisher King, Tiresias, The Hanged Man) and their mythological significance.
• Discuss symbolic places (e.g., The Unreal City, Burial Ground) and their thematic role in the poem’s critique of modernity.

✡️Literary allusions or references Mythica Allusions Hamlet Greek Mythology The Tempest Christian Mythology Anthony and Cleopatra Hindu Mythology The Divine comedy - Dante Budhdhist Mythology The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer Arthurian Mythology Coriolanus The Ganga River The Bible Myth of Sybil Baudelaire – Les Fleurs du Mal Celtic Mythology Budhha's sermons Apollo Spencer's Prothalamion Red rock John Donne’s Sermon The Thames-Daughters and the Rhine Maidens James Joyce’s Ulysses The Myth of Narcissus and Echo Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy The Bacchantes and Dionysian Rituals : Greek mythology

➡️ Literary Allusions

1. Shakespearean References

Hamlet (e.g., "Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies")

The Tempest (e.g., "Those are pearls that were his eyes")

Antony and Cleopatra

Coriolanus

2. Medieval & Renaissance Literature

The Divine Comedy – Dante (e.g., Inferno’s depiction of the afterlife)

The Canterbury Tales – Chaucer (e.g., The Wife of Bath’s Tale)

Edmund Spenser’s Prothalamion

3. Christian & Biblical References

The Bible (e.g., "By the waters of Leman I sat down and wept")

John Donne’s Sermons (echoing themes of decay and spiritual struggle)

4. Modernist & Other Literary References

Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal (e.g., urban decay, modern alienation)

James Joyce’s Ulysses (modern parallels to Homer’s Odyssey)

Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (revenge and madness themes)

Mythical Allusions

1. Greek & Roman Mythology

The Myth of Sybil (prophetic figure, eternal but withering life)

Apollo (god of prophecy, poetry, and light)

The Myth of Narcissus and Echo (reflecting themes of self-obsession and loss)

The Bacchantes and Dionysian Rituals (chaos, ecstasy, and destruction)

2. Christian & Arthurian Mythology

Arthurian Mythology (e.g., The Fisher King’s wound and the Grail quest)

Celtic Mythology (ancient traditions of mysticism and rebirth)

3. Eastern & Hindu-Buddhist Mythology

Buddha’s Sermons (themes of suffering, detachment, and enlightenment)

Hindu Mythology (e.g., the Ganga River, sacred purification)

4. Symbolic & Allegorical Mythology

The Red Rock (possibly an allusion to Exodus or a place of refuge)

The Thames-Daughters and the Rhine Maidens (parallels to Götterdämmerung, Wagner’s operatic myth)

This list highlights Eliot’s vast intertextuality, blending Western and Eastern traditions to construct a vision of cultural and spiritual fragmentation. Would you like to delve into specific references and how they function within The Waste Land?

✡️ SEXUAL PERVERSION SPIRITUAL DEGRADATION Isolde : hyacinth Girl Unreal City : London Bridge Marie In the Mountains Landscape Scene Carving Of Nightingale Death by Water Madam Sosostris - tarot cards , hanged Dilogure and Monalogue between two person Xylograph in Lady's Chamber Fire Sermon Scene in Coffeee Shope : Lil & Her Husbund What The Thunder Said Song of Nightingale Dry grass Religious Imagery Water Symbolism

➡️ Sexual Perversion & Spiritual Degradation in The Waste Land

1. Sexual Perversion (Decay of Love, Lust, and Relationships)

Isolde & The Hyacinth Girl – A reference to Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), symbolizing doomed, obsessive love. The Hyacinth Girl evokes a fleeting, sensual experience that leaves the speaker spiritually barren.

Marie in the Mountains – Suggests nostalgia and lost innocence, a contrast to later corrupt relationships.

Carving of the Nightingale – Links to the Philomela myth (rape, mutilation, and transformation into a bird), emphasizing violation and trauma.

Madam Sosostris & Tarot Cards – A fortune-teller predicting fate, possibly reflecting a sense of helplessness in human desire.

The Scene in the Coffee Shop: Lil & Her Husband – A conversation about Lil’s failing marriage due to an illegal abortion, showing emotional emptiness in relationships.

Fire Sermon – Named after Buddha’s sermon renouncing desire, but ironically describes sexual encounters devoid of passion, particularly the scene with the Typist and Clerk.

2. Spiritual Degradation (Loss of Faith, Morality, and Meaning)

Unreal City: London Bridge – Represents modern urban decay and soulless existence, echoing Dante’s Inferno.

Landscape Scene – Possibly refers to the barren wasteland, symbolizing spiritual emptiness.

Death by Water – Phlebas the Phoenician, once a symbol of wealth and desire, is now reduced to nothingness, reinforcing the futility of materialism.

Dialogue & Monologue Between Two Persons – Reflects fragmented communication and the impossibility of genuine connection.

Xylograph in Lady’s Chamber – Possibly a reference to artistic depictions of fallen women or sexual corruption.

What the Thunder Said – Suggests spiritual renewal after destruction, drawing from Hindu and Christian religious imagery.

3. Religious Imagery (Contrasts Between Sacred and Profane)

Fire Sermon – A Buddhist rejection of desire, contrasted with scenes of lust and apathy.

Song of the Nightingale – Echoes Philomela’s tragic story, representing suffering and lost purity.

Dry Grass – Biblical imagery (Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones), signifying spiritual desolation.

4. Water Symbolism (Destruction vs. Renewal)

Water as Death – “Death by Water” shows drowning as a metaphor for loss and destruction.

Water as Purification – Ganga and the rain in What the Thunder Said offer hope for renewal and rebirth.

Conclusion: 

Eliot intertwines sexual decay with spiritual emptiness, showing how modern relationships, desire, and faith have lost their depth. He contrasts these with religious and mythic imagery, offering a fragmented but powerful critique of a world in crisis.

Thank you... !!! 

Be learners.