Data Collection Update #1

Hi guys, welcome to the first update on my data collection.

So recently, I’ve been changing up my methodology a little bit because there are a few different methodologies I could use, and I’m still working on deciding on the best one. When looking at ways to analyze archetypes, I’ve considered everything from methods for analyzing archetypes in fantasy films to studies on the difference between character archetypes and narrative archetypes, and even specifically looking at the difference between film archetypes and fairy tale archetypes.

Because I haven’t finalized my list of movies yet, I’m doing a bit of a trial run and performing early analyses of films to see which ones best fit my analysis of the SHADOW archetype. Again, during my research on archetypes, I found it really fascinating how many of the archetypes I was interested in actually lined up perfectly with the characteristics and sociopolitical and gender points I wanted to investigate about Disney movies and Disney in general. With Disney, I specifically wanted to explore ideas of masculinity and femininity within evil, and how gender identity is tied to and influences our concepts of Good and Evil. The archetypes of the anima and animus perfectly represent this, talking about femininity within masculine characters and masculinity within feminine characters.

The shadow archetype seems perfect for the way I want to talk about villainy in Disney films and how villainy is often a projection or subversion of the protagonist. When we look at evil as a direct subversion of some values or fears, it makes the storyline and the interaction between characters much deeper, giving more meaning to the roles their archetypes are playing. Additionally, because I’m talking about the shadow being the subversion of the persona, I find it interesting that in many fairy tale scripts and translations of fairy tales, the relationship between two women is often the most important and interesting part. The demonization of female relationships—whether that’s the complete subversion of the mother figure or having the characters’ relationship be indicative of something more—makes the idea of using the stranger archetype really clearly tie into the points about gender I want to explore.

Early Analysis:
I’ve just rewatched a few of the films that I shortlisted to analyze in greater detail, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King, Maleficent, and Cruella. I think these films are especially interesting because, yes, they all feature specific and iconic villains, but I think analyzing the subversion of what each of these characters represents is very intriguing.

I haven’t done an in-depth analysis yet, but so far, I’ve noticed an interesting shift in the shadow dynamic. As I mentioned, the idea of pitting women against women is a story that’s been told for a very long time. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, you clearly see the idea of the jealous stepmother or the jealous, magical older woman in competition with a younger damsel in distress. When we talk about the shadow being a darker reflection or repressed feelings, these films are about innocence, femininity, and women fighting women.

However, somewhere along the way, there’s a shift. I’d argue that The Hunchback of Notre Dame introduces a dynamic where two men—Quasimodo and Frollo—are posed against each other. This makes for an interesting dynamic that I might want to explore further. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an incredible movie full of ideas about sin, religion, politics, and loss—concepts that Disney typically doesn’t delve into. But there’s a point where it shifts from women fighting women to women fighting men. In Beauty and the Beast, the main villain is Gaston, and the film touches on toxic masculinity. In Beauty and the Beast, the patriarchy represents the repressed shadow that needs to be fought. Similarly, in Frozen, something that’s often overlooked is how Elsa can be seen as a typical Disney villain: a possibly asexual woman with magical powers. However, in a surprising twist, Hans becomes the villain instead, and in doing so, it almost seems like the film is making a statement about fighting patriarchy. At some point, within these films, the protagonists aren’t just fighting patriarchy—they are also fighting other reflections of themselves. This makes the shadow archetype more complex, and I find it incredibly fascinating in relation to the ideas I’m trying to explore. It opens up a larger door for analyzing gender in these films.

There is still a lot more data I need to collect, and I will be working on finalizing my movie list, doing more in-depth analyses, and using quantitative methods to analyze characters based on a codebook and a set of traits. However, the data I’ve already gathered shows promise that the shadow archetype does evolve over time, and there’s something interesting to say not only about the change of the archetype itself but also about the evolution of other archetypes, such as the anima and animus, over time.

Oral Defense Question of the Week:

If you had three more months to work on this research project, what additional research strategies would you put into practice?

I honestly would probably analyze a film or a few from each of Disney’s eight eras. I’m still wondering if not covering all eight will create some bias, especially since choosing more than one film from a genre that’s more prolific than the others feels slightly off to me. I would also analyze more than just one character archetype; I’d likely explore a few different archetypes. I think it would be interesting to dive deeper into the connections between various archetypes and how they interact in a film, as well as how philosophers view those interactions in the psyche. Additionally, I would research more types of archetypes—not just character archetypes, but overall narrative archetypes and structures as well.