Vogler pg.'s 83-105

Summary

In this section of the reading Vogler discusses "The Ordinary World" as well as the "Call to Adventure". The beginning of the story is where the ordinary world is set-up and sometimes a prologue can even precede this part of a story if necessary. The hero must be shown in his or her ordinary world in order for the reader to be able to recognize when they enter their special world. This is also a place for them to "make an entrance" and for the reader to become aware of who this hero is. What the hero is doing when he/she makes an entrance is critical to the story because their actions give suggestions about what he/she is going to be like. Also, making the hero relatable as well as showing what they lack is necessary for a successful piece. The call to adventure is the trigger to get the piece moving. The call to adventure can be given by a herald or messenger type character and can be delivered in many forms: temptation, distastefulness, a loss, or the only option. Regardless, the call to adventure is an unstable situation that requires the hero to act and shows the necessity for change. The hero may be reluctant or not depending on what type of hero he/she may be.



Reaction

I liked Vogler's use of The Wizard of Oz to further clarify the ordinary world and the call to adventure. I never thought of the use of black and white/color to show the differences between the ordinary world and the special world, but now it all makes sense. I also never realized that the three farm hands that helped her later translate to the lion, the tin man, and the scare crow. This portrayal echoes Vogler's idea about foreshadowing the story in the ordinary world. I agree with Vogler, "The opening of any story, be it myth, fairy tale, screenplay, novel, short story, or comic book has some special burdens to bear. It must hook the reader or set the tone of the story, suggest where it's going, and get across a mass of information without slowing the pace" (83). I think these two sentences are the most important part to take away from this reading. As, a reader if I am not engaged from the beginning of a story I am less inclined to keep reading or take interest in it.



Reflection

After I submitted the first draft of my story, you wrote nice ordinary world section. I guess I subconsciously had an idea of the "ordinary world", but after reading this section of the book I feel there are other considerations, and more that I can add. Sometimes it seems the beginning of the story is the hardest to write because it needs to be informative as well as interesting without being too lengthy. I often find myself writing the whole paper and then going back and writing the introduction after I have decided what the most important things are to convey to the reader. In movies especially the ordinary world can make or break the rest of the audience's experience. I particularly enjoy watching the hero in his/her ordinary world in fairy tale movies, and then seeing the comparison with them entering the special world. I think the recent Disney movie Enchanted does an excellent job with this contrast.

Questions:

1. What do you believe is the most necessary piece of information to convey to the reader/audience in the beginning of any story? Why?

2. What types of things do you look for to identify with a hero?

3. Do you agree with the statement,"Various theories of screenwriting acknowledge the Call to Adventure by other names such as the inciting or initiating incident, the catalyst, or the trigger" (Vogler 8). Why or why not? Do you think a story can be "triggered" before call to adventure?