Archetypal literary criticism: Northrop frye

Archetypal literary criticism : Northrop frye : 

Que:1 What is Archetypal Criticism? What does the archetypal critic do?

            Archetypal literary criticism is a type of analytical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes in the narrative, symbols, images, and character types in literary works.

           Archetypal criticism argues that archetypes determine the form and function of literary works, that a text's meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths.

          Archetypal criticism also recurrent items from elemental and universal pattern in the human psyche. The Archetypal criticism means identifying pattern of action, characters type and theme in literature as well as in myth, dreams and social rituals. 

         Archetypal analysis represents each "individual" in a data set as a mixture of "in- dividuals of pure type", or "archetypes". The archetypes themselves are restricted to. be mixtures of the individuals in the data set.

         The Archetypal critics find out hidden archetype in literature. Northrop Frye's work "Anatomy of Criticism" deal with archetypes but his essays "The Archetypes of Literature" is precursor in this book. The Archetypal critics like to use archetype in literature. 

        The Archetypal critics find out the symbols, theme, motif and archetypal images is recurrently using in literature. Northrop Frye connect literary genre with four seasons cycle of nature.

Que:2 What is Frye trying prove by giving an analogy of ' Physics to Nature' and 'Criticism to Literature'?

 Northrop Frye compares both the things ,"Physics to nature" and "Criticism to literature".. Physics is an organized body of knowledge about nature, Physics is a systematic​ study of nature.

                In the study of physics it's not only about nature,but similarly criticism is the study of literature. we can't study literature because it is a by product and we can only criticize or study it to learn it. 

            Criticism is connected with Human nature of romance same way other season like , Autumn is connected with tragedy as well as winter is connected with satite. So, we discuss all seasons which are prove to ' physics to nature' and ' criticism to literature' as below:

1. Spring ( comedy ) :

We know that comedy is a symbol of happiness, so, Frye tried to connect the season Spring with comedy because they both are symbols of birth , development revival , resurrection ,in short something new and full of happiness. Spring refers the human nature of comedy. 

2. Summer ( Romance ):

Here summer means not Indian summer but this is a summer of England ,we know that England summer is a very cold ,so people marriage in summer time and marriage is also the symbol of romance.so, summer season refers the romance of human nature, and also summer is culmination of life In the seasonal calendar, it means usually a marriage.

 3. Autumn ( Tragedy ):

We can connect the season Autumn with tragedy.Because it is a symbol of dying life. Because in autumn all leaves of tree fallen down and tree become empty without flowers and leaves. As well as hero of the novel fallen down and protagonist became tragic hero.

4. Winter (Satire):

Frye tried to explain his concept of ' physics to nature' by take a reference of season Winter as a Satire. Satire is connect with winter because Satire is ' dark ' genre. It is noted for its darkness , dissolution, and the defeat of the heroic figure.

So here, Northrop Frye prove an analogy of ' physics to nature' and ' criticism to literature' by some seasonal reference as they connected with human nature of comedy , tragedy , romance and Satire.

We can also understand the Northrop Frye' s concept of ' physics to nature'.

Que:3  Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Digger's scene.

Frye contends that structural criticism will help a reader in understanding a text, and in his analysis, he proceeds inductively. That is, from particular truths in a work, he draws forth general truths.           

   Shakespeare's "Hamlet" gravedigger scene is best example of study of inductive method. In this scene we can see that gravedigger was not effected by the death of others because it is their rutin work. 

                         They have romanticized relationship with their jobs. They introduced different skull with person and their works. It is manifestation of the absolute integrity of gravedigger. We came to general observation that the corruption in society.

             Owing to jealousy, Othello in the Shakespeare play, inflicts upon himself affliction and this is the particular truth of the drama from which the reader learns the general truth of life that jealousy is always destructive. 

          This is called the inductive method of analysis under structural criticism.

Que:4 Briefly explain Deductive Method with reference to an analogy to music , painting, rhythm and pattern. Give example of outcome of Deductive Method.

In the Deductive Method it come from general to specific or particular observations. In this Music has rhyme and Painting has patterns. 

             Both are connected while listening the music at the first time we can't understand but when we start to understand the words we image a picture in the mind by this imagination we understand the things. 

              As the same thing happens while reading literature we image the things through the imagination it helps us to understand the literature. So music , rhythm, painting, pattern so it helps to understand the literature.

Que:5  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. 

There are many works in literature that follows this Archetypal criticism. In literature we find the season is compare with human life.

          In literary work character or his/her life archetype of Frye's seasonal comparison. 

          Here I want to share a example of archetypal gujarati poem.

પાન લીલું જોયું ને તમે યાદ આવ્યાં

જાણે મૌસમનો પહેલો વરસાદ ઝીલ્યો રામ

એક તરણું કોળ્યું ને તમે યાદ આવ્યાં

ક્યાંક પંખી ટહુક્યું ને તમે યાદ આવ્યાં

જાણે શ્રાવણના આભમાં ઉઘાડ થયો રામ

એક તારો ટમક્યો ને તમે યાદ આવ્યાં

 In the first example we found that the season of monsoon is archetypal of happiness for the love birds, also the season of monsoon is of romance according to indian seasonal grid.                                  Whereas summer refers to romance in western countries , instead of romance indian summer is boring . Even in some Western counties there is no season. Like monsoon.

Green is the symbol of GROWTH , HOPE , AND FERTILITY According to archetypal criticism.