In this chapter, Joseph Campbell writes about the significance of female figures in the adventures of heroes. More specifically, he states that “The Lady of the House of Sleep is a familiar figure in fairy tale and myth” (Campbell, 2004, p. 101). This claim means that the narrative would be incomplete without such a character, and the men would not be motivated to pursue their goals in adventures in the absence of ladies. Indeed, the end target is essential for overcoming hardships on the way, and the granted reward should be comparable to the challenges. Hence, the thesis confirms that the specified characteristic of heroic stories is one of the cornerstones of the narrative of this type.
In order to support this standpoint, the author puts this quote in the context of popular legends. For this objective, he traces the origin of this approach from the ancient Irish oral tradition and, more specifically, “the tale of the Prince of the Lonesome Isle and the Lady of Tubber Tintye” (Campbell, 2004, p. 101). This method helps him determine the common elements of all similar literary works and, consequently, underpin his suggestions with credible evidence. In this case, these components include the challenges one faces to make them start a journey, the detailed description of hardships on the way, and the ultimate victory, accompanied by meeting a beautiful woman.
Considering the context and the general meaning of the quote, it can be stated that the selected phrase implies the presence of similarities in all fairy tales and myths across different cultures. It means that female figures in these pieces are generally powerful, and their importance is no less significant than that of male heroes. Since princes and warriors in all literary works of the genre are willing to fight monsters and overcome numerous obstacles to reach them, this opinion seems credible. In addition, the fact that the women are sleeping adds to their perception as inactive characters, which greatly depend on their saviors.
The main reason why the selected quote is the primary claim of the text is the incorporation of all details of this part in one sentence. For instance, the phrase solely refers to females as the ladies are stated as important figures. It also specifies that they are sleeping and waiting for the male heroes to save them in their castles. More importantly, the fact that the author highlights the familiarity of these characters to the reader is also critical for interpreting the messages of these literary works. In the end, the quote explicitly determines the genres which are reported to have the discussed feature.
To summarize, the chosen part of the text, written by Joseph Campbell, is a compelling piece of writing characterized by its combination of brevity and comprehensiveness. It speaks about the particular significance of female characters in myths and fairy tales and, more specifically, their role in the motivation of male heroes to overcome obstacles in their adventures. By referring to famous legends for context, the author explains that this feature’s development took centuries, and it is still present in contemporary works. In turn, the selection of the quote for examination was conditional upon the inclusion of essential details on the subject. Thus, the review of this part of the book showed that the specified circumstance is a common characteristic of different stories within the genre.