45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters

by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Create unforgettable characters your readers will love!

Want to make your characters and their stories more compelling, complex, and original than ever before? 45 Master Characters is here to help you explore the most common male and female archetypes--the mythic, cross-cultural models from which all characters originate.

Explore a wide variety of character profiles including heroes, villains, and supporting characters. Learn how to use archetypes as foundations for your own unique characters Examine the mythic journeys of heroes and heroines--the progression of events upon which each archetype's character arc develops--and learn how to use them to enhance your story. Complete with examples culled from literature, television, and film, 45 Master Characters illustrates just how memorable and effective these archetypes can be--from "Gladiators" and "Kings" like Rocky Balboa and Captain Ahab to "Amazons" and "Maidens" like Wonder Woman and Guinevere. Great heroes and villains are necessary to bring any story to life; let this guide help you create characters that stand the test of time.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Mythology, Crafts, Art, Research

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2001

Reviews

[M. Wehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never cared for the eurocentric "hero's journey" and this book relies entirely on those archetypal characters and story arcs. It claims to be a feminist update, with separate female characters and both feminine and masculine journeys. The author does state briefly in the introduction that those journeys could be undertaken by either men or women, and there is a single "gender-bending" example of each. I just found the reliance on stereotypical (not archetypal) gender traits entirely unappealing.

I'll freely admit that I'm probably throwing out the baby with the bathwater here, but I just got too annoyed with the basic concept to take what is valuable out of it. C'est la vie.

[Hesper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Useful for tween fanfic writers, I suppose, or people who like silly formulas, but that's insulting to both of those groups.

Look: she only marginally grasps the mythological figures she uses as archetypes, has obviously not read all the books from which her character examples are drawn, and operates on a gender-binary, heteronormative definition of humanity that will only hinder character authenticity.

Just avoid it. No half-baked taxonomy will make anyone a better writer.

[K.S.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books are what they are, largely due to strong character archetypes. This book is a phenomenal classroom in your lap for learning all about archetypes and what kinds of character archetypes they need to be put with in order for the main character to grow.

[Amirhossein · Rating 4 out of 5]

"کهن‌الگوی"ی که یونگ از حرف می‌زنه، شاکله‌ی اصلی این کتابه. در واقع نویسنده از ساختار یونگی برای تعریف و تبیین ۴۵ شخصیت تکرارپذیر در داستان‌ها و فیلم‌ها استفاده می‌کنه. بنابراین اگر دنبال نوشتن هستین به شدت کمک کننده است. علاوه بر این کتاب به شدت منظم و مرتبه و طبقه‌بندی فوق‌العاده‌ای ارائه می‌ده که کاملا ذهنتون رو منسجم می‌کنه.

در هر قسمت ابتدا خود اون کهن‌الگو معرفی و ویژگی‌هاش بیان میشه. بعد ترس‌ها و انگیز‌هاش. و درنهایت هم اینکه با چه کهن‌الگوهایی می‌تونه مچ بشه تا به یه شخصیت کامل بدل بشه.

حتی اگر دنبال نوشتن هم نیستین. این کتاب کمک می‌کنه تا نکات جالبی رو درباره خودتون و ادم‌های اطرافتون کشف کنین.

[Jennifer Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a good book on archetypes to help you with your writing, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book (see instead The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders). For me, the descriptions of the archetypes were the weakest aspect of this book, which is why I had to knock off a couple of stars on my rating. Where this book really shines is in its descriptions of the Feminine and Masculine Journeys. The author's breakdown of the different stages and how they are unique depending on the specific story journey of the character was fabulous. Every writer should read this section after mastering the Hero's Journey as explained by Christopher Vogler (another must have book for writers).

I'm keeping this book close while I'm writing my current book and would highly recommend it to other writers. Just because the archetype descriptions didn't work for me doesn't mean that others won't find them useful and essential for creating their characters.

[Mar at BOOKIVERSE · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 stars

This book is especially helpful for newbie writers like me who are creating characters for the first time. Since I had this brilliant idea of pantsing my WIP (NEVER AGAIN! LOL!) the editing process has been a total nightmare! This book helped me come up with realistic character reactions to those plots twists I love so much, especially when I got stuck wondering… WHAT IS MY CHARACTER GOING TO DO NOW??? 🙂

Bookblogger and  Fantasy Writer passionate about TrueStory, OwnVoices, Diversityand Equality, especially Feminism & GirlPower
Find me here: linktr.ee/d.ark.studio
Email: contactme@danielaark.com

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this book more than once, and it's a great look at character archetypes and how to apply them to your own stories. I'm always a sucker for that kind of breakdown. This readthrough, however, the author's gender essentialism struck me pretty hard - so many of the female archetypes revolve around how the woman relates to men, while the male archetypes are allowed to have a much greater breadth of focus. That knocks a star off of what would otherwise be a 5-star book for me. But if you can go into it with a fairly critical eye in terms of gender, there's a lot of good here for all sorts of writers.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The master character models (including the new 46th downloadable character -which link has changed), the supporting character models, and the feminine and masculine journeys are very helpful for crafting a story.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for getting ideas, but I felt like there were many character types missing.

[Mehdi STR · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖊 نویسنده به بررسی تعدادی از مهم‌ترین تیپ‌های شخصیتی با استفاده از اساطیر و خدایان یونانی پرداخته و مثال‌های جالبی هم برای هر تیپ یا کهن‌الگو زده. یعنی علاوه بر معرفی و اشاره به ویژگی‌های هر کهن‌الگو، شخصیت‌های داستانی که توی کتاب‌ها، فیلم‌ها یا سریال‌ها به اون کهن‌الگو نزدیک هستن رو هم مثال می‌زنه.
همچنین تیپ‌های مکمل‌‌ و جنبه منفی هر کهن‌الگو رو هم بررسی کرده.
که اینم نکته خیلی خوبی درمورد محتوای کتابه.

تنها ایرادی که بهش می‌گیرم دیدگاه غالب فمینیستی نویسنده بود که روی محتوای کتاب تاثیر داشت.
از اولویت قرار دادن کاراکترهای زن در ابتدای کتاب و پرداخت به کاراکترهای مرد بعد از زن‌ها، تا امتیاز دونستن این مورد که زن فقط باید از زن یا کودک حمایت کنه و چنانچه زنی از مردها بیشتر حمایت کنه، این ویژگی در مقابل امتیازها و جزو ضعف‌ها اون کهن‌الگو در نظر گرفته می‌شه.
اما این مورد رو که کنار بذاریم کتاب خیلی خوبی بود.

🟪 کتاب رو به عموم مخاطب‌ها یا مخاطب‌های کتاب‌های داستانی پیشنهاد نمی‌دم.
در درجه‌ی اول به نویسنده‌ها، در درجه‌ی دوم به پژوهشگرها یا کسایی که دانشجوی ادبیات (داستانی و نمایشی) هستن و همچنین کسایی که به صورت جدی دستی به حوزه نقد و بررسی داستان‌ها دارن.
در کنار این چند گروه، برای بازیگرها و هنرجوهای تئاتر هم می‌تونه کتاب خیلی خوبی باشه.

[Heidi McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have multiple characters in my books, each with distinct personalities. They all wink and have a roguish grin if I don’t know them intimately. I found the author’s examples of characters in films/movies to be most helpful in narrowing down how each personality would respond, speak, and think in a specific situation. I purchased this book through a used bookseller and am pleased I bought the hardback.

[Airaology · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed with good examples

[HMJ-Bahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Carla Parreira]

Um dos processos mais comuns de criação de personagens está relacionado a utilização de arquétipos pelo autor. Basicamente, os arquétipos na escrita são modelos iniciais, contendo características básicas essenciais que formam o rascunho de uma determinada personalidade e que servem de ponto de partida para a elaboração de personagens. A utilização de arquétipos para estudar o homem vem desde Platão, o primeiro a utilizar o termo, e ganhou grande força com os estudos do psicólogo Carl Jung, que defendia a ideia do inconsciente coletivo na humanidade, ou seja, que os homens de diferentes sociedades possuem características comuns mesmo nunca estando em contato uns com os outros. Jung diz que todo ser humano tem cinco arquétipos principais (A Sombra, A Anima, O Animus, A Persona, O Eu) que se combinam formando seu caráter. Muitos teóricos, não só da narrativa, mas também da sociologia e antropologia, vão avançar os estudos dos arquétipos, buscando cada um a seu modo, definir quais seriam as "personalidades padrão" de todo homem.
Abaixo, descreverei de maneira breve os principais arquétipos definidos por Vyctoria Lynn Schmidt em seu livro. São 8 arquétipos masculinos e 8 femininos, cada um com seu "lado negro", totalizando os 32. Deixei de fora os arquétipos secundários, pois eles são apenas derivados dos arquétipos principais. É um dos melhores estudos sobre o assunto. É bom notarmos que utilizar um arquétipo de "lado negro" na escrita de um livro e obter a simpatia da audiência é uma tarefa complicada, mas que se for bem sucedida trará bons frutos para a obra. Nem todos os escritores são favoráveis a utilização de arquétipos. Um dos principais problemas na utilização desse sistema é o autor criar personagens estereotipados, ou seja, caricatos, simples, sem complexidades. Logo, um personagem realista geralmente é baseado em mais de um arquétipo, se tornando mais complexo. Devemos sempre lembrar que não há nenhuma regra rígida e que podemos criar um personagem masculino usando apenas os arquétipos femininos. Os arquétipos também são totalmente abertos a interpretações e depois do personagem pronto pode ficar difícil determinarmos o arquétipo dele!

PRINCIPAIS ARQUÉTIPOS MASCULINOS:
1. O Homem de Negócios: O homem de negócios é aquele que é viciado em trabalho, vendo o sucesso como prioridade em detrimento de amizades. Geralmente é racional, utilizando constantemente a lógica, tendo necessidade de ver tudo organizado. Como passa mais tempo na sua vida profissional do que familiar, não dá um bom marido ou pai. Usa regras e ordens para evitar seus sentimentos. É o arquétipo clássico do detetive.
2. O Traidor (lado negro do Homem de Negócios): Quando o Homem de Negócios cruza os limites e passa a ter sede de poder. Só enxerga o trabalho, gosta de humilhar e manipular as pessoas, vendo-as como simples peças em um tabuleiro. Muitas vezes acredita estar fazendo o certo.
3. O Protetor: É aquele que busca proteger todos que estão em sua volta, e que deseja viver em uma redoma protegida. Pode explodir a qualquer momento e vive mais de acordo com seu corpo do que sua cabeça. Procura fazer as mulheres se sentirem especiais.
4. O Gladiador (lado negro do Protetor): É aquele que não sente prazer em proteger, mas sim em destruir, tendo ganância e desejo de sangue. Possui um comportamento altamente impulsivo e imprevisível, não se importando com nada ao seu redor. A vida pode se assemelhar a um jogo.
5. O Recluso: É o arquétipo de quem gosta de ficar sozinho, não se sentindo a vontade na presença de muitas pessoas. Pode ter uma vida interior privilegiada e um espírito criativo, que utilizado de forma exagerada leva o personagem a se perder em suas próprias fantasias. Passa horas lendo, estudando e analisando idéias, tendo como motivação o conhecimento. Seus relacionamentos geralmente são direcionados pela mulher, líder da relação.
6. O Bruxo (lado negro do Recluso): Busca o conhecimento para fazer o mal aos outros e ao ambiente, sendo altamente egoísta. O extremo do solitário, buscando evitar pessoas.
7 . O Tolo: É um homem que por dentro ainda é um menino, tendo um ótimo relacionamento com crianças pois possuem várias semelhanças. Ama piadas, e faz amigos por onde passa. Muitas vezes age com inconsequência, pois está sempre buscando viver o agora, sendo um espírito livre. Adora ser o centro das atenções.
8. O Abandonado (Lado negro do Tolo): É o mendigo, vagabundo ou ladrão que fica nas ruas. Geralmente é o homem da lábia que convence e manipula. Se os seus pais forem de uma condição social elevada isso pode ser um grave problema, pois se torna arrogante e acha que está acima da lei.
9. O Homem das Mulheres: Ama as mulheres e qualquer coisa relacionada a elas. Possui fortes amizades femininas e enxerga a mulher como igual ou superior, vendo extrema beleza em todas elas. Muitas vezes não se dá bem com homens mas não liga pra isso. Pode ser afeminado ou não.
10. O Sedutor (lado negro do Homem das Mulheres): É aquele que vive para arruinar a vida das mulheres. Pode possuir obsessão em relação a uma mulher que não lhe dá atenção e gosta de destruir corações, pisoteando sentimentos após a conquista.
11. O Messias Masculino: Aquele que possui uma forte causa, muitas vezes divina. Pode ter características andrógenas e absorver facilmente qualquer outro arquétipo.
12. O Justiceiro (lado negro do Messias Masculino): Sua palavra é a lei, porém não é um vilão no sentido de ganhos pessoais pois acredita que está fazendo o melhor para seus seguidores. Gosta de quebrar o ego das pessoas e humilhá-las para depois convertê-las. 13. O Artista: Está sempre em contato com suas emoções, canalizando-as para algo criativo, mas muitas vezes não as controla, podendo explodir, afetando quem estiver em sua volta. Não é bom administrador e depende de alguém para ajudá-lo. Geralmente é inseguro e demonstra constantemente sua insatisfação, se importando com o que os outros pensam dele.
14. O Abusado (Lado negro do Artista): Quando o Artista não consegue controlar suas emoções se tornando uma pessoa volátil e extremamente vingativa, ultrapassa todos os limites descontando sua frustração em todos ao redor. É o homem que espanca a mulher e logo em seguida envia flores com pedidos de desculpa.
15. O Rei: É aquele que necessita de um "reino" para controlar. Geralmente é um político ou um chefe, vivendo em excesso. Ama dominar. Não consegue enxergar todo o problema e ignora os detalhes e as emoções. Quando fracassa busca preencher o vazio com bebidas e sexo.
16. O Ditador (lado negro do Rei): Quando a vontade de dominar se torna uma obsessão e o personagem passa a desejar mais e mais controle sobre seus subordinados, querendo ser um semideus e controlar o destino e vida dos outros. É capaz de fazer leis sem sentido apenas para demonstrar seu poder, e pode ser passivo-agressivo, geralmente deixando a pessoa cometer um erro para depois puni-la.

PRINCIPAIS ARQUÉTIPOS FEMININOS:
1. A Musa Sedutora: Mulher forte que sabe o que quer, de sexualidade aberta. Gosta de ser o centro das atenções, mas teme a rejeição.
2. Femme Fatale (lado negro da Musa Sedutora): Usa suas qualidades, geralmente físicas, para controlar e manipular os homens. Seu corpo é uma arma.
3. A Amazona: É a feminista, que possui um lado masculino tão forte quanto o feminino. Geralmente é apaixonada pela natureza e é selvagem, valorizando a liberdade. Prefere amizades femininas, mas por muitas vezes afastar as mulheres acaba tendo mais amigos homens.
4. A Górgon (lado negro da Amazona): As Górgons na mitologia grega são as monstras com garras que transformam os seres vivos em pedra apenas com o olhar. A medusa seria uma górgon. É uma mulher agressiva, que age como uma ditadora e faz qualquer coisa para ajudar outra mulher. Possui uma fúria cega e insana.
5. A Filha do Pai: É a mulher que luta para ser igual um homem, e provar que é tão boa quanto um (diferente da Amazona, que luta pela mulher e não se importa em se encaixar no mundo masculino). Sempre argumenta contra a causa feminina e fica ao lado dos homens, querendo ser "um deles". Vê as próprias mulheres como um sexo frágil. 6. A Traiçoeira (lado negro da Filha do Pai): Atropela os outros para atingir seus objetivos e quer chegar ao topo a qualquer custo, utilizando para isso sua inteligência. Se sente totalmente devastada por não poder fazer parte do grupo masculino que parte para a vingança.
7. A Cuidadora: É a mulher que tem o senso de obrigação de cuidar de alguém, colocando sempre os outros na sua frente. Geralmente possui uma profissão médica e normalmente não se importa muito com a moda e nem com a beleza (geralmente sua beleza está escondida). É o arquétipo da mãe e esposa protetora, mas que possui muitas fragilidades. 8. Mãe hiper-controladora (lado negro da Cuidadora): Quando o desejo materno de proteger foge do controle. É a mãe que envenena o filho para poder depois cuidar dele. Provavelmente raptaria uma criança só para poder cuidar dela. É a mestra em infligir e impor culpa nos outros, apenas para que esses não saiam de casa e fiquem sob seus "cuidados". Pode estimular um complexo de inferioridade no filho. Pensa que os outros não podem viver sem ela quando na verdade ela é que não pode viver sozinha, exagera quando está machucada ou tem alguma necessidade, se fazendo sempre de vítima.
9. A Matriarca: É a mulher que está no comando, muito forte, e comprometida, fiel e amorosa. Faz tudo para sua família e exige respeito. Nunca abandona a família e é a esposa perfeita e devota. O seu momento mais inesquecível é o dia do seu casamento.
10. A Desprezada (Lado negro da Matriarca): É a mulher que sofre abandono pela família mesmo fazendo de tudo por ela. Pode fazer de tudo para recuperar seu marido e o comando da situação, sempre achando que seu casamento tem solução. Se o marido tem uma amante, a culpa é da amante e não dele.
11. A Mística: É a mulher de paz e misticismo, que ama ficar sozinha com seus pensamentos. Tem uma mente forte e escolheu uma vida espiritual ao invés de casamento ou desejos terrenos. É um espírito livre que vive em seu próprio mundo.
12. A Traidora (lado negro da Mística): É a velhinha que envenena o marido, onde por trás de uma aparência bondosa se esconde grande maldade. Acredita que ninguém verá o seu lado verdadeiro. Geralmente causa enorme decepção para as pessoas em sua volta quando estas descobrem a verdade.
13. O Messias Feminino: O Messias é o arquétipo de um andrógeno, e as versões masculinas e femininas são praticamente idênticas. São personagens que tem uma forte causa relacionada a um grupo amplo de pessoas. Essa causa não precisa ter necessariamente conexão com algo divino. Pode facilmente conter outros arquétipos. Tem uma força interior que nunca morre e sempre se sacrificará pelos outros.
14. A Destruidora (lado negro do Messias Feminino): Não é uma vilã no sentido simples do termo. É uma vilã no sentido de proteger a qualquer custo o bem maior (como jogar bombas atômicas para acabar com a Guerra). Vê o mundo em preto e branco e muitas vezes provoca mais malefícios do que bondades. Humilha a pessoa para depois convertê-la a sua causa.
15. A Donzela: Vive uma vida charmosa e alegre e não se preocupa com problemas dos dia-a-dia. É uma mulher que corre muitos riscos pois se acha invulnerável. Dificilmente se estressa. Pode ser uma mulher nos 40 que ainda age como uma garotinha, e no fundo não quer crescer, vivendo em um mundo onde casamento, filhos e responsabilidade não ocupam um lugar de destaque. Gosta de depender dos outros e adora variedade e festas.
16. A Adolescente problema (lado negro da Donzela): Mulher fora de controle, obcecada com festas, drogas, sexo e fazendo tudo em excesso. Nunca aceita a responsabilidade pelos erros cometidos e não possui moral e ética. É depressiva, egoísta e invejosa. É irresponsável e se acha acima da lei. Bem, da leitura é isso.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in the hope that it would help me to gain some clarity and guidance with writing a main character. Initially I was worried that the 45 characters might be stale, immovable stereotypes that would block my creativity but I was relieved to find the exact opposite.

Schmidt takes character structures (archetypes) from major literary examples, works of fiction, classic tales and folk lore and sorts them into 45 character archetypes for the reader to explore. Each archetype provides character details, motivations, fears, assets, flaws and details for developing a character arc. They are a perfect starting point for developing unique characters that 'make sense' within the context of fictional stories.

A note to those writing child or teenage characters - the examples given in this book are all adult characters in normative settings. The details are easily adaptable to childhood characters or other-wordly/ fantasy settings, however.

Schmidt also provides some brilliant character development questions for you to answer in the first few pages of the book. Information about blending characters, developing flat and round characters and developing character story arcs is also present and very well written.

My only disappointment with this book, and it is minor, was that there is a fair amount of repetition. The main female characters listed are simply feminised versions of the male characters (or vice versa). In effect, this 'halves' the number of unique archetypes in the book. That said, the division of characters by gender is definitely helpful but I did find the mimicry to be a bit misleading.

Overall, I've found this book to be incredibly helpful and would definitely recommend it to anybody starting on a new work of fiction.

Note: I read the second edition of this book as opposed to the first edition which is pictured.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good stuff, but it could have been much better done. I anticipated a plug-and-crank formulaic writing cookbook, and this book is better than that; the author does give extensive and concrete advice about structure and character development, but in ways that encourage the reader to be original in applying that advice rather than settle for easy cliches. I also appreciated her extensive use of examples from well-known myths, books, films, and TV shows, and her having provided some worksheets in an appendix to help the reader organize his/her own development of characters and stories.

The reason I can't give this five stars is that the writing and editing are just too sloppy - especially in a book about writing! The book is laced with grating grammatical errors and clumsiness, and there are too many homonym-mixup mistakes, e.g. using "shoot" for "chute." I am a professional author, albeit of nonfiction, and I would never have let a draft manuscript in this rough a condition out of my hands and into those of an editor, let alone a final proof. And where was that editor? Ms. Schmidt deserved better, because she clearly put a great deal of thought into this, if not enough attention to detail. Her editor(s) failed her.

I still recommend this for aspiring fiction writers, but one of its lessons has to be an unintended one, the result of hurrying through ideas without going back and polishing them.

[Tez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2008 or earlier, I learned that character arcs were troublesome for me. In 2009, I requested titles of craft books that might help me, and Victoria Lynn Schmidt's 45 Master Characters is a gem. It explains the difference between stereotypes (cardboard cut-outs) and archetypes (realistic characters), going into detail about the traits and flaws of each of the 45 archetypes, as well as examples. However, I don't read classics, I watch only a few movies a year (if that), and my TV tastes are mostly animated comedies, so the examples here didn't really connect.

It all sounds straight-forward, until I realised that my character has traits of two archetypes, which may double my work. And the sections on feminine and masculine journeys...there is a gender-bending example for each, but basically it seems to say that the more action-packed stories are masculine, and the more reactional ones are feminine. So while overall 45 Master Characters may seem like a feminist text, it still seems to pigeon-hole the so-called fairer sex.

Still, I've dog-eared many pages of this library copy, and have just ordered my own to keep.

[Olivia]

I found this interesting and a very creatively fruitful read, mostly because I wanted to argue with author on every page. While it's true that archetypes are powerful and useful tools, I think writing directly from the well of euro centric archetypes is a path so well traveled it is now paved and lined with truck stops and tourist traps that we've all heard of, visited, eaten the sandwiches of questionable provenance and bought the t-shirt.
However, I will say that I found the hero's journey structure (helpfully divided into feminine journey and masculine journey, with some marginal mention of genderbending, *sigh) an interesting jumping off point for structural purposes.

Mostly it was useful to me because it roused my contrarian tendencies and made me angry. :-) So, really, I kind of loved it.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrates character archetypes, based almost entirely on Graeco-Roman gods, and how they act and interact with other characters and sidekicks. Also a masculine and feminine hero's journey is defined and examples are given on how to use them in your work. The author recognizes the patriarchal aspects of many of the stereotypes.

Should you use these in your writing? You probably are without knowing it. Food for thought, discussions and discourse. Used copies are quite cheap.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me an edition with the non-binary journey and I’ll be really sold.

[Floyd Absher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to refer back to every so often when thinking about character development and using some of the classics as models.

[Margie Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

No nonsense book that describes character archetypes in a relatable way. The author uses movie characters and some literary characters. A great book to read for aspiring authors of any genre.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer Jim Thompson was fond of saying that there was only one story: Things aren't what they seem. I'm not sure how many character types there are, but most or all of them seem to either derive from Greek or Sumerian mythology.

Author Victoria Lynn Schmidt has taken this conceit and built a book around it, focusing her attention on the modern instantiations of these ancient types. She uses books, films, historical figures, and even characters in sitcoms to show that what drove the Greek gods, drives us all. She highlights forty-five types, including betrayers, consolers, fools, and wise men and women in her taxonomy of characters.

Imagine "45 Master Characters" as a Reader's Digest version of Joseph Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces," and you're not too wide of the mark. The last third of the book takes the characters delineated in the book's previous sections and shows the aspiring writer the journey that these adventurers, both male and female, either must take or refuse to take. Most interesting of all, the author offers a "gender bender" tale for both the male and female archetypes, an inversion of the Male Hero's Journey and the Female Hero's journey. In "The Long Kiss Goodnight," Geena Davis engages in a character arc typically reserved for the male hero. In "American Beauty," Kevin Spacey's journey of self-exploration that ends in tragedy is a repurposing of a very female tale of repression and conformity.

It's a good, though not quite stellar, book on characters, good, wicked, and ambivalent. Recommended.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without a doubt, Victoria Schmidt's revised edition of "45 Master Characters" is the best character reference guide I own. Not only does the book go into depth about the different archetypes like it promises, the book also gives you access to an additional 46th character you can download off of the Writer's Digest website, and it also has a chapter on creating plots. The book is divided as follows:

Part I: Getting Started
Part II: Creating Female Heroes and Villains
Part III: Creating Male Heroes and Villains
Part IV: Creating Supporting Characters
Part V: Creating Feminine and Masculine Journeys
There is also an index and appendix at the back of the book, the latter being quite useful if the reader/writer decides to follow Schmidt's advice on plot arcs.

The first part, Getting Started, is a short part, but also quite useful. Besides the author providing a clear distinction between archetypes and stereotypes, Schmidt also has a handy little character questionnaire. Normally, I'm not too keen when I have to answer questions like, "what is your character's favourite colour and why?" but the questions in the questionnaire are designed to help the aspiring writer see archetypal patterns in the character, which will help him/her define what their characters' dominant archetype is. She also has a list of motivating factors.

The next two parts of the book are real gems. They are PACKED with information on potential backstories for each archetype, character flaws, fears, motivations, how other characters might perceive this character (both positive and negative views), and more. I also love how the author made a "good side" of the archetype and an antagonistical side. For example, with the goddess Demeter, her good side is The Nurturer but her villainous side is the Over-Controlling Mother. On the topic of Demeter and other gods and goddesses, I especially love how the author decided to base the archetypes on mythic models. This makes it extremely easy to visualise what the characters may be like, and also makes remembering the various archetypes easier than they would be without a mythic base. At the end of each chapter, Schmidt provides a list of literary, historical, TV and movie examples for the archetype just described. I find it especially interesting how even though there are so many characters based on the same archetype, there are still many different characters that can spring from that foundation. For example, I never would've guessed that both Captain Kirk (Star Trek) and Jerry Springer (Seinfeld) were both based on Zeus' archetype. These two sections of the book are super helpful when it comes to laying down the basic foundations of one's character(s).

Part IV, Creating Supporting Characters, is just as helpful as Part II and III. The author not only goes on to explain the main archetypes for friends and rivals, but also talks about symbolism. Personally, I'm not the type of writer who actively seeks out placing symbolic characters throughout my manuscript, but I will find this section useful when asked to do a novel study for a class or when asked to write a short piece of literary prose.

The last part of the book is badly mislabelled, being called The Feminine and Masculine Journeys. When I first got to this part, I was very confused, wondering if there was a difference in the journeys male and female protagonists must go on. There might be a slight difference, but when the author started going deeper into her explanation, I realised she was talking about something else. This part could also be renamed to Plot Driven vs Character Driven Stories, Literary vs Commercial Fiction, and several other names. The fact that she labelled these fiction styles as Feminine and Masculine Journeys might not bother some people, but even if it does, don't let that stop you from thinking this is a good book. However, in terms of content for this particular part, I found nothing that especially stood out to me. Every piece of information I was reading I could easily find in another book on plot, such as James Scott Bell's "Plot and Structure" and Larry Brook's "Story Engineering." The advice on structure was very formulaic, but at the same time, I agree with pretty much everything she noted. Nonetheless, I would still find the last section of the book a lot more helpful if I were writing a movie script.

So if the book is this amazing, you might be wondering why I only gave it four stars. The answer is the feminism. To be honest, I found that the character archetypes being separated into male and female categories unnecessary and annoying. While flipping through the pages in the book store, I felt it was okay that Aphrodite and Artemis acted the way they did, but when I got to Athena, I was also annoyed. Being the only female archetype who is a business women, part of her motivating factors involved "wanting to fit in with the boy's club." Um...what? Knowing a couple female professionals in private industry, I can definitely say that they did not become business women because they wanted to "prove they [were] equal to men," but because they love what they do. The feminism and sexism doesn't stop at these three goddesses. (There is a useful review here explaining the feminism and sexism towards both genders in the book: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3GE5QBE...) As a result, whenever I refer to this book, I'll most likely be looking at the male section for the bulk of my characters, regardless of gender. Obviously, these archetypes will also just be a basic foundation.

Overall, I definitely got my $17.06 money's worth from this book. I read it from cover to cover in about a day and discovered a WEALTH of information. It's sitting on my desk along with my other character references (Writer's Guide to Character Traits and Nancy Kress' Dynamic Characters), but this will be the one I'll refer back to most often.

The verdict? Buy this book. It will sharpen your characters into three-dimensional ones and do wonders for your plot. Just be warned about the stuff I mentioned.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no book on the planet that does a better job of revealing the characteristics of archetypes so well. In my opinion, almost anyone reading this book is likely to exclaim at least a couple dozen times, "Oh yeah, I get it!" Schmidt, a former screenwriter, know her people and personalities and has a talent for coming up with the perfect set of mythic or modern characters to help the reader understand and relate. I especially liked the chapter entitled "How to Use the Archetypes" that explains the motivation of the characters by asking the questions: What does your character care about? What motivates her? What does she fear? and "How do other characters view her? At the end of that chapter you are even given optional exercises to help you explore ways to create you own character.
In addition, I love the illustrations. Visual example of the archetypes are sprinkled throughout the book. Those examples are often reproductions of famous book illustrations or photos from plays or films.

[Marie Garwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I loved this book. I’m rating it 5 stars not necessarily because it is some kind of modern classic, but more so because it is a new staple of my craft book library.

If you enjoy the Myers-Briggs personality test and thinking in terms of different personalities when creating characters for your stories, you will love this book.

I gained a lot to think about in terms of my own characters from all the different perspectives this book discusses. The strength of this book is the amount of information and examples it provides! If there was a character type I didn’t understand as well, I typically understood it much better after referencing some of the examples of that character type in other media.

I didn’t enjoy reading about the masculine and feminine journeys as much, but those portions of the book were still helpful as well.

If you need some help fleshing our your characters, pick up this book! You’ll at least walk away with some new ideas if not the answers you’re looking for.

[Josef Arc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch ist wirklich hilfreich, wenn es darum geht, einen passenden Archetypen für seine eigenen Charaktere in Geschichten zu finden. Allerdings finde ich, dass die Beispiele, die sie nennt allesamt etwas abgedroschen sind und vor allem für den amerikanischen Leser gedacht sind, da ständig irgendwelche Serien genannt werden, mit denen ich als Deutschsprachiger bisher nichts zutun gehabt habe. Es könnten mehr Informationen über das Zusammenspiel der Archetypen geben, sodass man mehr über die Kombination dieser versteht und es wer auch hilfreich, wenn drin geschrieben stände, warum einige Charaktere eben nicht miteinander auskommen.

Ansonsten bin ich sehr zufrieden mit dem Buch und gebe es guten Gewissens 4 Sterne.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d been meaning to 45 Master Characters for quite some time. I’ve owned it for a number of years, but my current drive to push my story ideas beyond my thoughts and into words (still slow going) inspired me to finally read it cover to cover. The book largely explores character archetypes, which it defines as the foundation that characters stand upon; a blueprint for the writer to build from that preserves their creative spark. The idea of discovering my characters within this book’s frameworks always seemed like a great way to understand them even more, as well as maybe point out contradictions that I hadn’t noticed to correct flaws in design.

The book divides archetypes by sex, starting with female. Each has eight different archetypes, headed by a classical deity that embodies the core ideas of that archetype, which is then split into heroic and villainous interpretations. For example, the archetype represented by the goddess Demeter is The Nurturer or the Overcontrolling Mother. Each represents two sides of the same coin. Each chapter is respectably thorough in exploring its archetype, and follow a familiar framework each time that makes it easier to refer back to if need be. Later chapters go on to cover the importance of supporting characters, the different roles they can fill, and finally the feminine journey and masculine journeys are laid out in detail. There are handy worksheets in the Appendix as well that one could use to plot out their own stories within these frameworks.

Something important to remember, which I struggled to keep in mind myself, is that what this book lays out is not word of law. I found this to be especially important to keep in mind the archetype chapters. These archetypes as laid out are ultimately supposed to be foundations only, so while Schmidt does get rather specific when detailing them as characters I made sure to see them not as requirements but as fine-tuned examples. I had a subconscious desire to be told what to do, which is contrary to the point. Much of the legwork for building up a character is still left up to the reader. For example, during my reading I realized that while a lot of well-known warrior women characters fall under the archetype of the Amazon, that does not mean other female characters are not allowed to be athletic or combative. To think this way would be to rely too much on what the book says at face value. An archetype speaks more about an underlining attitude the character has, not necessarily what they can or can’t do.

Furthermore, the values and fears listed are not checklists that must all be met, but a pool the reader can pull from or play with. Don’t feel as if you must make sure your character must tow these lines either. Schmidt does a rather good job of repeatedly emphasizing that a story is meant to challenge and/or change the core aspects of these characters over its course. As a small criticism, however, I do feel she could have done a better job emphasizing that the archetypes are much more flexible than her examples may be making them sound. I won’t fault her for expecting critical thinking from her readers, but at the same time they are coming to this book for instruction and reference, so it might have helped to show how varied interpretations could be. There are a few cases where she cements a certain concept as inherent to an archetype, and while I don’t disagree that it’s important, I’m more curious to know how a writer might redefine it.

Another shortcoming I found was how dated some of the references could be when bringing up examples of an archetype “in action.” While there were plenty of obvious ones like Luke Skywalker or Wonder Woman, as well as other characters from popular series or films, I did find that a number of others I had to take the author’s word on. As for the use of Ancient Greek deities (as well as Isis and Osiris) to represent the archetypes themselves I found her usage of them to be nearly perfect. When looking into what others thought of the book I found some people complaining that they were too Eurocentric. While that is the case, I won’t fault the book for it simply because the Greek gods have been such a fixation in Western thought for over a century that for the intended audience they (for the most part) easily evoke what their respective archetype is meant to be, in a way that Mesopotamian or even Norse pantheons could not.

Though perhaps not as useful to writers looking to break certain molds or think far outside the box, I found 45 Master Characters to be a fantastic writing reference book that got me thinking more deeply about my own characters and story in ways that I hadn’t before. Where things were not clear for me, I really have been able to more firmly cement ideas, see where they need to begin, as well as what works, what doesn’t, and why. I found the book’s particular focus on female characters and the feminine journey especially valuable, particularly its lesson that a journey being “feminine” or “masculine” does not limit it to one sex only. While not the only reference guide out there, and certainly not a required rule book, it is nonetheless a valuable resource for those looking for more guidance. There is also a revised edition of this book (which is not the one reviewed here) that may address some of the shortcomings I brought up.

Review originally posted on my blog here.

[Samantha Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of stuff I can use for writing in here. I like the specifics of most archetypes. Some of the supportive character ones were a tad weak (like the Best Friend archetype does Best Friend stuff and is the Best Friend, uh, cool). But the 8 major male and female archetypes are good.

I'm not 100% sure how I feel about the idea of male and female archetypes, though. Some of the gender stuff is outdated. On the other hand, there are a lot of examples, and I think this book reflects literature and society.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having very little experience with archetypes, this book was full of new concepts for me. The archetypes were thoroughly explained with great lists of potential flaws and virtues, as well as references to Greek gods that made each one memorable. I also enjoyed the section on the hero and the heroine journeys. Thank you for a great reference, Victoria Lynn Schmidt! I would love to see an in-depth version of this book, with even more detail and examples.