Patterns in storytelling

You have probably read a book and recognized many of the story lines without having read it before. There are certain patterns which are very common in fiction literature and tends to show up in all sorts of colorful disguises.

A lot of stories have a common origin in the deepest myths of mankind that are common to people throughout all time. Just like fear of the dark there will be common elements with other writers who are also touching those myths. Many writers also tend to lend material from ancient mythology, legends or simply even from other similar writers.

The hero myth pattern studies were first popularized by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. Campbell was in turn influenced by Carl Jung’s psychology theories.

Old-school content at Borders in San Francisco.

A classic sequence of events in mythology is:

• The foreshadowing: Some sort of prophecy is revealed, speaking of a Chosen One that will, for instance, bring order to chaos.
• The leaving: The characters, including the Chosen One, will leave their homes embarking on a dangerous journey…
• The wilderness: …which will take them through a perilous path, quite often an enchanted forest or such.
• The crisis: The Chosen One must make a decision.
• The action: That decision will lead to an inevitable battle against the dark forces (there are always dark forces).
• The transformation: The Chosen One will evolve according to the prophecy.

Many of these events appear in a lot of popular stories, especially when it comes to genres as fantasy or science fiction. For instance, they are easy to discover in:

1. Eye of the World – first book in fantasy series "Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan
2. Fellowship of the Ring – first book in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. A New Hope – first released film in the "Star Wars" saga with plot by George Lucas

Finally, we often have the half-happy ending with a lesson to be learned. Or else it would have been a bad story for the campfire.