▁produce ▁the ▁many ▁versions ▁of ▁the ▁ur - story ▁or ▁ur - my th . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁considerable ▁similarity ▁between ▁struct ural ▁literary ▁theory ▁and ▁North rop ▁F ry e ' s ▁arch et yp al ▁criticism , ▁which ▁is ▁also ▁inde bt ed ▁to ▁the ▁anth rop ological ▁study ▁of ▁myth s . ▁Some ▁critics ▁have ▁also ▁tried ▁to ▁apply ▁the ▁theory ▁to ▁individual ▁works , ▁but ▁the ▁effort ▁to ▁find ▁unique ▁structures ▁in ▁individual ▁literary ▁works ▁runs ▁counter ▁to ▁the ▁struct ural ist ▁program ▁and ▁has ▁an ▁aff inity ▁with ▁New ▁Crit ic ism . ▁ ▁History ▁and ▁background ▁ ▁Through out ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁exist ential ism , ▁such ▁as ▁that ▁prop ounded ▁by ▁Jean - Paul ▁S art re , ▁was ▁the ▁dominant ▁European ▁intellectual ▁movement . ▁Struct ural ism ▁rose ▁to ▁prom in ence ▁in ▁France ▁in ▁the ▁w ake ▁of ▁exist ential ism , ▁particularly ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁The ▁initial ▁popular ity ▁of ▁struct ural ism ▁in ▁France ▁led ▁to ▁its ▁spread ▁across ▁the ▁glo be . ▁ ▁Struct ural ism ▁rejected ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁human ▁freedom ▁and ▁choice ▁and ▁focused ▁instead ▁on ▁the ▁way ▁that ▁human ▁experience ▁and ▁thus , ▁behaviour , ▁is ▁determined ▁by ▁various ▁structures . ▁The ▁most ▁important ▁initial ▁work ▁on ▁this ▁score ▁was ▁Claude ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁ 1 9 4 9 ▁volume ▁The ▁Element ary ▁Struct ures