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A New GnosisArchetypal Dimensions of Comic Books

A New Gnosis: Archetypal Dimensions of Comic Books [Psychologically, the long-standing popularity of comic books rests in their connectedness to the deep archetypal dimensions of the psyche. C.G. Jung argued that creativity emerges from the play of imagination with fantasy images within the unconscious. From a depth psychological perspective these fantasy images are personified forms of archetypal energies within the collective unconscious. A key archetype within the unconscious is the savior, in which this figure facilitates engagement with evil and opens pathways to wholeness. In this chapter, I explore how comics provide images of the savior archetype and the psychological dynamics associated with this figure. I analyze the archetypal patterns and dynamics within the Fantastic Four stories published during the Silver Age and then provide a parallel analysis of Alan Moore’s comic series Promethea. The analysis considers how each of these series illustrates a religious function within the psyche and explores how changes in the social arena over the fifty years between the Fantastic Four and Promethea have affected thematic elements within comic book storylines.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A New GnosisArchetypal Dimensions of Comic Books

Part of the Contemporary Religion and Popular Culture Book Series
Editors: Odorisio, David M.
Kiehl, Jeffrey T.
A New Gnosis — Jan 1, 2023
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18 pages

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Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
ISBN
978-3-031-20126-4
Pages
141 –159
DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-20127-1_7
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Psychologically, the long-standing popularity of comic books rests in their connectedness to the deep archetypal dimensions of the psyche. C.G. Jung argued that creativity emerges from the play of imagination with fantasy images within the unconscious. From a depth psychological perspective these fantasy images are personified forms of archetypal energies within the collective unconscious. A key archetype within the unconscious is the savior, in which this figure facilitates engagement with evil and opens pathways to wholeness. In this chapter, I explore how comics provide images of the savior archetype and the psychological dynamics associated with this figure. I analyze the archetypal patterns and dynamics within the Fantastic Four stories published during the Silver Age and then provide a parallel analysis of Alan Moore’s comic series Promethea. The analysis considers how each of these series illustrates a religious function within the psyche and explores how changes in the social arena over the fifty years between the Fantastic Four and Promethea have affected thematic elements within comic book storylines.]

Published: Jan 1, 2023

Keywords: Archetype; Comic books; C.G. Jung; Promethea; Fantastic Four; Silver Age

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