What exactly is a “quest”? In Christopher Booker’s novel, The Seven Basic Plots, the Quest is one of the oldest plots known to man. It follows a hero, searching for a “distant, all-important goal.” The hero embarks on "side-trips" that, throughout the quest, are resolved. The quest does not end, however, until the hero "achieves the overarching goal" (Smith). The quest has seen a variety of different approaches, ranging in style and format. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's first form of epic poetry, follows the quests of Gilgamesh and Enkidu throughout Gilgamesh's kingdom.
from the Epic of Gilgamesh, to the tales of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, to the tales of Harry Potter. The “quest” is still one of the most popular tropes in modern literature. It presents an hero, who, against all the odds, obtains their goal and rises to glory.
Besides King Arthur, however, this trope has made its way into modern literature. The Lord of the Rings follows an epic quest across Middle-Earth, with one goal: to defeat Sauron (Tolkien). Raiders of the Lost Ark follows a modern-day quest to find the Ark of the Covenant (Spielberg). A recent example would be an ongoing series by Maggie Stiefvater entitled The Raven Cycle. The series presents an unlikely hero: Richard Gansey, the teenage son of a Congresswoman, whose life was saved
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by the ancient king Glendower. His quest is simple, if but bizarre: find the king who saved his life, and, in turn, awake him from his eternal slumber (Raven). The quest taken in The Raven Cycle is almost to the book with Booker’s definition. Gansey is pulled towards a distant, almost unattainable goal that takes over his life. His quest to find Glendower leads to numerous dead ends, each more frustrating than the last, as the urgency to find the king grows with every passing day (Blue). Along with his quest, his friends also embark on smaller quests on their journey to find Glendower, all that aid in finding the king. The group decipher ancient languages, discover ethereal realms, restore an archaic pathway, and master the art of dreaming (Dream). All of these quests lead to their final ultimatum: finding Glendower. These quests are undertaken by an unusual group of teenagers: Gansey’s best friend Ronan, an adrenaline junkie who can also understand the archaic language of the trees; Ronan’s friend Adam, a car mechanic who fixed the pathway to Glendower; Noah, a ghost who exists because of the pathway’s energy and provides knowledge to the group; and Blue, the daughter of a psychic, who foresaw Gansey’s death. The group faces a perplexing group of adversaries as well: an old Latin teacher, Blue’s aunt, a hit man, and a deranged collector. Together, however, the group overcomes each adversity, bringing them one step closer to completing their quest. There is an issue with this quest, and it is this: it has yet to be finished.
The series concludes with the final book in April of 2016, so the results of the quest are uncertain. There are, however, several concrete events that will take place: the quest will permanently end; Glendower will be found, by the group or by an adversary; and Gansey will die, regardless of the circumstances. Other than this, not much else is known. Even though this quest is still, by definition, unfinished, does that imply that it failed? Not necessarily; the quest is much further along than it was at the beginning, so there has been progress - that should not imply
failure. What, exactly, then, defines a quest as successful? Besides the most obvious answer - completing the quest - what makes a quest successful? Is it measured in the progress made throughout the journey, or is the lessons learned from the trials faced during the journey? Is a quest successful if nothing is gained from it, either physically, personally, spiritually, or emotionally? Perhaps there is another, unspoken addition to the definition of a quest, something that occurs in the characters that leaves them changed in some way or form, either good or bad. Perhaps this is why the quest seems to still be so popular today. It’s not just the adventure of the trope and the excitement it brings: the trope also brings a sense of reality into a rather unrealistic story. The quest is a struggle that can be related directly the quest of humanity. Regardless of demographics or beliefs, every individual has their own quest set out before them. The universality of the quest is what makes it so successful: it presents a hero who does what everyone dreams of accomplishing - rising to the occasion and obtaining their goal.
This passage solidifies the theory of the Hero’s Journey that much further. Thomas Foster explains that every story is a quest, and every quest structurally consists of the same five things. There’s the quester, the destination, the reason to go, challenges on the trip there, and the real reason for the journey. He also explains there are other components to the quest that every story seems to have. There is the knight, the dangerous road, the “holy grail”, a dragon, an evil knight, and a princess. When one thinks about it, it’s a little hard to agree that every story is the same, but if each story is at it’s bare bones, they can be fairly similar. In Foster’s example story there is the knight, Kip, the dark knight, Tony, the princess, the
In this chapter, a quest is defined to consist of five main elements: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a reason and go there. Element (a), the quester, is understood to be embarking on a journey while being with or without the realization that he/she is on a quest. The quester is also often depicted as one of youth because youth is accompanied with inexperience and a lack of self knowledge which allows the ultimate goal of the quest to be fulfilled which is the gating of this knowledge.
Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, conveys, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. In other words, Aristotle states that the gaining of self-knowledge provides an individual with the ability to know one’s personal gifts and accountabilities. To start one’s adult life a person must pursue the journey of self-discovery to learn in depth about their skills and weaknesses. Individuals must find themselves through the limitations and ordeals that they face during their voyage for self-awareness. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River”, the narrator shares his story about self-discovery. O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
Stories with a hero’s journey can serve as an escape from everyday life, which is why these kind of stories are so popular and why they resonate so deeply with readers. In everyday life, people develop routines. The reason readers like these kinds of stories is the same reason why most people go on vacation: to destress, explore, and take a break from these mundane routines. The same goes for books with tales of fantastical lands and mystery. The opportunity to experience a whole new fantasy world with every book is an adventure in itself. Not only do the magical worlds add to the
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a great example of the hero cycle. There are many other stories that follow Joseph Campbell's theory, which is why I agree with him. Being familiar with the hero cycle makes these stories easier to predict and interpret. We can refer to the hero cycle when we want to find out why the hero goes on his journey, what he wants to accomplish, and what good he has done for the rest of his people.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
The American science fiction film ‘Avatar’, directed by James Cameron is about Jake Sully, a paralysed former marine who becomes an avatar to take his place on a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There, he meets the Na’vi people and gets attached to living in harmony with nature, where he must save their land when being attacked by humans. The story line of Avatar follows closely with ‘The Hero’s Journey’ which focuses on how the main character is experiencing a change from his ordinary world, turning into an avatar to explore a new world. Primarily, Avatar captures a call to adventure to begin the hero’s journey. The film also explores a new approach with crossing the first threshold of the hero’s joinery which is conveyed through a range of cinematic techniques. Furthermore, Sully experiences a major ordeal followed by a reward shown in a variety of dramatic shots.
Answer: The five aspects of a quest: a) a quester, b) a place to go, c) a stated reason to go there, d) challenges and trials en route, and e) a real reason to go there. In All the Bright Places, the “wanderings” of Finch and Violet are all quests, but this comparison will focus on their first adventure.
The Spiritual and Moral Journeys in The Quest of the Holy Grail. The Quest of the Holy Grail is an exciting tale that follows the adventures of King Arthur's knights as they scour the countryside for the legendary Holy Grail. Throughout their journeys, the knights engage in many exciting jousts and sword fights with a variety of enemies. The author of The Quest of the Holy Grail intends for the story to be more than just entertainment: the knights' search for the Holy Grail is analogous to the pursuit of morality and spiritual chivalry, showing success through asceticism, confession, chastity, and faith.
Phoenix’s expedition to save her grandson follows the outline, essentially referred to as “The Hero’s Quest”, predicted by Joseph Campbell. Campbell states that the first step into the plot of mythological story entails the reader know of the hero’s original world. Phoenix originates from Old Natchez Trace, the town in which her and her grandson live. Based on the described condition of her grandson, Phoenix’s grandson suffers from asthma. This leads to the second stage of “The Hero’s Quest”, which was known as “The Call”. Upon witnessing her grandson’s severe sickness, Phoenix travels by foot from Old Natchez Trace to the city in order to retrieve medicine for her ill grandson. As a result, stage three of “The Hero’s Quest” ignites. “Refusal
One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...
The authors of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter each use the hero quest pattern as a scheduled backdrop of action. The two protagonists, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter have very similar beginnings. They are introduced as normal boys who find out that they are going to undertake something very great. The two protagonists however, are not alone in their quests. They both have very similar mentors in Gandalf and Dumbledore respectively. Even greater guidance comes from their friends, who are there every step of the way. Each novel uses a reoccurring symbol to show the presence of evil. The two journeys are so epic due in part to the dark and powerful villains that each hero has to battle.
The newfound friends gradually weaken and grow lazy living in the city, so Gilgamesh proposes a great adventure that entails cutting down a great cedar forest to build a great monument to the gods. However to accomplish this they must kill the Guardian of the Cedar Forest, the great demon, Humbaba the Terrible. Enkidu, along with the elders of the city, have serious reservations about such an undertaking but in the end Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the terrible demon.
Hi, I’ve kept a high B average this year in Ms. Booker’s class. Things you do in this class is so new that I didn’t even know half this stuff existed and I’ve always been in all honors classes. She tries her best to make sure everything she tells you are embedded in your brain. That is why she gives you so much work and expects nothing but the best from you. Once you get the hang of it her class isn’t as hard, but as the year goes by she gives you more challenging work.