If you love stories with found family, rich characterization, and a sense of community, or if you’re a genre fiction writer, this book is a total game-changer. Gail Carriger demystifies the feminine journey in fiction with wit, accessibility, and tons of pop culture and literary references. Whether you’re writing, reading, or just love deconstructing your favorite stories and movies, you’ll come away both validated and inspired. Fans of romance, fantasy, cozy mysteries, and anyone tired of ‘lone wolf’ storytelling will find new frameworks and fresh appreciation here.

Who May Not Like This Book:

If you prefer super-tight, concise craft books, you might find Carriger’s style a bit repetitive or more conversational than academic. Some readers felt certain chapters digress into tangents (like deep dives into Gothic fiction) and that the text could be a little shorter. If you’re uninterested in literary theory or you’re looking for a traditional hero’s journey analysis - this might not hit the mark.

Packed with insight and humor, The Heroine’s Journey is a must-read resource for anyone who loves, writes, or studies stories that center collaboration, connection, and character growth through community.

About:

The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger explores the differences between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey, offering insights on archetypes and tropes that make up each journey. Carriger delves into female-centered myths such as Demeter, Isis, and Ishtar, providing a framework for writers to understand and apply these concepts in their own stories. The book also discusses the importance of collaborative and supportive elements in the Heroine's Journey, contrasting it with the more individualistic and vengeful traits often seen in the Hero's Journey.

Through humor and pop culture references, Carriger guides readers to recognize and appreciate the heroine's path, offering a fresh perspective on character development and plot structure. The book serves as a tutorial for writers, highlighting the significance of crafting well-rounded heroines and showcasing how the Heroine's Journey can enhance storytelling in various genres.

Characters:

The characters analyzed are often archetypal representations, highlighting the importance of community, support, and collaboration in female-centered narratives.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is approachable and engaging, using humor and accessible language with pop culture references to enhance understanding.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot focuses on analyzing and contrasting the Hero's Journey with the Heroine's Journey, emphasizing the significance of collaboration, emotional connections, and community in storytelling.

Setting:

The setting revolves around contemporary fiction and classical mythological references, discussing narratives in a variety of media.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally engaging, though some critics note instances of repetition or lack of coherence in certain sections.

I’m going to start by providing a foundation of shared terms and vocabulary. This is so that when I use a word like theme you know what theme means to me. I tend to find that semantics are the source ...

Notes:

The book contrasts the Hero's Journey with the Heroine's Journey.

It emphasizes how heroines build collaborative support systems rather than acting alone.

Gail Carriger provides historical context for the Heroine's Journey.

The book critiques Joseph Campbell's male-centered monomyth concept.

Carriger discusses three female-centered myths: Demeter, Isis, and Ishtar.

The Heroine's Journey is seen as validating and uplifting for many writers, especially those in genre fiction.

The author uses contemporary fiction examples to illustrate her points.

It helps readers understand the narrative structure and tropes of both journeys.

The book's approachable style makes complex theory accessible.

The book argues that love and shared experiences are strengths for heroines, contrasting with the solitary strength often depicted in heroes.

Has Romance?

The book discusses romance as a component of the heroine's journey, indicating a medium presence of romantic elements.

From The Publisher:

What is the Heroine's Journey? How is it different from the Hero's Journey? What makes Harry Potter different from Star Wars? Twilight from Wonder Woman?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gail Carriger uses her comedic style to explore the mythological foundation of one of the most joyful and powerful narrative structures we have access to as storytellers. She teaches you to identify it, write it, and use it to recover from writer's block.

FIX YOUR STORY Explore hidden messages. Learn hacks and tips to improve your writing and make it more commercially viable. Gain insight into under-studied story arcs, tropes, characters, archetypes, and modern market desires. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE Guaranteed to make you look at plot structure in books, video games, movies, and TV differently for the rest of your life.

Take control of narrative while redefining notions of strength and identity. This book will change how you write, read, watch, interact, and think about genre fiction and the world around you. 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.

September 2020

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323 pages

Reader Stats (2):

Want To Read (2)

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The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture

Gail Carriger

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