Final Project Abstract Essay

This paper explores the re-visioning of the mythological hero Tiogar in the short story Tiogar and the Tunnel by Colin Sean Teatro. It begins by defining the general image of the hero, which includes information about the hero’s schema and the heroism narrative or script. It then identifies the characteristics of the hero archetype that are used in the revision and how this archetype can be combined with other archetypes. In particular, this paper makes use of the female hero archetype combined with the mentor and the trickster archetypes. The re-visioning of the hero archetype in the context of the hero’s journey is also based on the hero’s character – that of a tragic heroine -- which determines her actions and reactions during the journey, as well as her relationships and interactions with the other characters in the story. Moreover, this paper uses the reflexive methodology of the Cultural Schemata. As such, it makes use of the writer’s own interpretation of the world, as well as other forms of media such as literature and film. In particular, this paper references the literary works of Olivia Butler (Wild Seed) and Linda Hogan (Power), as well as the analyses and interpretations made by Madhu Dubey, Lewis Hyde, Ingrid Thaler, Jacqueline de Weever, and Marilyn Jurich with regards to the role of animals, power dynamics, and heroines in literature. In addition, this paper references the movies The Book of Eli and Skins in which the heroes had a lot of similarities with this paper’s main character.