Vogler Annotation 83-105

Rhianna Lebedz
September 30, 2008

Vogler, Christopher, and Michele Montez. The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers. Boston: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. pg. 83-105.

Summary

Vogler begins by describing The Ordinary World. He says that is is the "world of common day" (83). He goes in to explaining the beginning process of a Journey. Before anything you need a title to show the nature of the story. Next, you need an opening image which will tell you were the story will go (85). Some stories have a prologue which will give the context of the drama or give a background to the story (86). The author should make the ordinary world different from the special world so that it gives it a good contrast and so that the hero goes through a big transformation (87). All heroes have an inner and outer problem which helps make a good story (88). The best place to state your theme is when you're talking about the ordinary world (95).
In the second stage, Vogler describes the Call to Adventure which gets the story "rolling" (99). The adventure comes in to form of a message whether it is from a messenger or maybe a dream (100). Stories can have more than one call to adventure which adds more excitement to the story (103).

Summary

Vogler broke down the chapter of the Ordinary World to give the reader a detailed description of the process. It starts from the very beginning when the hero is introduced and they make their first impression, to when the hero is encountered with the Call to Adventure. In the second stage Vogler did the same as he did with the Ordinary World and described the Call to Adventure in detail. He shared the numerous ways that a hero could receive their call and that not all the calls were positive. I liked that he included questions at the end of each stage because it gets you thinking about your story and ways that you could improve your journey. We've been hearing about the different stages of the journey that Vogler has stated, so it was finally good to read in detail what the first two stages were all about.

Questions

1. Do you think it is better off to have a prologue in your story or not include it at all? Why or Why not?

2. In your own personal Journeys that we wrote, are you able to determine what your inner and outer problems were?

3. One type of call to adventure is the reconnaissance. Can you think of any stories where the villian makes a survey of the hero's territory?

Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. "Threshold Guardian, Herald, Shapeshifter, Shadow, Ally, Trickster." The Writer'sJourney: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. 49-80

Summary

Christopher Vogler explains the last six archetypes throughout pages 49-80. The Threshold Guardian is a powerful guardian at the threshold of each gateway to a new world. They are to keep the unworthy from entering (49). Threshold Guardians may represent obstacles that we face today which include bad weather, bad luck, prejudice, oppression, and hostile people (50). Their job is to challenge the heroes with a test. Next is the Herald, which issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change (55). They also provide motivation for the hero. The Shapeshifter often changes appearance and mood. They may mislead the hero and their loyalty is often in question. The shapeshifter brings doubt and suspense into a story (61). It's often found in male-female relationships.
The archetype Shadow represents the energy of the dark side, the unexpressed, unrealized, or rejected aspects of something. Vogler states that the Shadow can be all of the things that we don't like about ourselves (65). They bring conflict for the hero who allows them to bring out the best in their selves, however, they do not think of themselves as villains (66). Another archetype that Vogler explains is the Ally. This archetype can be a companion, sparring partner, conscience, or a comic relief (71). They "humanize" the heroes and bring out their feelings, which can help them be more open. Allies can be sidekicks, non-human, animals, or even from beyond the grave (73-74). The last archetype is the Trickster who has mischief and the desire for change (77). They bring the hero and the audience down to earth. Vogler describes Tricksters as catalyst characters which mean that they affect the lives of others but however, they do not change.

Summary

At the end of the section about the Trickster, Vogler explains that archetypes are ways of understanding the function of a character at a specific moment in a story. I like the fact that he says archetypes are a way to "free writers from stereotyping" and that they help make our stories realistic and true to the wisdom of myths. I feel that somewhere down the road we will all have interaction with more than one of these archetypes in our life. Little did we know that many of our favorite stories and films have many of these archetypes in them and that the main character is on a journey only to later on interact with one or more of these archetypes.

Questions

1. Do you think that Vogler believes the theory of the animus and anima?
2. Who are some of the allies in your life?
3. Who are some famous Allies, other than the ones named in the book?

The Disney character I would be..

If I was a Disney character I believe I would be a dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was a tough choice between Happy, Sleepy, and Bashful because all three describe me best. But if I had to choose one it would definitely be Sleepy. Even though he is always tired and sleeping, Sleepy still manages to get his work done in the coal mine.
I'm like Sleepy because I am very busy throughout the day and find myself to become very tired. A usual day for me consists of school, soccer, and school work. I'm exhausted by the end of the day and can't wait to go to bed. When 5:00 practice rolls around I find myself just wanting to lay down in the locker room and take a quick nap. Despite being tired most of the time I still manage to get my work done and I enjoy those days where I have nothing to do but relax. Maybe I have energy from power naps.. the kind that Sleepy is sometimes caught taking.