You can write on a wall with a fish heart, it's because of the phosphorus. They eat it. There are shacks like that down along the river. I am writing this to be as wrong as possible to you. Replace the door when you leave, it says. Now you tell me how wrong that is, how long it glows. Tell me.
Your recent posts have been absurdly salient to where I'm at right now. Regardless of whether this continues or diverges, please keep going!
On the topic of this post, I would love to know if you can point to any sources on other story structures beyond the hero's journey. Particularly any connected to early adulthood, by these definitions. I was trying to find material on alternative structures a few months ago, but most of what I could find was thinly disguised versions of the hero's journey.
I’m glad it’s resonating lately! There’s been a lot that wants to be said.
I have a lot to say about other story structures, but a lot of it is half-formed and long-winded. Short version is: 1) there are some Jungians who discuss stuff in this area, it’s worth trawling Amazon for titles that sound interesting in that direction, and 2) I’m still gestating some ideas in the area of this thread: https://x.com/the_wilderless/status/1648390849686806541?s=46&t=vsYWBH7IxHnPLOR5zAZ1ow
This might be the most important essay I've read in 2024 so far.
I think it perfectly explains several things I find annoying about Western culture at the moment, and why adulthood itself has become pathologized in the Millennial/Gen Z sense of humor, and why so few people genuinely seem like adults now. And you explain it in a way that makes me realize they're all the same problem.
The link below is to their online classes in three alternate narrative structures: braid, palimpsest, and triptych. If you follow the links, they give a nice description of each one.
Hey I’m just seeing your work for the first time and it seems more appropriate than ever. The nuance I’d like to point out is that the objection seems to be more about how the hero’s journey is represented in our culture, than a problem with the journey itself. Not to mention how entertainment caters to a specific demographic that actually consume mass amounts of media versus those of us who move onto more “real” things in adulthood like politics, raising a family, advancing in career, etc. But the journey at every stage of the microcosm within the macro is still the same- a thesis, antithesis, synthesis, where every synthesis is a new thesis and the story repeats. Your life, my life, everyone’s lives, or perhaps all of the stories of our lives, are no different. It’s always happening, whether you’re perceiving the growth or not. Over a lifetime, it’ll be obvious.
This is wonderful, and the point you are making I agree with completely. I would make a slight adjustment, though. I think the problem is not the hero’s journey, as such, but the current tropic expression of the hero’s journey, for the hero’s journey is both a psychological story of the passage from adolescence to adulthood, but also a spiritual story of the journey of the soul to God or if you prefer to not use western mystical language, the journey of the innermost self to the ultimate ideal/being. This is emphasized by the Lord of the Rings, for instance, not actually being as simple as portrayed, although the movies do cut out the important nuance that would serve as counterpoints. But I agree, the thing that is lacking is real death, for “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground *and dies* it remains but a single grain, but if it dies, it will bear much fruit.” We refuse to allow any part of ourself to die, and so we rot into sterility.
<i>Yeah, I cried. My buddy next to me cried. I heard someone in the back of the theater choke out a sob. For whatever reason, the scene worked. It invited all of us into the intermingled grief and acceptance of the moment. (And then the heroes were rescued by "the claaaawwww," because of course they were it's a kids movie for god's sake.)</i>
I keep thinking about how disneyfying children's stories probably shares some of the blame for this - were there more developed adults in the times and places where fairy tales were more brutal? I wonder
I'm curious for examples/ideas for mythic story structure at that next stage, from Early Adulthood -> Late Adulthood. I'm currently writing a sci-fi book, and am finding it quite compelling to consider that the arc may be more appropriately one-step-up on the maturation ladder, and therefore not benefit from the Hero's Journey arc.
Your recent posts have been absurdly salient to where I'm at right now. Regardless of whether this continues or diverges, please keep going!
On the topic of this post, I would love to know if you can point to any sources on other story structures beyond the hero's journey. Particularly any connected to early adulthood, by these definitions. I was trying to find material on alternative structures a few months ago, but most of what I could find was thinly disguised versions of the hero's journey.
I’m glad it’s resonating lately! There’s been a lot that wants to be said.
I have a lot to say about other story structures, but a lot of it is half-formed and long-winded. Short version is: 1) there are some Jungians who discuss stuff in this area, it’s worth trawling Amazon for titles that sound interesting in that direction, and 2) I’m still gestating some ideas in the area of this thread: https://x.com/the_wilderless/status/1648390849686806541?s=46&t=vsYWBH7IxHnPLOR5zAZ1ow
This might be the most important essay I've read in 2024 so far.
I think it perfectly explains several things I find annoying about Western culture at the moment, and why adulthood itself has become pathologized in the Millennial/Gen Z sense of humor, and why so few people genuinely seem like adults now. And you explain it in a way that makes me realize they're all the same problem.
Kudos to you, this is a great essay.
I wonder if some of these new myths might be found in A Thousand and One Nights, a book of magic?
Wanted to share a couple of things that I found really helpful when considering alternatives to the Hero's Journey:
* Maureen Murdock's Heroine's Journey Arc (https://heroinejourneys.com/heroines-journey/)
* The great work of the folks at Corporeal Writing. (https://www.corporealwriting.com/)
The link below is to their online classes in three alternate narrative structures: braid, palimpsest, and triptych. If you follow the links, they give a nice description of each one.
https://www.corporealwriting.com/current-offerings-sign-up?category=Introvert
Hey I’m just seeing your work for the first time and it seems more appropriate than ever. The nuance I’d like to point out is that the objection seems to be more about how the hero’s journey is represented in our culture, than a problem with the journey itself. Not to mention how entertainment caters to a specific demographic that actually consume mass amounts of media versus those of us who move onto more “real” things in adulthood like politics, raising a family, advancing in career, etc. But the journey at every stage of the microcosm within the macro is still the same- a thesis, antithesis, synthesis, where every synthesis is a new thesis and the story repeats. Your life, my life, everyone’s lives, or perhaps all of the stories of our lives, are no different. It’s always happening, whether you’re perceiving the growth or not. Over a lifetime, it’ll be obvious.
This is wonderful, and the point you are making I agree with completely. I would make a slight adjustment, though. I think the problem is not the hero’s journey, as such, but the current tropic expression of the hero’s journey, for the hero’s journey is both a psychological story of the passage from adolescence to adulthood, but also a spiritual story of the journey of the soul to God or if you prefer to not use western mystical language, the journey of the innermost self to the ultimate ideal/being. This is emphasized by the Lord of the Rings, for instance, not actually being as simple as portrayed, although the movies do cut out the important nuance that would serve as counterpoints. But I agree, the thing that is lacking is real death, for “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground *and dies* it remains but a single grain, but if it dies, it will bear much fruit.” We refuse to allow any part of ourself to die, and so we rot into sterility.
Insightful post, thanks!
Sharing a recent essay by Bill Plotkin on this theme: Who’s Up for Building a Cathedral? Ecocentric Human Development, the Hero’s Journey, and Cultural Regeneration - https://www.animas.org/whos-up-for-building-a-cathedral-ecocentric-human-development-the-heros-journey-and-cultural-regeneration/
Ooh, thanks for the heads up, I'm gonna check that out
> A story about mentoring youths who are going on their own journeys doesn't actually fit the structure either
It’s a huge part of the entire hero’s journey…
And I don’t even care for the hero’s journey
it runs parallel, but we only see it from the outside. in the hero's journey, we see the mentor and learn from them... but it's not the mentor's story
Hence it fitting the structure, just not as the protagonist.
This is an absolutely stellar read and definitely on my mind lately, so grateful to you for these insights. Hoping to find new stories.
<i>Yeah, I cried. My buddy next to me cried. I heard someone in the back of the theater choke out a sob. For whatever reason, the scene worked. It invited all of us into the intermingled grief and acceptance of the moment. (And then the heroes were rescued by "the claaaawwww," because of course they were it's a kids movie for god's sake.)</i>
I keep thinking about how disneyfying children's stories probably shares some of the blame for this - were there more developed adults in the times and places where fairy tales were more brutal? I wonder
raul ruiz poetics of cinema
What’s the most compelling alternative/adulthood myths you’ve found? Particularly in pop culture
Hello fellow heroes
yet another banger
This is so good and so timely and, wow! Thank you!
I'm curious for examples/ideas for mythic story structure at that next stage, from Early Adulthood -> Late Adulthood. I'm currently writing a sci-fi book, and am finding it quite compelling to consider that the arc may be more appropriately one-step-up on the maturation ladder, and therefore not benefit from the Hero's Journey arc.
Lois McMaster Bujold's "Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls" are a couple of really good examples of an adulthood mythic structure.