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Archetypes are widely recognized and used character types in literature, often originating from ancient mythology and folklore. They can be based on real people or purely fictional, and their use in literature can have various effects. While it may be difficult to break away from archetypes, skilled writers can introduce unique traits to challenge conventional ideas.
“Archetype” is a broad term used to describe any widely recognized and used character, personality, symbol, or other literary device. In literature the term almost always refers to a generic character personality type that appears in many literary works. The “mad scientist,” for example, is a character archetype because he is almost universally recognized and widely used. The term may, alternatively, be used to refer to the original use of an oft-reused character or personality type. Archetypes are used in a variety of types of literature, but most are thought to originate in ancient mythology and folklore.
It is important to note that the term “archetype” can refer both to the original model upon which subsequent characters and fonts are based, and to the generic typeface used repeatedly in the literature. The first use of mad scientist in literature was an archetype, as was every single subsequent use of that font. A font used only once and never imitated, however, would not be considered an archetypal character. However, it’s quite rare for characters to be completely and utterly out of any previously known or used character archetype.
There are countless different archetypes used in the literature, some of which are based on classifications commonly applied to real people while others may never or only rarely exist in the real world. Common archetypes, for example, include the brooding hero, the brave young man, the prankster, and the wise old mentor. Each of these, while not necessarily common, can be related with little difficulty to real people. An archetype such as the wizard or evil lord may be more difficult to connect to reality, although connections can still be made at times. However, an archetype without a solid basis in reality tends to lose none of its effectiveness, as the prevalence of such archetypes makes them seem perfectly acceptable to readers.
The use of an archetype in literature can have a variety of different effects. When a character is revealed to fit a given archetype, the reader may be forced to assume that every aspect of the character’s personality is based on the archetypal character. Because of this, a writer may find it difficult to break away from the archetype and create a truly original character. Alternatively, a skilled writer may be able to introduce character and personality traits that force the reader to reevaluate conventional ideas of particular archetypes.
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