The document discusses Northrop Frye's critical theory that interprets literature through recurring myths, symbols, and archetypes. It explores his five spheres, distinguishing between comic and tragic elements in various genres, including representations of animals, landscapes, and minerals. Frye's schema, while simplistic, allows for exceptions and emphasizes the interplay of genres in understanding literary works, citing Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' as an example of tragic comedy.

1. Name-Riva M Pandya
Rollno-25
Paper-7
Topic- Northrope Frye’s five spheres in
his schema.

2.  According to oxford dictionary a very typical
example of a certain person or thing.
 It is a type of critical theory that interprets a text by
focusing on recurring myths, symbols, images and
character types in a literary work.
 In Jungian theory a primitive mental image
inherited from the earliest human ancestors and
supposed to be present into the collective
unconscious

3. Human
Animals
VegetationMineral
Water

4.  Comic human world is representative of wish-
fulfillment and being community centered.
 The tragic human world is of isolation, tyranny and
fallen hero.
Comic Tragic

5. COMIC ANIMALS TRAGIC ANIMALS
 Animals in the comedic
genres are docile and
pastoral.
 Animals in the tragic
genres are predatory
and hunters.

6. oCOMEDIC oTRAGIC
 The comedic is pastoral
but also represented by
gardens ,parks, roses
and lotuses.
 The tragic is
represented a wild
forest or being barren.

7. COMIC TRAGIC
 Cities, temples or
precious stones
represent the comedic
mineral
 The tragic mineral
realm is noted for being
a desert, ruins, or of
sinister geometrical
images.

8. COMIC TRAGIC
 The comic water
represented by rivers
 The tragic represented
the seas, floods or
signify sphere.

9.  Frye admits that his schema in “Archetype of
Literature” is simplistic but makes room for
exceptions by nothing that there are natural
archetypes it has been argued that his criticism
strictly categories. Works based on genres which
determine archetype is to be interpreted in a text.
 Frye's archetypal criticism focuses with more
contemporary literature, Beckett’s waiting for
godot is to considered tragic comedy a play with
elements of tragedy and satire Frye associated with
genres are pitted each other.