Curated Video
Freud, Jung, Luke Skywalker, and the Psychology of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #40
In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and how a lot of their work was influenced by myth and mythology. While Freud and Jung aren't quite as revered as they once were, they were undoubtedly a huge...
PBS
The Byronic Hero: Isn’t it Byronic? (Feat. Princess Weekes)
Edward Cullen. Han Solo. Killmoklknger. Lestat. What do all these characters have in common besides being heartthrobs? They share a common ancestor: the Byronic Hero. Brooding, sensual, violent, intelligent, and single-minded, the...
Curated Video
A Christmas Carol Goes to Court: Charles Dickens in Chancery
National Archive: A Christmas Carol, published 19 December 1843 is one of Charles Dickens’ most beloved works and did much to create our image of an archetypal Victorian Christmas. But its success immediately caused its author trouble,...
Oxford Comma
The Forgotten Character in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is an archetype for the horror genre. So, much has been said about Rodrick, his sister Madeline, and the house they both represent and dwell within. But the third character, Rodrick’s...
Curated Video
Elements of Literary Fiction: Characters, Setting, Plot, Theme, and Point of View
Literary elements are the technical components in all narrative stories. They are the universal and essential elements of all narrative fiction. And all are integral to creating the basic structure of a story in an engaging, compelling,...
Curated OER
Archetypes
Ideal for a college-level children's literature class or in a story-writing unit, this presentation defines not only the archetypal characters in literature but provides ample examples from fairy tales to modern films. The slideshow...
Curated OER
Exploring Themes in Literature: The Oral Tradition
Are you are considering a unit on Beowulf or Superman, on myths, or tricksters? Here's a great overview you can use to launch a study of universal themes and archetypes. The focus here is on the oral tradition, but the concepts apply to...
Curated OER
Epic Poetry: Literary Terms for Story Analysis
What do Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Odyssey have in common? Why, they are all epics, of course, and are presented here as examples of the literary term. If you are beginning a study of epics, consider previewing the terms included...