Vogler Annotated Bib 5

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Third

Edition. Refusal of the Call. Meeting with the Mentor. Studio City, CA. Michael

Weise Productions. 2007.

The Refusal of the Call is the stage that usually follows immediately after the Call to Adventure. Many times, a Hero is reluctant to embark on his journey and makes up excuses as to why he cannot, at the present time, go on the journey. Forms of Refusal include looking backward, dwelling in the past, and denying reality. If a Hero does not overcome his past demons, the Refusal can lead to tragedy. Sometimes the Refusal of the Call can be positive. By refusing, the hero may save himself much trouble. There are willing heroes and because those heroes are ready to embark on a journey and have already accepted their call, danger of the adventure may be seen through other characters. When a hero is unwilling and refusing the call, meeting with the mentor can calm the heroes’ fears.
The Meeting with the Mentor is the next step in which a Mentor figure protects, guides, teaches, tests, trains and provides magical gifts to the hero. Due to the mentor, the hero gains supplies, knowledge and confidence needed to overcome fear and commence the adventure. Many stories are solely focused on this relationship. With the Mentor teaching the Hero, wisdom and experience of one generation is passed onto the next. Mentors can be seen in folklore as witches, wizards, spirits and gods or goddesses. Vogler mentions Chiron, a famous centaur who trained Greek heroes like Hercules. The origin of Mentor comes from The Odyssey. Mentor stems from the Greek word, menos, which means mind. Menos can also mean courage.


III. Refusal of the Call
A. Dramatic Function
1. signaling the audience that the adventure is risky
B. Avoidance
1. common grounds for refusal is past experience
C. Excuses
1. weak excuses
2. they would undertake the adventure, if not for a pressing series of engagements
D. Persistent Refusal Leads to Tragedy
1. looking backward, dwelling in the past, and denying reality are forms of Refusal
E. Conflicting Calls
F. Positive Refusals
1. Hero is sometimes wise in refusing a call when that call is a temptation to evil or a summons to disaster
G. Artist as Hero
1. Campbell “blandishments of the world”
H. Willing Heroes
1. danger of the adventure is acknowledged and dramatized through another character
I. Threshold Guardians
1. test the hero’s commitment to the adventure
J. The Secret Door
1. Law of the Secret Door
2. stories are symbols of human curiosity, the powerful drive to know all the hidden things, all the secrets

IV. Meeting with the Mentor
A. Function
1. to protect, guide, teach, test, train and provide with magical gifts
2. because of the Mentor, the Hero gains the supplies, knowledge, and confidence needed to overcome fear and commence the adventure
B. Heroes and Mentors
1. stories devoted entirely to the process of mentors teaching students
C. Sources of Wisdom
1. wisdom and experience of one generation is passed on to the next
D. Mentors in Folklore and Myth
1. witches, wizards, witch doctors, spirits, gods, goddesses
E. Chiron, the Centaur: A Prototype
1. man and horse
2. Mentors often show that they are connected to nature or to some other world of the spirit
F. Mentor Himself
1. enthused about learning
G. Avoiding Mentor Cliches
1. defy the archetypes
H. Misdirection
1. mask of a Mentor may be used to trick a hero
I. Mentor-Hero Conflicts
1. being ungrateful or violent can hurt the Mentor-Hero relationship
2. question a Mentor’s motives
J. Mentor-Driven Stories
K. Mentor as Evolved Hero
L. Critical Influence

Questions
1. Explain the Artist as Hero.
2. Give examples of misdirection in Mentors.
3. Explore centaurs.