REELING AND WRITHING XXII: THE MESSIAH TALE

REELING AND WRITHING
or,
Miss Dermark's 2015 Advent Calendar

DAY TWENTY-TWO


THE MESSIAH TALE
or
A CHRIST BY ANY OTHER NAME

Since there is "Christ" in "Christmas" and we've only got two days left to our great Christmas Eve Surprise... here's the plot archetype of the Messiah plot as written by Michael Chase Walker. For we need more stories about crucified saviours who would gladly drink the hemlock for the sake of us sinners:

These are not just formulas, but principles that have worked since time immemorial. [A plot archetype is] a highly developed, time-honored and impeccably structured means for telling a certain type of story... a neatly assembled arrangement of events so powerful, the sheer use of it will communicate to your audiences the very nature of the conflict ahead.

The Messiah Story

Here we have the transformed hero enter the provincial world "as a stranger with wondrous experience and remarkable powers." S/he's going to clash with the authority figures, but make friends among the outcasts.

The Provincial World

In this archetype, we're dealing with "an advanced society, ruled by three tiers of political power: the prevailing authorities, the marginal powers and the oppressed insurgent rebels." The Messiah counters all of these, because s/he represents "spiritual power" and liberation, whereas all these earthly powers seek to subjugate - to "oppress, control, or enslave."

The Prevailing Authorities

An "elite foreign government" who want to maintain status quo so they can continue to exploit the commoners. They care about riches, not people. They're powerful and confident.

The Marginal Powers

These are those who are "most threatened by the arrival of the orphan/magician wanderer," since they are even more power-hungry than their rulers are. This category covers the bureaucrats, as well as those who turn against their own kind to work for the overlords in the hopes of getting favors.

The Insurgent Rebels

Seeking to overthrow the Prevailing Authorities. They might be "likable, well-meaning, and more noble than all the others," but they still seek to force their will onto the common folk.

The Orphan / Magician / Messiah

An idealist who wanders into town. S/he is "a champion of the poor and underprivileged, as these are the good souls who have fed and clothed him along the way." Also, to a certain extent, s/he might be The Fool.

Disciples and Adversaries

Betrayal, Persecution, and Judgment

Death and Resurrection

All right, if you know the story of Jesus, or Han Solo, or Aslan, or Kikyo (rare female example), or Ellen Ripley (another female example), or maybe Dany Targaryen... you get the picture. A picture millennia older than Christianity and still looked up to in fiction.