An Annalysis Of The Archetypes In Seton's Works

Ernest Seton Thompson(1860-1946)is a famous naturalist and writer in Canada,and a pioneer of animal novels.By analyzing the prototypes in 46 animal novels published by Seton,we found that there are abundant characters,motifs and structural archetypes in the text.Analyzing Sidon's novels from the perspective of archetypes is helpful to jump out of the shackles of previous studies and rely on the prototype theory as a basis to discover the complexity and forward-looking of Sedon's works.In terms of character prototypes,the protagonists in Sedon's animal novels have certain similarities with the heroes in myths and legends.By describing the hero Achilles prototype represented by the old wolf king and the ram Kuragu,the prototype of the Lux Samson transformed into a black horse,and the identity represented by the steppe wolf ladder diagram and the bear king Jack,he was double nurturing "Hercules" prototype,Seton established the animal's subjective status,highlighted the heroic character of the animal's protagonist,and subverted the traditional concept of human supremacy.In terms of the prototype of the motif,this article mainly discusses three important motifs,namely,revenge action driven by instinct,autocratic and kind mother love of wild animals,and the death and rebirth of the life of the wild animals.Analyze the human-like emotions of animals through three motifs,and further determine the relationship between animals and humans.Therefore,human beings need to learn from animal life if they want to solve the problems of modern civilization.On the one hand,we must restore the relationship between humans,animals,and nature.On the other hand,we must find a way to get rid of the modern civilization from the original emotions.The archetypal creation of characters and motifs naturally leads to the appearance of structural archetypes.In the novel,there are three archetypes of adventure—return,conflict—antagonism,desire—chasing.The application of these structural prototypes enhances the mythical surrealism in Sedon's works and reproduces the heroic adventure story different from modern life.The heroic characteristics and legendary stories of animal protagonists help modern people to be freed from the ordinary daily life,highlighting the scientific and theoretical connection between Sedon's literature and mythological prototype.On the whole,Sedon's animal novels have rich prototype connotations,and this is an important aspect that has always been ignored by Sedon researchers.Through prototyping and analyzing the theoretical relationship between Seton's novels and myths and legends,the modern significance of Seton's novels can be clarified,and the depth and breadth of the study of Seton's animal novels can be further enriched.