What Is The Blueprint For Stories About Heroes?

By NPR/TED Staff

Published December 18, 2015 at 7:55 AM MST

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"There is a certain typical sequence of actions which can be detected in stories from all over the world and from many periods of history." — Joseph Campbell

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Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode The Hero's Journey.

For thousands of years, human beings have told stories about heroes embarking on epic journeys.

Mythologist Joseph Campbell was the first to identify the hidden blueprint embedded within these stories — the specific stages that protagonists undergo to emerge as heroes.

Host Guy Raz raises the curtain on this episode by exploring the hidden blueprint embedded within our most popular and powerful stories — including its influence on George Lucas as he wrote the first Star Wars film.