After years of travail and set back, the brave wanderer at last finally reaches his oft elusive goal. Hurrah!
Having heard of the seven great story archetypes of Western fiction at University I have never quite got around to discovering what they are or who wrote them. It would seem that every time I was reminded that there existed such an attempt at categorisation, I was miles away from the internet, an encyclopaedia in human, web or book form, or a notepad on which I could remind myself. But at last my quest (or is it a journey) is over. I have reached the ‘Holy Grail’ as it were (oh it is definitely a quest) thanks to Robert McCrum of the Observer for giving me a quick rundown of Christopher Booker’s half-lifetime of research:
1996 the power of sex mp3 download
“These are: overcoming the monster (Beowulf/Jaws); rags to riches (Cinderella); the quest (Lord of the Rings); voyage (The Odyssey); comedy (Pride and Prejudice); tragedy (King Lear); and rebirth (A Christmas Carol). An astonishingly high proportion of European classics can be slotted into Booker’s categories. He should be appointed emeritus professor of Future Storytelling.”1