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  1. John Calligan

    John Calligan Contributor Contributor

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    Beyond the Hero's Journey by Adam Skelter

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by John Calligan, Oct 5, 2020.

    We have talked about the Hero's Journey a lot on here, and I know a lot of regulars here have pretty nuanced views on story structure, so I'm sure that this video will seem pretty basic to some people.

    Skelter's video essay is basically saying that the Hero's Journey is seen across cultures because it is the best vehicle for propaganda, religion, and imparting cultural views on virtue, but it is not the end all, be all, of storytelling. He advocates for a more morally complex view, where the reader is invited to watch different moral viewpoints compete with one another, but without suggesting that the POV character is correct/virtuous/heroic, and without the story necessarily having a moral lesson.

    That's even a step past Truby who defines theme as "the writer's view of the right way to live with other people." Truby teaches a much more complicated form of the Hero's Journey, but I think he is still using it. Same with "Saves the Cat."

    Skelter doesn't think modern great TV is using the Hero's Journey at all (Breaking Bad, GoT 1-5, Mad Men).

    What do you think?

     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2020
    Bone2pick likes this.

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