The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture
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4.6 • 9 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Tired of the hero's journey?
Frustrated that funny, romantic, and comforting stories aren't taken seriously?
Sad that the books and movies you love never seem to be critically acclaimed, even when they sell like crazy?
The Heroine's Journey is here to help.
Multiple New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a clear concise analysis of the heroine's journey, how it differs from the hero's journey, and how you can use it to improve your writing and your life.
In this book you'll learn:
How to spot the heroine's journey in popular books, movies, and the world around you.The source myths and basic characters, tropes, and archetypes of this narrative.A step-by-step break down of how to successfully write this journey.
What do Agatha Christie, JK Rowling, and Nora Roberts all have in common? They all write the heroine's journey. Read this book to learn all about it. From Harry Potter to Twilight, from Wonder Woman to Star Wars, you'll never look at pop culture the same way again.
With over a dozen NYT and USA Today bestsellers, and over a million books in print, popular genre author and former archaeologist Gail Carriger brings her cheeky comedic tone and over a decade of making her living as a fiction author to this fascinating look at one of the most popular yet neglected narratives of our time. The presentation she does on this subject sells for hundreds of dollars.
"I'm not sure how you can just rewire my brain to see the heroine's journey like this and then expect me to make coherent, thought-out comments about the text when all I want to do is hold it in my twisted little grip while I shove it at people screaming like a madman and pointing at passages." ~ Author Beta Reader
Gail Carriger uses the heroine's journey to produce bestselling, critically-acclaimed books that genre blend science fiction, cozy mystery, young adult, urban fantasy, romance, historical fiction, and alternate history. In this non-fiction book she uses her academic background and creative writing skills to bring to life the archetypes, tropes, story beats, themes, and messages inherent in the heroine's journey. Part treatise on authorship, part feminist literary criticism, part how to write guide, Carriger uses mythology, legend, and 19th century literature to explore movies, screenwriting, books, and audience desires.
This is an excellent writing reference for genre fiction authors seeking to improve their craft or for readers and pop culture enthusiasts interested in understanding their own taste. It is the perfect counterpoint to The Hero with a Thousand Faces not to mention Save the Cat, Women Who Run With The Wolves, and The Breakout Novelist.
Customer Reviews
Light hearted treatment of a literary structure
Most of us have heard of the hero’s journey. Gail presents a compelling argument that the heroine’s journey is an equally valid (and probably more commercially successful) structure to hang a story on.
Her writing is clean and humorous and she provides significant data to support her thesis in an enjoyable format. It does lead to the question of what other types of journey’s might be out there, other than those of the hero and heroine.
Very cool!
A funny and insightful look into a pervasive but often unheralded story type, the Heroine’s Journey. Gave a name and a structure to something I’ve always felt scratching at the edges, in my writing and in others’, but never consciously understood. Well now I do, and it’s really rather wonderful. I will be returning for reference. The knowledge is, as they say, comforting.
Thanks, Gail!