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Northrop Frye's Archetype of Literature

1)  What is Archetype Criticism? What does the archetypal critic do?

  • In literary criticism the term archetype denotes recurrent designs, pattern of action, character type, themes and images which are identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as in myths, dreams and even social rituals. The Archetypal critic tries to find this pattern, symbol and myth in present literary work.

2) What is Frye trying prove by giving an analogy of 'physics to Nature' and 'criticism to Literature'?


  • Frye compares the physics to nature by say that criticism as a science and Literature is subject  of science. He also say that , physics is an organized body of knowledge about nature "criticism to Literature" physics is a systematic and organized study of Nature.
  •  He denotes spring to comedy because comedy is a birth, reveal and recognition for hero and spring season is also a kind of birth of a new season.


  •  He compare summer to the romance because in summer we can see culmination of life and in romance we can see sort of triumph, usually in the form of marriage.

  • Winter season denotes satire because of its darkness, like satire winter consider as a dark season for European people.

  •  Autumn season denotes tragedy, as it reflects the dying stage of life, in this season all the leaves of the tree fallen down and tree becomes lifeless.


3) Share your views of criticism as an organised body of knowledge. Mention relation of literature with history and philosophy.

  • Literature is the central division of Humanities. Historical sense and philosophy are about morality, ethics and all these things are required when we study literature. Philosophy is about existence and it progressively moves on, its ideas never stopped. Northrop Frye says that without reasoning and thinking to jump on any type of conclusion is not valid process. We have to look upon the framework of history which is based on evidence. History is never written without evidence. Every ideas have a framework and how it grows is important to understand.

4) Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Digger's scene.

  • Inductive method signifies a journey from specific to general. As we read some specific literary work and comes to a general conclusion, in this way we extend from specific outcome to general outcome.

                 The best example of this method is grave digging scene from Hamlet, it is a specific scene and from that scene we come to know some general conclusion. In that scene there were two grave diggers and they seemed in quite in harmony with their work. They were talking with one another and singing a song during the time of grave digging. They were also mocking on dead Ophelia and commented that whether she allowed to buried or not. Here we can see that they have no grief for deadly one. It was their work and that's why they were habituated with it. It became their general work so they have no emotion for dead one.

5) Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to Music, Painting, rhythm and pattern. Give examples of the outcome of deductive method.


  • Deductive method is journey from general to specific. In music we can understand rhythm of it where as in painting we can find pattern or colors; but by listening some of the lines from everything but by a looking at painting we can get idea of it's pattern. 

6) Refer to the Indian seasonal grid (below). If you can, please read small Gujarati or Hindi or English poem from the archetypal approach and apply Indian seasonal grid in the interpretation.


Spring
            The  fields are rich with daffodils,
             A coat of clover cloaks the hills,
            And I must dance, and I must sing
            To see the beauty of the spring.

Summer
             The earth is warm, the sun's ablaze
              It is a time of carefree days;
              And bees abuzz that chance to pass
              May see me snoozing in the grass.

Fall
            The leaves are yellow, red, and brown,
             A shower sprinkles softly down;
             The air is fragrant, crisp, and cool,
             And once again I'm stuck in school.

Winter
            The birds are gone, the world is white,
            The winds are wild, they chill and bite;
            The ground is thick with slush and sleet, 
             And I can barely feel my feet.


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