by Chuck Suffel
If you’ve read Joseph Campbell or if you’ve paid attention to the themes present in pretty much any action adventure, sci-fi, or fantasy movie you’re familiar with it. It’s called the monomyth or “the hero’s journey”. It’s the idea that most stories follow a sort of unspoken arc,
- Birth of the Hero
- Childhood Trial
- Withdrawal and Initiation (Rite of Passage)
- Trial and Quest
- Death and the Scapegoat
- The Descent to the Underworld
- Resurrection and Rebirth
- Ascension, Apotheosis, and Atonement
(*List taken from David Adams Leeming’s book, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero)
We see it in The Odyssey, we see it in Star Wars, and to me it’s the thing that makes an adventure story resonate. Even my first literary hero Robin Hood loosely follows the pattern. The important distinction for me is that it’s done well.
Robot 13 is done well, really well.
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