The Heroine's Journey
some observations, more questions
Lately, I’ve been fascinated by a small but reliable genre of movies and literature. It is the female coming-of-age journey, as told through a young woman’s experience in a magical world where expectations are turned on their heads and nonsense is the status quo. Strangely, these stories tend to be written by men, but women do seem to connect to them on a visceral level.
The heroine’s journey differs from the usual hero’s journey in that it is not really a progression of obstacles to surmount that imbue the protagonist with the knowledge and experience needed to meet future obstacles. The wisdom these women gain is more about identity and the shattering of illusions. There is almost always an undercurrent of bodily changes that point to the power rooted in female sexuality (something I have never understood). The result is a putting away of childish comforts and an acceptance of power and responsibility.
Labyrinth, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Alice in Wonderland, Mirrormask, Coraline, The Wizard of Oz, Pan’s Labyrinth, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Cat Returns… They seem to pop up every few years, and they share a bundle of tropes and conventions. But I am left with a number of questions.
Why are they all written by men?
In what ways do they tap into the collective female unconscious?
What is the Heroine’s Journey, if we can plot it out or name the elements?
What is the significance of these stories’ riddles, confusion, and sinister whimsy?
What should we title this genre in order to inspect it?
What other works fit into this genre?
I don’t have a lot of answers, because I want to hear from women, instead of becoming one more male writer codifying female rites of passage. And so, I ask the intelligent and intuitive women who read this to chime in with their thoughts or experiences. More than an essay, this is an invitation to dialogue and a request to be taught.
Please, discuss.