Isadora Wing -- The Huntress?
Thinking of My Favorite Literary Heroine's Archetype
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Her post made me start thinking about Jungian archetypes. Jungian psychology has always fascinated me, When my novel is finished, published and becomes a best seller (manifesting), I would love to schedule sessions with a Jungian analyst. That would let me know for sure what archetype I am. I think I fit “The Maiden” or “The Mystic” from the seven feminine archetypes.
Though my skills in pegging archetypes for people are inadequate, I began to think about the archetype of my favorite literary heroine Isadora Wing from Erica Jong’s iconoclastic first novel Fear of Flying. A satirical bildungsroman, Fear of Flying tells the story of the 29-year-old poet who embarks on a European journey to find uncomplicated sexual fulfillment from a stale marriage. Instead she finds anything but. By 50 years, Isadora predates Bella Baxter of Poor Things whose own coming-of-age story is a distorted mirror of Isadora’s.
My uneducated guess is that Isadora’s feminine archetype is “The Huntress.” Isadora seeks liberation—sexual, artistic, feminine, intellectual—and this forces her to make an unforgiving reflection of her early life and where she is at when the novel begins. Isadora has a goal. Though her goal goes sideways, she ends at a better place. The novel ends with her embracing her identity. She will use that identity as she proceeds into an unknown and terrifying future.
There are seven feminine archetypes: The Sage, The Lover, The Huntress, The Mystic, The Maiden, The Mother, and the Queen. For my female readers, which one do you believe you are?
Join the salon! Share your thoughts in the comments. Some questions to consider and help you get started.
1.) If you know Jungian psychology and have read Fear of Flying, do you agree with my archetype for Isadora? If not, what archetype do you think Isadora is?
2.) What archetype do you think Kamala Harris is?
3.) Who is your favorite literary heroine? What archetype do you think she is?
Agree on Isadora. I’d call Kamala the sage.
What a fun and stimulating read! I need to do some thinking to answer the last question. There are too many to count!