Annotated Bibliography Pages 197-228

Vogler, Christopher, and Michele Montez. "The Archtypes." The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers. Boston: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007 Pages 197-228


Summery
We first look at stage eleven; The Resurrection, during this weeks reading. This is the final climax to the story, and the most dangerous meeting with death. This stage is necessary in order to create the final peak within the story and is also the defining moment in which we see a change, by way of action, within our hero. The key to the resurrection is that the hero must shed his existing self to re enter the ordinary world, just like they did originally to enter the special world. The reason for this is that there actions within the special world are not sufficient for life back in the ordinary world. Therefore they have to evolve taking what they have learned with them but acting in a manner sufficient for the normal world.
The second section looked at was Stage Twelve; Returning with Elixir. The true hero after the resurrection returns home with Elixir, this is something from the special world that is going to help others within the normal world. It may be a piece of knowledge or a cure to a disease, but it is certainly beneficial. Failure to return with Elixir shows us that the hero’s journey has not been complete.

Reaction;
I was particularly intrigued by the section within stage twelve that talks about the differences in ending and how they are preferred around the world. The book explains that there are two story forms one that shows clear closure and a sense of completion, this is preferred by the American Culture. The other ending is one that leaves unanswered questions and is not so neatly sewn together; this is preferred in Chinese Australian and European cultures. This made me wonder as to why different cultures may prefer different endings and led me thinking to my self about which type of ending I prefer. Another thing I was interested in was thinking about what forms the Elixir actually takes. I thought the most common one was love. We often see that love is the closing moment in many films that have all been about different things. For example the closing kiss as the cowboy re-enters the town or as the soccer player celebrates scoring the winning goal.

Questions;
Do you agree/disagree that love is the most common Elixir?
What do you prefer well rounded closed end or ones still slightly untied?
Can you think of any interesting examples as to when a hero has entered the ordinary world with a different Elixir?