Fiction Briefly

A fight over the throne of Wakanda opposes two different ideas of justice. Revenge can be sweet but effective leadership requires more substance.

Clarice Starling doesn't have experience, but she has instinct and determination. She's going to need both to catch a killer and lots of help from a cannibal psychopath.

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained touches on the harsh realities of human nature and the difficulties of going undercover.

Sometimes taking one's "place" in society requires breaking with tradition. In this adaption of an ancient Chinese tale, Mulan carves a place for herself but sets her aims low. Still, she serves as an example of courage in the struggle to be one's self.

Can a woman in ancient Greece win an argument and remain living? Sophocles has us pondering the ambiguity of right and wrong as the gods remain silent over human disputes.

Ancient Roman author, Apuleius, makes his heroine the butt of a joke, but is Psyche as pathetic as she seems?

The hero's journey can be used for villains, too, and it may have you rooting for the bad guy.

Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda makes strategic storytelling choices to keep viewers entertained as opposed to well-informed.

Before George Washington and King Arthur, Theseus created a democracy and pulled a sword out a stone. He also made the Labyrinth famous.

You think you know someone until you do a background check... A look at Hercules's punishment after killing his wife and young children using Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.

J.K. Rowling harnesses ancient myth for her Hero: Harry Potter, and psychologists explain why the hero's journey is so relatable.

Techniques from ancient myth help create Lana and Lilly Wachowski's hero: Neo. Another look at fate versus free will considers the role of society on individual thought.

Sophocles's legendary hero, Oedipus, and his struggles with fate as he unwittingly marries his own mother. Discover why this tragic character has endured for thousands of years.

Rey's character, written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt, has her controversies. This episode compares the hero with her predecessors through plot structures and character archetypes found in ancient mythology. 

The trouble behind George Lucas's legendary hero: Anakin Skywalker. This episode compares the successes of A New Hope with The Phantom Menace through the findings of Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp, and Otto Rank from their research of ancient myths.

The secrets behind George Lucas's legendary hero: Luke Skywalker. This "hero's journey" analyzed through the research of Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp, and Otto Rank compares to plot structures and character archetypes found in ancient myth.