As explained in the Disconnected Writer's blog article, "Archetypal Literary Criticism," "The Heroic Quest Pattern is the most common archetypal pattern found in literature. The quest pattern reflects the hero or protagonist’s life journey. Just as circumstances in our lives are different, the circumstances faced by literary characters are also different. On our journeys, we have similar experiences, but not the same ones. Our lives go through stages." This quote agrees with much of what I have stated, aside from the implications that the quest is a "life journey," giving it the connotation that it must be much more glorious and magnificent than a trip to the grocery store for white bread or a stroll down the block.
Another riveting example of the literature quest is found in the many wonderful tales of Narnia. The young Pevensie children travel to Narnia to escape the boredom of seeking temporary refuge in a dull old house. While there, they encounter a wicked witch, an easily labeled nemesis, who opens the doorways to many challenges and trials for them, from betrayals to deaths. At the close of their lengthy journey, the children learn about the importance of sticking to their family and to what they know is true.
Foster's first chapter to his insightful book had many readers, including myself, very intrigued with his brilliant analyzation. It caught me off guard, with a pleasant surprise, due to the way he so eloquently spun a small action, one I may never have thought of as quest-worthy material, into a heaping bale of golden hay, like a modern-day Rumplestiltskin. This golden tale allows readers to view journeys of all kind as an odyssey of a quest, from its original meanings and destinations to its trials and tribulations all the way to the final realization and reception of self-knowledge.
