Archetypes and Parallels in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini Bachelor’S Diploma Thesis

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Jan Talpa Archetypes and Parallels in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D. 2016 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature 2 Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Mr. Hanzálek for his patience, and my family for their constant and unyielding support. 3 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.0. Definition of Archetype ...................................................................................................... 6 1.1. The Hero Archetype ........................................................................................................ 8 The Usage of the Hero Archetype ...................................................................................... 9 1.2. The Wise Old Man Archetype ...................................................................................... 11 The Usage of the Wise Old Man Archetype..................................................................... 13 1.3. The Shadow Archetype ................................................................................................. 15 The Usage of the Shadow Archetype ............................................................................... 16 2.0. The Parallels of Archetype Development in The Inheritance cycle ................................. 19 2.1. The Hero of The Inheritance Cycle and his Journey ..................................................... 19 The Hero of Star Wars and his Journey ............................................................................ 22 The Hero Parallels in The Inheritance Cycle and Star Wars ............................................ 25 2.2. The Wise Old Man in The Inheritance Cycle ............................................................... 27 The Wise Old Man in Star Wars ...................................................................................... 28 The Wise Old Man Parallels in The Inheritance Cycle and Star Wars ............................ 29 2.3. The Shadow in Star Wars .............................................................................................. 30 The Shadow in The Inheritance Cycle ............................................................................. 31 The Shadow Parallels in The Inheritance Cycle and Star Wars ....................................... 32 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 35 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................. 36 Résumé in English ................................................................................................................... 38 Résumé česky........................................................................................................................... 39 4 Introduction This BA thesis explores The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini in terms of Carl Gustav Jung's theory of archetypes and collective unconscious, which was also discussed by Joseph Campbell, Andrew Samuels and many other scholarly figures. Chapter 1 will offer a brief overview of key concepts such as “archetype”, the specific names and roles of three of those and depict how they function in a few iconic stories to demonstrate the diversity of usage as well as to reinforce the understanding of those concepts. The first archetype discussed in this work is the one around which the story revolves, the hero. There is also some time devoted to the hero's journey, which is its inseparable part as it partakes in hero's creation. The second is the old wise man archetype, an essential guide and mentor to the hero. The third archetype is the shadow, a constant inner enemy to the hero. What will mainly be addressed in Chapter 2 of the thesis is the usage of archetypes in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and its vast similarities to that in the original Star Wars trilogy. One by one, I analyze each of the chosen three archetypes and how they are developed in The Inheritance Cycle, then how they work in the original Star Wars. Chapter 2 is less general and focuses much more on the specifics of character development, plot and story twists. The final part of each subchapter compares the respective archetypes of the two stories and attempts to demonstrate how each of them develops in the same way and meets the same challenges and fates. Since many of the concepts may be difficult to grasp to any who have not specifically studied the works of Jung, Freud or Campbell, I shall begin my analysis with a brief explanation of the key concepts and their applicability to my subject. 5 1.0. Definition of Archetype Carl Gustaf Jung was a Swiss psychologist and one on of the most influential figures in his field, where his theories are recognized and worked with to this day. Jung dismissed the tabula rasa theory of human psychological development, thinking instead that evolutionary pressures have individual predestinations given shape in archetypes. At first, Jung used the term “primordial images” or “patterns of functioning” to refer to what he later labelled “archetypes”. Jung's archetypes were founded on Immanuel Kant's categories, Plato's Ideas, and Arthur Schopenhauer's prototypes. (Samuels 2-4) For Jung, “the archetype is the introspectively recognizable form of a priori psychic orderedness” (Jung, Synchronicity 140). Archetypes may be thought of as an empty canvases in our subconscious that do, however, give shape to the final product. As he describes in the 300th paragraph of his book Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, “These images must be thought of as lacking in solid content, hence as unconscious. They only obtain solidity, influence, and eventual consciousness in the encounter with empirical facts.” The archetypes shape a preconceived and dynamic substratum shared by all humanity, on which is built the foundation of every life experience, each individual giving them color with his unique personality, events and traits. Thus, despite the fact that the archetypes themselves may be conceived of as a relatively few intrinsic amorphous forms, from those may arise innumerable forms, metaphoric symbols and patterns of behavior. Although the emerging images and shapes are perceived consciously, the archetypes which permeate them are elementary structures which are inherently unconscious and impossible to perceive. Jung once compared the form of the archetype to the axial system of a crystal, which gives shape to the crystalline structure of the mother liquid, despite it lacking material 6 existence of its own. This first looks in accordance to the unique and specific way in which the atoms and molecules aggregate (The Archetypes 393). In one of his many other attempts to describe archetype, Jung says that The archetype in itself is empty and purely formal: a possibility of representation which is given a priori. The representations themselves are not inherited, only the forms, and in that respect they correspond to the instincts. The existence of the instincts can no more be proved than the existence of the archetypes, so long as they do not manifest themselves concretely. (The Collected Works 13-14) According to Jung, “there are as many archetypes as there are typical situations in life” (The Archetypes 48). They are complex and interrelated. To try to create an elaborate study and interpretation of every archetype would go beyond the research field as well as the intended purpose of the thesis. My discussion of the usage of archetypes in The Inheritance Cycle and how it parallels mainly that in the Star Wars movies in terms of how they are developed is concerned with a specific few of those. Therefore, in the next few pages, the chosen few of those archetypes that seem most pertinent to my subject are defined and elaborated on. These few were chosen on the basis of being most often encountered in the study and interpretation of epics and myths. While I do not wish to argue that The Inheritance Cycle and Star Wars movies are myths by definition, Jung and Campbell argue that myths are a constant and the function of myths and mythic equivalents is as relevant and necessary for the modern human psyche as it was when what we call “ancient” myth was created and that the human psyche actively searches for and creates new myths. From this perspective, every story in history contains some traces and equivalents of those ancient myths. 7 1.1. The Hero Archetype The archetypal hero appears in all myths, religions and epics of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious, a psychological wholeness beyond that which the rational consciousness can attain on its own (Jung, The Archetypes 172). All archetypal heroes share certain characteristics. The fact has only come to light this century, after people like Joseph Campbell began comparing mythologies of the world. According to Campbell, the journey of an archetypal hero begins with someone from whom something had been taken, or who feels there’s something lacking in the normal experiences available or permitted to the members of his society.

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