A Practical Guide

Vogler's first chapter in "The Writers Journey" appears to be a brief overview of what he will be covering in greater detail throughout the book. He introduces a "took kit" of elements which comprise successful narratives. Before defining these elements he defines the cultural purpose of narratives and how they can be formulaic in the sense that all humans beings create and interpret them based on a set of inherent principals, or the "collective unconscious". Culturally, stories deal "childlike universal questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where will I go when I die? What is good and evil?" (p. 5) and so on and so forth. They are meant to provide people with, at least the illusion of answers to these queries. He also mentions that the major players in these stories are archetypes-- almost stock characters who embody a certain trait or traits which represent the "different aspects of the human mind" (p.4). Vogler then states that just about all narratives feature a "hero's journey", and follow a standard arch of events which are employed to tell his or her story, as well as give it significance.  The first step is creating a contrast between the "ordinary world" and the new one which the hero has entered. Next comes a call to adventure or action when the hero is introduced to the challenge before him. Typically this is followed by refusal of the call, in which the hero doubts himself or the cause. He then meets his mentor who guides him. Along the way he faces tests, allies and enemies before the final struggle to obtain what he seeks. He briefly reaps the rewards, before one final challenge on the road back, and then inevitably returns with what he sought out to find.  Vogler illustrates each of these elements with examples from well known films and TV shows, and also points out that despite the formula, there are infinite variations on "the hero's journey" narrative.

I have encountered this story telling rubric before, as it is essential to understand when reading or studying mythology. It has also been used in communications related models of persuasion, based on the theory that humans process all information in the form of a narrative, even when it isn't a "story" that they are being told. The examples Vogler used to articulate his point were solid, in the sense that they clearly embodied the components of the arch, I especially appreciated the fact that he pointed out how most of the ancient arch is applicable even to modern day romantic comedies, which don't necessarily feature quests of mythic proportions. 

I of course, agree that the map Vogler uses to chart narratives as they appear in on screen or in literature is the dominant rubric in story telling as we know it, however there are also those artists who go deliberately out of their way to avoid adhering to it. For instance independent film makers who pride themselves on making "slice of life" style movies with little plot, and no resolution don't a lot, if any, of the elements described in the chapter, but still succeed in creating a culturally significant narrative, thereby establishing a new story telling formula. I do however, understand that Vogler's background is in big budget film making, an industry bound to following the "hero's journey" model, as is most literature, and in the end it is the one we as humans process most coherently. 

What I found most interesting is that Vogler seems to be torn between defining writing, or rather story telling as an art or a craft. This, whether or not you can quantify creativity, is a very prevalent dilemma in the humanities. I have wondered this myself about fields such as writing and journalism. Vogler does not appear to have a straight answer, nor do I believe that one exists. While he doesn't disregard artistic ingenuity, he also seems confident in that all story telling follows one rubric or another, even "high art", such as the aforementioned indie movies adhere to guidelines which stipulate a deviation from the conventional "Hero's journey". In my opinion, some forms of story telling can be written of as a craft, for instance news stories reported on by journalists, for the most part follow one outline with different names, dates, locations and events inserted into it, which allows for little creative freedom. Certain Hollywood films, intended to draw revenue by appealing to a mass audience are very formulaic, preferring accessibility over ingenuity-- especially genres such as romantic comedy, teen horror and action flicks. However other dimensions of story telling are in no way bound to the components listed in The Practical Guide, or find ways to put a new spin on the traditional story arch.

Aside from the arch, I find it difficult to discuss the universal story telling formula without getting into archetypes, which Vogler briefly mentioned in the first chapter, but will elaborate upon in the next, which I look forward to reading and discussing.