Jon Linsao

M. Warner教授

英语112 b

12月4日

The Journey to Heroism

随着J.K.罗琳的《哈利波特与魔法石》的出版，罗琳完成了一项在当时看来不可能的壮举：她让人们重新对阅读产生了真正的兴趣。我会知道的；I was one of her victims. 我说“人”是因为大人和孩子都对罗琳的作品赞不绝口。罗琳的秘诀是什么？是什么让这个系列如此受欢迎？如果我知道这些，我可能就会有自己的畅销小说了。I can, however, make an educated guess. 罗琳是公式化的，或者更确切地说，罗琳的作品遵循一种通常被称为单一神话或英雄旅程的公式。史密斯首先在约瑟夫·史密斯的《千面英雄》中表达了这一观点，他总结了一个反复出现的公式，这个公式收集了来自世界各地的神话和传说，并倾向于遵循：“一个英雄从普通的日常世界冒险进入一个超自然奇迹的地区：在那里遇到了神话般的力量，并取得了决定性的胜利：英雄从这个神秘的冒险中回来，拥有了给予他的同胞恩惠的力量”（23）。听起来是不是很熟悉?Harry Potter, an average boy from Surrey, England, finds out he's a wizard and is introduced to a world where magic is real. Harry learns that his parents were killed by the most powerful dark wizard that has ever lived: Lord Voldemort. 在《哈利·波特与魔法石》中，哈利遇到了伏地魔的一个特工（奇洛教授），他试图用魔法石复活伏地魔，结果被哈利打败了。哈利平安归来，好消息是他知道伏地魔已经回来了，并且正在试图恢复他的力量。罗琳的小说遵循了这个公式。

Examining Harry Potter under the lens of the monomyth, it becomes clear that there is power in the formula itself. This is not to say that simply following the monomyth produces great literature – an author still needs a gifted mind and story-telling prowess. 但我们应该承认，许多最受欢迎的作品都与单一神话相符（例如荷马的《奥德赛》或乔治·卢卡斯的《星球大战》）。The following annotations were done on popular young adult novels that follow the formula of the hero's journey under the genre of fantasy, science fiction, utopias, and dystopias.

 

 

 

 

巴比特,娜塔莉。Tuck Everlasting. Harrisburg, VA: Square Fish, 1975. 打印。

十岁的温妮渴望更激动人心的生活但更比她便宜当她是在她家里绑架了。然而，奇怪的是，绑架者绑架温妮是有正当理由的。梅塔克有一个奇怪的秘密:她和她的家人与不朽的诅咒。梅绑架了温妮，以便她可以向温妮解释为什么她必须不惜一切代价保护这个秘密。这部小说意义重大，因为它打破了“陷入困境的少女”的刻板印象。在一个典型的经典童话故事中，女人是软弱无助的，需要被拯救（永恒的塔克就是这样开始的）。温妮被绑架，并被强行带到塔克斯家，然后被一个穿黄色西装的男人“救了”（结果发现他有自己的动机）。美杀死黄色西装的男人保护温妮和被警察逮捕并判处死刑证人谋杀。温妮,知道打褶的秘密正处于危险之中,决定免费美从监狱。这样做,温妮赋予自己,完成她从落魄过渡到成熟的英雄。

 

卡德，我是奥森·斯科特。安德的游戏。New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, 1991. 打印。

 

为了开发一种安全的防御系统，抵御敌对外星种族的下一次攻击，政府机构培养天才儿童，并将他们训练成士兵。A brilliant young boy, Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut – young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training...� (Amazon.com synopsis). 这个来源很重要，因为年轻人面临的问题不会随着时代的变化而改变。Even in the distant future, isolation, adults' expectations, and peer pressure are still a part of adolescence. 然而，这里的不同之处在于，安德肩负着人类的生存重任。没有压力． 

 

Collins, Suzanne． The Hunger Games.New York, NY: Scholastic, 2009. 打印。

 

在一个曾经被称为北美的地方的废墟中，坐落着帕纳姆国（Panem），一座由12个偏远地区环绕的闪闪发光的国会大厦。The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games� (Amazon.com synopsis). 这个来源很重要，因为它是从女性的角度讲述的（这可能有助于男性更好地同情）。小说传达的信息是，女性完全有能力处理自己的问题（事实上，凯特尼斯拯救了来自她所在地区的男性参与者皮塔，并照顾他恢复了健康）。此外，凯特尼斯被迫成为志愿者，让她的妹妹免于参加比赛。This selfless act already makes Katniss a hero.

 

德拉佩尼亚，马特。我们在这里． New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. 打印。

 

米格尔是一个问题少年，从少年管教所转到教养院。一天晚上，米格尔决定和他的两个室友逃离集体之家。The trio make their way toward Mexico to start new lives but encounter mishap after mishap on the way. 米格尔最终到达了美墨边境，但他决定回到教养院完成他的刑期，而不是试图逃避他的问题。这本小说意义重大，因为它是这个名单上唯一一个没有设定在魔法世界的英雄之旅的例子。即使没有heroics就像人们通常联想到的英雄（屠龙、拯救公主等）一样，这部小说传达的是，人们不一定要屠龙才能成为英雄。米格尔做了两件事来证明他作为英雄的价值：首先，米格尔杀死了自己的同胞个人龙（他对杀死他哥哥的内疚）。其次，米格尔决心赚钱来偿还他从灯塔偷来的钱。If a hero is someone typically admired for his or her noble actions or qualities, Miguel's attempt to make amends makes him a hero.

 

Paolini, Christopher. 龙骑士． 纽约：兰登书屋，2003。打印。

 

15岁的伊拉贡认为他只是一个贫穷的农场男孩——直到他作为龙骑士的命运被揭示。Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire� (Amazon.com synopsis). 这部小说意义重大，因为它经常被拿来与J.R.R.托尔金的作品相比较The Lord of the Rings. Eragon is a sort of progress report to the evolution of fantasy. Paolini never strays far from the formula: Eragon establishes a hero-villain dichotomy and includes plenty of magic and sword fights (Eragon is even given a magic sword called Zar'roc. Bilbo's sword Sting comes to mind). Also, like many of the novels on this list, Eragon has a film adaptation that can be shown to students to compare and contrast with.

 

Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. New York: Random House, 1995. Print.

 

普尔曼的女主人公莱拉是一个孤儿，生活在一个科学、神学和魔法交织在一起的平行宇宙中……The epic story that takes us through the three novels is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armored polar bears, magical devices, witches, and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound reimagining of Milton's Paradise Lost... 就像他之前的j·r·r·托尔金和c·s·刘易斯一样，普尔曼创造了一个细节丰富、充满奇妙想象的世界，既复杂又发人深省，既吸引了成年人，也吸引了年轻读者。The Golden Compass is significant in many ways. Author Peter Hitchens believes the novel is a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia which Hitchens believes is a Christian allegory. 因此，《黄金罗盘》成为了一部迎合那些没有特定信仰或信仰不同于基督教的人的作品。In this way, The Golden Compass creates a secular world, a world without religious imagery. This novel is significant because it offers a different view on religion and could possibly be used in a comparative religions course.

 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. Print.

 

In Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts, Harry finds himself the target of a serial killer by the name of Sirius Black who has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. Harry must get through the school year while worrying about Black at the same time. Will Black succeed? This significance of the novel is that

Harry is officially a teenager, and his concerns are markedly different than in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. For one thing, Harry is beginning to notice the opposite sex. For another, there is someone actively stalking and trying to murder him. This novel is important because Harry is a completely different person than he was in the earlier novels. He's shown obvious growth towards becoming a hero. Harry shows more confidence, more initiative, and all the other qualities that Gryffindors exemplify.

 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. Print.

 

On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finds out that he is a wizard. He is whisked away to the wizarding world where he is not only acknowledged, he is famous. Harry begins to attend the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and unknowingly begins the first step in his journey to defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time. This novel is significant because Harry's journey to heroism is truly a journey. Unlike Ron who grew up as a wizard, Harry knows nothing about the wizarding world. Harry has a steeper learning curve than his peers. Without Ron and Hermione, Harry would be lost, and this is where Rowling excels: Rowling conveys the importance of friendship, loyalty, bravery, and all the other qualities that constitute heroism.

 

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York, NY: The Random House Publishing Group, 1982. Print.

 

Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet life, unnoticed and unburdened – until Gandalf appears. Gandalf the Grey, a powerful wizard, insists that Bilbo come along on an adventure. Bilbo and Gandalf accompany a group of dwarves who are traveling back to their ancestral homeland to take it back from a dragon. The Hobbit is significant because Bilbo Baggins is the quintessential unlikely hero. Bilbo is no warrior; he's not tall, handsome, nor does he have any of the qualities typically ascribed to a hero, but that's the point! Against all odds, Bilbo returns home in one piece a different (and richer) hobbit. Though Bilbo lacks physical aptitude, Bilbo is clever (as evidenced by his win over Gollum in the riddle game). This novel sends the message that heroism is not about weapons, physical strength, or skills. Heroism is a mindset. Heroes are not born, they are made.

 

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Great Britain: HarpersCollinsPublishers, 2004. Print.

 

《霍比特人》的续集《指环王》围绕着比尔博·巴金斯的侄子弗罗多·巴金斯展开。佛罗多接受甘道夫的任务，摧毁一枚古老的魔法戒指。如果至尊魔戒回到它的创造者索伦手中，中土世界的毁灭很快就会随之而来。佛罗多带着一群忠诚的同伴出发，把戒指扔进末日火山的火焰中，从而永远摧毁了戒指。这项工作因其遗产而意义重大。这部作品广为人知，深受喜爱，是小说、幻想和主人公旅程的重要组成部分。和比尔博一样，佛罗多也没有什么特别之处。他并不以他的技能或成就而闻名。如果有什么不同的话，佛罗多最出名的是他和比尔博的关系（比尔博也去冒险了）。It is Frodo's average life that makes it easy to empathize with him. What makes Frodo a great character is that he sacrifices his life to ensure that the world is protected from Sauron. 佛罗多明白这项任务的危险，但他是最适合携带戒指的人，所以他主动请缨。Frodo is a hero in every sense of the word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Novato, California: New World Library, 2008.   Print.