Interpretation Of The Mythological Archetype Of "Martin Eden"

Based on Northrop Frye's theory of myth criticism,this thesis makes a biblical prototype analysis of the main characters,scenes and the theme in Jack London's novel Martin Eden.The characters are interpreted from the perspectives of apocalyptic imagery and demonic imagery,while the scenes and the theme are mainly analyzed by way of symbolism.The thesis consists of four parts.First,it addresses the rise of archetypal criticism and the concept of Northrop Frye's myth criticism,expatiating the conception of the myth phase,apocalyptic imagery and demonic imagery.The second part mainly focuses on the characters in Martin Eden,expounding the archetypes of the characters with imagery of apocalyptic and demonic.The third part mainly probes into such representative scenes as water,home and bank in Martin Eden,expounding their respective archetypes.The fourth part discusses the archetypal pursuit-achievement-loss theme of the novel through the analysis of the plots and characters.Martin Eden is widely interpreted from such perspectives as tragedy,identity,and social criticism by the readers and critics.Based on the analysis of repetitive plots and imagery,by applying the archetypal criticism,it could be concluded that an archetypal structure could be found behind Martin Eden which is often defined as the classical text of the American Dream.Such archetypal interpretation extends the interpretive space of the novel.