Tragedy Archetype- the Stranger
The Tragedy Archetype: The Rebirth Within
Prim Lerthirunvibul Y10D (Blue)
The seven archetypes is a theory in which there are seven ways of story-telling namely Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy, Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches and Tragedy. The Tragedy archetype is one of the seven archetypes used in story-telling mentioned by Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots. This archetype is known to expect a specific reaction from the readers often using grief, destruction and death. As the archetype manifests itself through time, there are many ways authors have interpreted the archetype through their stories. An element in the archetype that can be carefully observed is the notion of Rebirth where the main character eventually comprehends their misinterpretation of the world and their blunders which had caused their destruction, typically hubris. This suggests that there is a part of the Rebirth archetype in the Tragedy archetype. The question is, is tragedy a type of the rebirth archetype? The absurdist novel entitled The Stranger (The Outsider), also known as L’Étranger by Albert Camus clearly portrays the rebirth in the story but is still engulfed by the tragedy concepts seen in many literature examples.
“Once you’re up against it, the precise manner of your death has obviously small importance” (Camus, 71). The Stranger, written by Albert Camus is a tragedy book based on the story plot of a man named Meursault who is a psychologically and socially detached individual. He is also known to be amoral, not caring or knowing what is right or wrong and sees feelings in a physical sense. In one scene of the book, his mother had passed away and instead of grieving, he impassively looks at his mother’s grave and refuses the re-opening of the casket, which surprises many. He is also not responsive to human emotions such as desires and love. When the prospect of marriage was mentioned by his recent lover, Marie Cardona, he responds with “If she was keen
Prim Lerthirunvibul Y10D (Blue)
The seven archetypes is a theory in which there are seven ways of story-telling namely Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy, Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches and Tragedy. The Tragedy archetype is one of the seven archetypes used in story-telling mentioned by Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots. This archetype is known to expect a specific reaction from the readers often using grief, destruction and death. As the archetype manifests itself through time, there are many ways authors have interpreted the archetype through their stories. An element in the archetype that can be carefully observed is the notion of Rebirth where the main character eventually comprehends their misinterpretation of the world and their blunders which had caused their destruction, typically hubris. This suggests that there is a part of the Rebirth archetype in the Tragedy archetype. The question is, is tragedy a type of the rebirth archetype? The absurdist novel entitled The Stranger (The Outsider), also known as L’Étranger by Albert Camus clearly portrays the rebirth in the story but is still engulfed by the tragedy concepts seen in many literature examples.
“Once you’re up against it, the precise manner of your death has obviously small importance” (Camus, 71). The Stranger, written by Albert Camus is a tragedy book based on the story plot of a man named Meursault who is a psychologically and socially detached individual. He is also known to be amoral, not caring or knowing what is right or wrong and sees feelings in a physical sense. In one scene of the book, his mother had passed away and instead of grieving, he impassively looks at his mother’s grave and refuses the re-opening of the casket, which surprises many. He is also not responsive to human emotions such as desires and love. When the prospect of marriage was mentioned by his recent lover, Marie Cardona, he responds with “If she was keen
Citations: Innovateus. "What Is Hamartia in Greek Tragedy?" What Is Hamartia in Greek Tragedy?Innovateus, 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2013. Booker, Christopher. "Chapter 9: Tragedy." The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. London: Continuum, 2004. N. pag. Print. Booker, Christopher. "Chapter 11: Rebirth." The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. London: Continuum, 2004. N. pag. Print. "The Stranger." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.