Vogler Annotated Bib 11

Alexandra L. Minton
November 17, 2008
Vogler
Annotated Bib 11

Vogler, Christopher. “Stories are Alive.” The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for

Writers. Third Edition. Studio City, CA. Michael Weise Productions. 2007.


Certain stories have endured because they touch a part of the human psyche. They touch upon desires in the audience’s minds. They have a purpose behind them and this is what Vogler talks about in this chapter.
Stories have healing power. Stories can give us examples of human behavior. We can sometimes identify and connect with certain characters and the struggles that they are going through. Stories have survival value. Many stories have been passed down from generation to generation. Vogler mentions that this is a “big step in human evolution.” Traditions and values of a particular culture can be seen in their stories. Stories are metaphors. Story plots can be metaphors for our own lives. Metaphors help us connect our lives with characters. Stories are somehow alive, conscious, and responsive to human emotions and wishes. Stories have an agenda. Their purpose is to change you in some way by teaching you lessons.
Vogler mentions that an underlying theme to stories is wishing. The power of wishing is a strong presence in stories. Wishes give the audience an orientation. It gives the hero a goal.
A hero sometimes makes wishes for things. Heroes want something. One purpose of the Hero’s Journey is to help the hero become more aware. The hero needs to understand that wants are not as important as needs. Wants and needs are different and the hero must recognize this to come out of the adventure a more aware individual.
Western-culture films incorporate the audience’s wishes into their screenplays. Writers seem to be able to deviate more from this standard. Nevertheless, the audience wants wrongs to be turned into rights and they want their wishes fulfilled. If a story does not deliver justice readers may not respond well. When films do not fulfill the audience’s wishes, it probably won’t do well at the box office.
Vogler points out that it is important for a hero to progress from wishing to willing. A hero’s wish needs to be turned into will. Wishing becomes will when it is put into action, when the steps to achieve a goal are set in motion. Wishing can be an important catalyst for heroes journeys.


Questions
1. The girl in Rumpelstiltskin ends up marrying a man who threatens to have her killed if she doesn’t spin the hay into gold but promises to marry her if she does. What kind of message does that send to people? Especially youngsters who the story targets?
2. Give examples of films or stories that do not fulfill audience’s wishes.
3. Give examples of well-known films that incorporate wishing to willing.