The Hero's Journey

smashedburrito

smashedburrito

Well-known member
Hey everyone. For all of you that have ever taken a scriptwriting class or ever read a book on scriptwriting, you have probably heard of the Hero's Journey. Personally I find it pretty interesting and applicable to most stories, but I found this little thing that Patton Oswalt wrote on it and I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy.

THE HERO'S JOURNEY IS BULLsh** by Patton Oswalt

I'm near the end of a massive rewrite for
Dreamworks, and in the process I've thrown off the
yoke of the Hero's Journey.

The Hero's Journey is some mumblety-jumbo
comparative literature nonsense by Joseph
Campbell that's hung over the screenwriter's
profession like an oily pall since STAR WARS came
out. Everyone thinks George Lucas used Campbell's
"Hero's Journey" theory of world literature to create
a work of such universiality.

Actually, "everyone" was more excited by the
dumpsters of money STAR WARS made, and
thought the "Hero's Journey" structure is the...well,
the "elixir that saves the world" (last part of the
Journey).

Actually, George Lucas melded Flash Gordon,
Samurai movies, hot rod flicks, the LENSMEN novels
and LORD OF THE RINGS with kickas* special effects
(spaceships and monsters!) and created something
awesome. Campbell applied his structure, after the
fact, to Lucas' vision, as if every living being,
subconsciously, identifies with said "Journey", 'cuz
it's "our Journey".

Bullshi*. The only "Journey" that most of the world
even comes close to identifying with involves Steve
Perry and midnight trains going anywhere.

Elizabeth Vandiver has a much better, more
universal theory called "test and quest". Actually, I
don't know if it's her theory, but she subscribes to
it, and she's pretty damn sharp.

What it says is, the hero goes off, has any number
of different journeys and adventures, and comes
back both fundamentally changed AND re-
committed to his or her being. I know, somewhere,
right now, there's someone at a laptop, trying to
figure out how his protagonist is supposed to fight
a Ten Foot Man (or equivalent) but I'm here to tell
you, you're free! Write the story that speaks to you,
and it will become universal!

And I'm keeping the part here where the baby
dragon farts.
 
The Hero's Jouney is an excellent *guide* for hero-based fantasy stories. And it is to be used as such, a guide.

Anyone who thinks it's *the* playbook of story and structure clearly needs therapy.

Im my vast collection of screenwriting books, I hold THE HERO'S JOURNEY as one of the must owns and in the highest regard.

EJ
 
All I can say is 100 years from now people will still be talking about Campbell. Who the hell ever heard of Patton Oswalt?
.
 
Hero journey stories make up about 90% of mainstream films when you break them down next to 3 act structure plot points. Why? I think because they are like the cycles we go through in life. Basically a character chooses a goal, leaves what is familiar going into the unknown, faces tests on the road and death a few times then comes home transformed with the prize. The cool part with hero journey plot points is using them as a basic structure then mashing them up with other forms. And I agree people will be talking about Campbell for a long time. The Writer's Journey by Vogler is easier to read for some screenwriters.
 
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Sounds like a cheeseburger-pushing uneducated intraweb tuff guy blogger, to me.

Take it with a grain of asphalt, if I were you.

That said, after intensely studying his more well-known works, I do find Campbell slightly overrated.
 
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