Northrop Frye was a Canadian literary theorist and critic known for his theory of archetypes in literature. He proposed that recurring patterns, symbols, and themes (archetypes) exist across works of literature that fall into categories corresponding to the four seasons - spring, summer, fall, winter. Frye's purpose was to connect literature through these shared archetypes in order to analyze how individual works both conform to and stray from archetypal patterns. Examples provided are the Gujarati poem "Mor Bani Thangat Kare" and the English poem "Four Seasons", as well as the film "Jagte Raho", which potentially demonstrate archetypes.

1. Presented by :
Bhatt Riddhiben D.
riddhi28bhatt@gmail.com
Sem : 2
Roll No. : 15
Paper Name : 108 (Literary Theory & Criticism)
PG Year : 2020-2021
PG Enrolment No. : 3069206420200004
MAHARAJA KRISHNKUMARSINHJI BHAVANAGAR UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

2.  Who is Northrop Frye?
 What is Archetype?
 Archetype of Literature
 What is the purpose of Frye's theory?
 Examples of Archetype
1. Mor Bani Thangat Kare by Zaverchand Meghani
2. Four Seasons by Cecil Frances Alexander
3. Jagte Raho by Raj Kapoor
Key Objectives

3. 
 Born July 14, 1912
 Died January 23, 1991 (aged 78)
 Sub discipline Literary criticism, literary theory
 Main interests Imagination archetype myth Bible
 One of the most recognized authors of literary criticism
world-wide, Northrop Frye studied at both the University
of Toronto and Oxford, lecturing at U of T until his death
in 1991.
 Influential Canadian author, literary critic and literary
theorist who drew from his knowledge of philosophy
 Worked primarily during the 1940-1960's
Who is Northrop Frye?

4. 
According to ‘A Glossary of Literary Terms’ by M. H. Abram's:
 In literary criticism the term archetype denotes recurrent narratives
designs, patterns of action, character-types, themes, and images
which are identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as
well as in myths, dreams, and even social rituals.
According to the Oxford Dictionary:
 A very typical example of a certain person or thing.
 An original which has been imitated; a prototype.
 A recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology.
 In Jungian theory, a primitive mental image inherited from the
earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the
collective unconscious.
What is an Archetype?

5. 
 The archetypes are symbols that re-occur in
literature.4 Seasons represent variations of the
'Monomyth':
1. Summer –Romance – Birth of Hero
2. Autumn –Tragedy – Defeat of Hero
3. Winter -Irony & Satire
4. Spring –Comedy –Rebirth of Hero
 The archetypes are related by the theme of
desire (usually goal-oriented in the case of the
hero).
Archetypes of Literature

6. 
 Frye uses the archetypes to connect literature in a broader
context- like backing away from a painting to admire the
entire composition rather than the brushwork
 They should also be used to note how literature strays
from the archetypes in order to analyze how literature
remains unique while still having some connections to the
structure of the archetypes.
 The central idea is…To apply one or more of these phases
(lenses) to the stories that we read.
 To allow ourselves to interpret and understand stories
based on existing archetypes and theories about story.
What is the purpose of Frye's theory?

7. 
मोर बनी ठनगट करे, मन मोर बनी ठनगट
करे
घनघोर झरे चाहू और मारू मन
घरर घरर घरारर मेघघटा
गगने गगने गरजात करे
घुमरी घुमरी गरजात भरे
नावेधान भारी सारी ससम झूले
नदियु नवजोबन भान भूले
नव दिन कपोतनी पाक खुले
माघरा माघरा मलकाईने मेिक
नेह सु नेह सु बात करे
गगने गगने घूमराइ ने पागल
मेघघटा गरजात भरे
मोर बनी ठनगट करे, मन मोर बनी ठनगट
करे
नव मेघ ताने नील आंजननये
मारा घेंगुर नैन झगत करे
मारा लोचन मा मि घेन भरे
परछाईं ताडे हररयाई बनी
मारो आतम नैन बबछात करे
सचराचर श्यामल बात धरे
म्हारो प्राण करी पुल्कत गयो
पथराई सारी वनराई परे
ओलो मेघ आशाधधलो आज मारा
िोय नेने नीलांजन गहें भरे
मन मोर बनी ठनगट करे
Examples of Archetype
Mor Bani Thangat Kare by Zaverchand Meghani

8. 
The fields are rich with daffodils,
A coat of clover cloaks the hills,
And I must dance, and I must sing
To see the beauty of the spring.
The earth is warm, the sun's ablaze,
It is a time of carefree days;
And bees abuzz that chance to pass
May see me snoozing in the grass.
The leaves are yellow, red, and brown,
A shower sprinkles softly down;
The air is fragrant, crisp, and cool,
And once again I'm stuck in school.
The birds are gone, the world is white,
The winds are wild, they chill and bite;
The ground is thick with slush and
sleet,
And I can barely feel my feet.
The last is done, the next is here,
The same as it is every year;
Spring -- then sunshine ' autumn '
snow,
That is how each year must go.
Four Seasons
by Cecil Frances Alexander

9. 
‘Jagte Raho’ (1956)

10. 
 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Northrop Frye". Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 19 Jan. 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Northrop-Frye. Accessed 23
June 2021.
 Brown, Daniel Russell. “A Look at Archetypal Criticism.” The Journal of
Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 28, no. 4, 1970, pp. 465–472. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/42848
 Davis, Joseph K. “IMAGE, SYMBOL, AND ARCHETYPE: DEFINITIONS
AND USES.” Interpretations, vol. 16, no. 1, 1985, pp. 26–30. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/4379784
 Frye, Northrop. “The Archetypes of Literature.” The Kenyon Review, vol.
13, no. 1, 1951, pp. 92–110. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/433
 Meghani, Zaverchand. “Maru Man Mor Bani Thanghat Kare - Gujarati
Lyrics.” Mor Bani Thangat Kre, hello gujarati, 24 Nov. 2020,
www.hellogujarati.com/2020/11/maru-man-mor-bani-thanghat-
kare.html.
References

11. 