Annotated bibliography #6

Andrew Biersack
10/12/08
Robinson
Annotated bib. #6

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey Mythic Structure For Writers. Studio City, CA: Michael
Wiese, 1998. 126-141.

Summary
In this section of Vogler he discusses the fifth and sixth stages of the hero’s journey which are Crossing the First Threshold and Tests, Allies, Enemies. Here Vogler makes clear that the final and most critical function of Act One is the First Threshold which effectively starts the “action” of the story. Heroes typically do not receive their gifts and/or advice from their mentor and take off gung ho into the adventure, though some do, they usually continue to avoid or resist. Often an external force or internal force or both acting upon the hero make that final push over the first threshold, causing them to make an unchangeable leap of faith. Threshold guardians can appear anywhere in the story but they most often block narrow passage ways, forcing the hero to deal with the aspect they represent. “The Crossing” as Vogler explains, is the crossing of the border between worlds, often resulting in a “rough landing” or crash into the new world. The Tests, Allies, and Enemies lie in the Special World which should always stand in stark contrast to the Ordinary World even if the hero remains physically, there must be new emotional territory to explore. This new world is almost always more dangerous with higher stakes. The important function of this stage is testing the hero, but to a lesser degree than the life or death situations they will face ahead. How a hero escapes a trap, their judge of character, “true” character under pressure, and ability to adapt to the new rules is all tested. This is also the time for establishing a sidekick or team and gaining knowledge of the enemy. Watering holes, bars and/or saloons are extremely common in this stage in stories as they are natural congregation places, in even nature and allow the hero to recuperate, pick up gossip, make friends/enemies, observe, and confront. They are also synonymous with sexual intrigue and gambling, important facets to revealing character.
Reaction
In the first section, Vogler again drifts away from using contemporary examples of film or literature to make his point. It made it more difficult to fully grasp his concept of the Threshold Guardian archetype. Fortunately he discontinues this in the next section returning to very clear, contemporary or at least popular references to support his claims. For example Star wars and Casablanca. The clarifying example repeated by the Wizard of Oz is usually enough clarification though.
Questions
1. What role does the Mentor archetype play in these stages or is he absent?
2. Does a hero ever fail these “preliminary” tests and turn back?
3. What are the criteria for an ally?