The Structure of Stories
The Familiar Way
We all love stories. Starting from those told by our parents as they regale us with wondrous tales while we sit on their knees, to sitting and listening to those told by grandparents around the fire, up until later life, when we discover books, movies and television. We remain glued to majestic stories and seek them out. After all, our earliest history we only know via stories told over generations — stories are intrinsic to human nature!
Every story differs in its details, making it unique. Yet when you look closer, there’s a common thread running through many stories. Some are due to its presentation — movies are often presented in three acts, while stage plays and television shows have five acts, each somewhat self-contained, and each driving our story forwards. Still, when you examine some of our most popular tales, our wildest stories, our finest myths, you find a structure that pervades across all presentations. You find the monomyth.
The monomyth has three stages. In the first, the Departure, our hero begins his or her journey. At first, the hero is living a normal life, either revelling in it, or yearning for more. Then comes the call to adventure, where our hero must leave what is known and travel into the unknown. This usually comes from an external agent, either mystical or in person, driving them towards it. Think of Joseph being sold to slavery in the Bible, or Gandalf arriving in the Shire in The Lord of the Rings, or the Droids bought for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. The hero might resist the call, or go willingly, but ultimately they leave their old world behind.
Having crossed that first threshold, they then enter the unknown world of adventure, where the old rules no longer apply. They meet their mentor, and acquire new companions on their journey. Then, they face their first challenge — and they’re defeated. This usually also involves losing the mentor. Witness Joseph’s service as a slave and imprisonment, Gandalf’s death in Moria, and Obi-Wan’s death in Star Wars.
This starts them on the second stage, the Initiation. This is where the hero is tested on a road of trials. The hero can meet an untrustworthy person whose help is needed on the quest (for Joseph, the Pharaoh’s cupholder). They might meet a god/goddess that helps them on their journey (Galadriel in Lord of the Rings). They are tempted to abandon their quest, either by a romantic interest, or their companions (Han Solo offering a way out of the conflict for Luke in Star Wars). Ultimately, they face their trials and challenges and overcome them to reach the apotheosis, or climax, of the story.
Armed with new knowledge, the hero faces the toughest challenge yet — and is sometimes assisted by their formerly ‘untrustworthy’ friend who comes through in the end (like the cupholder, Han Solo, and yes, poor old Gollum in the end of Lord of the Rings). The hero experiences a rebirth, and receives the boon they have been craving all along. Joseph becomes vizier of Egypt, Frodo gains his freedom and Luke recognition.
Then the final stage — the Return. Faced with their rebirth and newfound boon, they have to reintegrate with their old lives. They cross the threshold back into ordinary life, now a master of both. Joseph experiences this when his family come to Egypt for food, and he resettles them there. Frodo has his journey back to the Shire, where he has more challenges when he gets there. Luke finds a new home for himself in the Rebellion.
The monomyth was first introduced to the world by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, back in 1949, and has found itself embedded in popular culture since then. When examined, you’ll find the monomyth in many of our most popular stories, from a wide variety of authors and filmmakers. In fact, most superhero origin stories follow the template almost to a T.
Why is this, though? Perhaps the most explored area that concerns itself with this is called memetics — the study of memes. First proposed by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Meme, he proposed that there is, similar to how genes self-replicate, mutate and respond to societal pressures, a similar method by which ideas do so. Thus was born the idea of a meme: “an idea, behaviour, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Needless to say, the meme soon itself became a meme, and the name is now coupled with an internet phenomenon based on templates of pictures.
At its core, however, the monomyth is perhaps the most solid evidence for the persistence of memes. A story structure that has pervaded all cultures to become embedded in our psyches, and one we instinctively flock to when we need to tell the story of a hero. Perhaps aptly, it is also commonly known The Hero’s Journey.
However, just because the monomyth is so persistent in our culture, does not mean that it is the only way to tell a story. After all, you can probably yourself name many stories that don’t follow this template — and in fact, it is sometimes used to make the exact counterpoint to what the hero’s journey expresses. One of my favourite novels, Dune, expressly aims to follow the monomyth so as to subvert it, cunningly making the point that an infallible hero’s mistakes are always amplified by those who follow them without question.
So while our stories may have structure, and seem similar, you should always take the time with your own stories to see what archetypical story you’ve followed, and ensure it sends the message you’ve envisaged. And perhaps, if you’re struggling to tell your own story, you can use the structures, the memes, of those who came before you, and make them work for you. Most importantly, however, is to remember that these memes are like genes, and if you follow a blueprint, you should twist and subvert it enough to be novel.
Originally published at theoryofinterest.blogspot.com on May 18, 2017.