Annotated bibliography #8

Andrew Biersack
10/28/08
Robinson
Annotated bib. # 8

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey Mythic Structure For Writers. Studio City, CA: MichaelWiese, 1998. 174-195.

Summary
In this section of Vogler, he analyzes the archetypal stages of the Reward and The Road Back in the hero’s journey. Very often after having faced death in the Ordeal, Vogler comments that many stories have some sort of celebration in this section, reminiscent of recounting the adventure around a campfire with his allies. Also, as reward many heroes now experience their chance at a love scene or sacred marriage. Next, the hero finally comes in contact with the object for which they’ve risked their lives and more often than not it must be taken, he also calls this by the name “seizing the sword”, referring to the hero taking and sometimes even stealing their reward after facing the Ordeal. Surviving the Ordeal raises the hero to a new status and Vogler discusses the many ways in which stories portray this initiation of the hero into the elite group like battle field promotions or knighthood. The hero is “re-born” from the Ordeal and has new perceptions as death has the tendency to sharpen reality for those who tempt it closely. Vogler calls it by several names; self-realization, epiphany, clairvoyance, but they all refer to the hero’s new found powers or perceptions that are a result of facing death. However these affects can have negative consequences Vogler warns like inflamed ego or arrogance. The dramatic function of the Road Back is to re-dedicate the hero to the adventure. Another very important function of this section is to restore the energy of the story after the slowing and recap experienced after the character(s) survive the ordeal. This should inflame the pace of the story and continue to arouse the audience to the finish. One large aspect of this section is the very popular chase scene, usually from retaliatory villains. Vogler finishes by describing some of the variances in the chase scene from certain movies and literature.

Reaction
In the section of the Ordeal and The Road Back, Vogler returns to the style of using a wide array of feature films to demonstrate his points and elaborate, which I felt makes a positive impact on the reader’s comprehension. Although, he still continues to end with the fall back symbol ever present in the Wizard of Oz, which I feel is an effective wrap up but not enough to wholly sustain a chapter. Also, I feel he focuses his examples on the cases of the action heroes, with the few references to archaic love films that to do not ring familiar in our generation’s ears.
Questions
1. Are there instances where the Hero is stiffed completely on his or her due reward? Or is ultimately the gift of lift or revelation thereof to the hero the real gift?
2. How can a hero be assured that they’ve gotten their reward when it is intangible? The exception of course being knowledge, as it is intangible yet still perceivable.
3. Do heroes ever absorb the pursuing entities rather than combat them?