OotP - feeling just a bit resentful...

[ewdotson]

No: HPFGUIDX 61853

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Dennis Grant" <trog at w...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" <Zarleycat at a...>
> wrote:
> 
> > But,  I don't understand why the hero, the young initiate, the 
> > person  on whom the burden is laid, has to have his support or
> > parent or mentor die. 
> 
> Because it's a common theme in Western heroic literature.
> 
> The hero loses his family ties, this throws him towards a mentor, 
who
> often (hrm, forshadowing here mayhap?) dies himself, usually right
> before the Hero Finally Strikes Out On His Own To Carry Out His 
Quest.
> 
> There's a book by.... I want to say "Carpenter".... "Universal Hero"
> or some such... anyway, it covers this in great detail. This book 
was
> a strong influence on George Lucas, to the point where the first 
three
> Star Wars movies are pretty well a distillation of Carpenter's (I 
hope
> I've got that name right) book.

[snip actual meat of post]

I just wanted to observe that the book you're thinking of is 
_Hero_With_A_Thousand_Faces by Joseph Campbell, in case anyone reads 
your post and wants to look into it.

ewdotson