Fiction Briefly
A study guide for short fiction and film. Explore Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey" and other methods authors and filmmakers use to tell a great story.
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Episodes
Jul 20, 2020
Jul 20, 2020
19 min
J.K. Rowling harnesses ancient myth for her Hero: Harry Potter, and psychologists explain why the hero's journey is so relatable.
Jul 7, 2020
Jul 7, 2020
18 min
Techniques from ancient myth help create Lana and Lilly Wachowski's hero: Neo. Another look at fate versus free will considers the role of society on individual thought.
Jul 7, 2020
Jul 7, 2020
14 min
Sophocles's legendary hero, Oedipus, and his struggles with fate as he unwittingly marries his own mother. Discover why this tragic character has endured for thousands of years.
Jul 5, 2020
Jul 5, 2020
18 min
Rey's character, written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt, has her controversies. This episode compares the hero with her predecessors through plot structures and character archetypes found in ancient mythology.
Jul 5, 2020
Jul 5, 2020
18 min
The trouble behind George Lucas's legendary hero: Anakin Skywalker. This episode compares the successes of A New Hope with The Phantom Menace through the findings of Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp, and Otto Rank from their research of ancient myths.
Jul 5, 2020
Jul 5, 2020
17 min
The secrets behind George Lucas's legendary hero: Luke Skywalker. This "hero's journey" analyzed through the research of Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp, and Otto Rank compares to plot structures and character archetypes found in ancient myth.