Heroes, heroines, and others: Men`s and women`s quests in the 1970`s an archetypal, feminist approach

Abstract

Quests since antiquity have been stories about brave anddaring men. Men, such as Odysseus, Jason or Parsifal, have riskedtheir lives, set off for exotic lands, obtained the object of theirquest and brought it back for the good of their kingdoms. What aboutthe women? Are there no women's quests? If so, what patterns dothey follow? Have these patterns changed in time? How do women'squests differ from men's quests? This thesis addresses thesequestions.First the patterns of men's quests must be understood. TheQuest for the Holy Grail will be taken as the prototype of a man'squest. Contemporary men's quests will be seen as an inner Grailquest. The Snow Leopard by Peter Mattheissen will be taken as anexample of a man's quest of the 1970's, a quest for innerunderstanding.Next, women's quests will be considered. The Myth of Psycheand Eros, not the Quest for the Holy Grail, will be taken as theprototype for a woman!s quest. Heat and Dust , by Ruth PravarJhabvala, the novel of a woman's striving to gain sovereignty overher own life, will be taken as an example of a woman's quest of the1970's. Certain salient differences - notably the role other peopleplay in helping the hero/heroine realize his/her goal, the emphasison means versus ends, as well as differences in plot structure - willbe pointed out between men's and women's quests.