The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers
 |
|
| Author | Christopher Vogler |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Michael Wiese Productions |
|
Publication date
|
2007 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 407 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 154677482 |
| 808.2/3 22 | |
| LC Class | PN1996 .V64 2007 |
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers is a popular screenwriting textbook by writer Christopher Vogler, focusing on the theory that most stories can be boiled down to a series of narrative structures and character archetypes, described through mythological allegory. Vogler based this work upon the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell, particularly The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and holds that all successful films innately adhere to its principles. The book was very well received upon its release, and is often featured in recommended reading lists for student screenwriters.
The book stems from a seven-page studio memo, "A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces", based on Campbell's work, which Vogler wrote while working for Disney. An earlier edition, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters, was published in 1992. Vogler revised the book for a second release in 1998 and changed the title to The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. The third edition, published in 2007, included a new introduction, new artwork and analysis of recent, popular motion pictures.
The title of the book was influenced by a number of sources. The first came from Campbell's text, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Later, in the 1980s, two documentaries would introduce the phrase, The Hero's Journey into popular discourse. The first, released in 1987, The Hero's Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell was accompanied by a 1990 companion book, The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work. The second was Bill Moyers' series of seminal interviews with Campbell, released in 1988 as the documentary (and companion book) The Power of Myth.
The first part of the book describes eight major character archetypes in detail. Those are:
The second part describes the twelve stages of the Hero's journey. The stages are:
...
Wikipedia