Dream of a thousand heroes: the archetypal hero in contemporary mythology, with reference to The sandman by Neil Gaiman

Abstract

Twentieth century American fiction assimilates archetypes of traditional mythologies, in particular the hero archetype, to create a contemporary mythology which relays social issues relevant to its age. This is first approached by creating a theoretical framework, which primarily consists of both Jungian theories of the collective unconscious and the model on which Joseph Campbell based his conception of the archetype in what is known as myth criticism. The theoretical framework also introduces and describes the graphic novel and its use of characterisation distinctive to post-modern fiction.

The Sandman, which is the subject of this study, is then contextualised against the backdrop of the evolution of the American comic book, with its influence of folklore, mythology and visual presentation. Through an overview and analysis of The Sandman series as a whole, as well as a reading of its pivotal narrative, The Kindly Ones, this thesis explores the way in which The Sandman fulfils its purpose of integrating an archetypal hero into contemporary mythology. This is achieved by validating claims proposing the existence of a contemporary mythology through an analysis of Morpheus, The Sandman's protagonist and his unique heroic journey. The conclusion reached is that The Sandman indeed represents a contemporary mythology that contains a new form of social commentary, incorporating archetypes from traditional mythology and re-evaluating the role of the hero in this day and age.