From Lit to Life: An Archetypal Journey

A mythological approach to literature attempts to identify the archetypal patterns in a work that elicit innate and dramatic human reactions. If a perspective such as this can be applied to literature, it could also be applied to other things, like teenage life.

It’s actually surprising that I haven’t already blogged about the college admission process. It seems to be the encompassing obsession of all high school upperclassmen and I thought it might be interesting to examine this critical period in the modern teen’s life through a literary perspective.

We begin with the student, the hero in our college quest. As explained in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, a hero typically “undertakes some long journey during which he or she must perform impossible tasks, battle with monsters, solve unanswerable riddles, and overcome insurmountable obstacles”. It may sound a little farfetched, but figuratively, a lot of this parallels the college admission process pretty eerily.

Impossible tasks: navigate the CommonApp, hunt down teachers for recommendations, visit schools all over the country

Battle with monsters: I’d definitely say that some interviewers are as intimidating as monsters (or we make them out to be mentally, at least)

Unanswerable riddles: What does an “optional” essay mean? Do I have to do it or not?

Insurmountable obstacles: After all of this, which school do I choose??

Fortunately, we usually have someone who satisfies the “Wise Old Man” archetype, first documented by psychologist Carl Jung. This person may be a guidance counselor, parent or teacher (or as in my case, some combination of the three).

Maybe our lives do follow certain mythological patterns, or maybe we’re just predisposed to see them, similar to the “wooden hawk” example described by mythologist Joseph Campbell. Either way, I think there’s something comforting in knowing that your journey ends by “saving the kingdom”, or in our case, going to the school where we’re meant to attend.

Myth for the Modern Mind

I am a pretty big theatre aficionado. When I discovered two of my camp friends were in Deerfield High School’s fall play, I jumped at the chance to see it. I knew absolutely nothing about the show itself, and I walked out of the theatre in awe. The play, Metamorphoses, brought ancient Greek and Roman mythology to life in a way I had never seen before. It was composed of a series of vignettes that each told a myth. Yet they weren’t stuffy, dry, or overly narrative; the script had modern twists and put a fresh perspective on the archaic tales. I couldn’t stop raving about the show to my friends and thinking about it in my free time.

I was surprised by how much I connected with the stories of young love, betrayal, and loss; seeing the raw emotions live on stage was breathtaking. I especially loved the gritty, tragic tale of Erysichthon and the love story of Eros and Psyche. It kindled my interest in ancient myth, as well as how teens relate to narratives as they try to compose their own. At the start of the year, we focused on personal myths and narrative, and this show struck me as an amazing (almost destined?) vehicle to connect adolescent life with the myths of our past. Why do we still retell the stories that have been scientifically proven as outdated? And how can this help us shape our lives today?

I asked my friend, Nathan, a senior, to elaborate on his experience in the show, and his answers were extremely enlightening to me. He explained to me that, “being in Metamorphoses made [the cast] more aware of the importance of oral tradition and history… When I see these stories come up again in my lifetime, which I am sure they will, I will know the connection that they have to everyday life”. This reminded me of a concept we discussed in class, hearing “bells”, or noticing important characters from classic literature (such as the Bible or myths) in other literature to understand the material thoroughly.

Being in the play showed the adolescent cast how powerful and relevant ancient myths can be. He said, “The audiences were moved... people would not have felt connected if they did not sympathize with the characters and find similar events in their own lives. As much as mythology is ancient, it is also contemporary and captures the imagination with its beauty and elegance in storytelling.” After seeing the show for myself, I couldn‘t agree more.

By studying these stories, we can learn to tell our own stories more effectively. Not everyone can see something like Metamorphoses, but myths should still be more widely taught in a more relevant way. A book published last year, Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths in Today's World, is specifically written to be used in high school humanities courses in order to engage students in mythology. This seems like it would be a great source for teachers use at the start of a class to instill “bells” and exemplify writing that has lasted centuries.