Eight Female Archetypes - Part III

Using the excellent book: "Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes," by Caro LeFever, Tami Cowden and Sue Viders, today’s topic is female archetypes.

Why did I write about the 8 male archetypes first? As a female reader, I’m drawn to a certain type of hero, the hero I dream about. Well, we all need a hero but we need a heroine, too.

If the heroine is not fully developed, no matter how much I love the hero, the book isn’t a keeper. And nailing the female archetype is crucial when writing in first person.

It seems to me that many historical romances from the 1970’s featured The Waif, too often portrayed as TSL - too stupid to live. Characterization and archetype is not fully developed for the TSL heroine.
This damsel in distress is a strong woman. She endures the hardship of her circumstance.

I find The Spunky Kid and The Crusader easier to write. A valuable exercise would be to write out of your archetypal comfort zone. My most recent short story features The Free Spirit, not a natural choice for me. Writing about this archetype forced me to focus on characterization and motivation.

Which female archetype is the most difficult for you to write? Which heroine do you prefer to read, and why?

The Answer and Jungian Archetypes

Here is the answer from last weeks match game.

Jenn got them all right!

L.A. picked Sawyer as the Bad Boy for extra credit.

Wade (Christian Bale) from 3:10 to Yuma - the Warrior.

George Clooney's character in O' Brother Where Art Thou was a toughie. The Charmer, a charismatic smooth talker.

Again, these 8 male archetypes are from "Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes," by Caro LeFever, Tami Cowden and Sue Viders .

As writers we can use the universal theme of archetypes. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung submitted that archetypes were part of a collective unconscious. He believed archetypes were primordial or ingrained in our understanding and universal. His two primary categories of archetypes are characters and situations/symbols.

Characters:

1. The Hero
2. The Outcast
3. The Scapegoat
4. The Star-crossed Lovers
5. The Shrew
   

Situations/symbols:

1. The Task
2. The Quest
3. The Loss of Innocence
4. The Initiation
5. Water – A better term might be Rebirth. Jung believed Water is a symbol of rebirth of life.

Archetypal analysis is a form of literary analysis. Readers will recognize and respond to the universal ideas, patterns and symbols.

We still have the Eight Female Archetypes and the sixteen Villain Archetypes from "Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes," Volger's archetypes and The Hero's Journey.

Same Sparkle Day. Stay Tuned.