The Senior Honors Thesis I wrote during my senior year at Carnegie Mellon University examines the archetype of the female hero in young adult — specifically coming of age — fantasy fiction. Even years after completing and presenting the thesis, I’m still fascinated by this topic and I continue to pursue it in a non-academic sense through my fiction.

If you have any questions regarding the thesis, or if you’d like to read the whole completed thesis (all 106 pages of it) please contact me and we’ll arrange something.

The Abstract

I am examining the archetype of the female hero in young adult fantasy literature by analyzing and extending Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero put forth in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Fantasy literature is the modern descendant of the traditions of the epic and romance, in which the archetype of the hero initially became familiar to Western culture. Several modern fantasy novels by Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, Garth Nix, and Philip Pullman feature strong female protagonists with agency, determination, courage, and empathy in the context of a fantasy world, making them real and believable agents for heroism and change in today’s world while reflecting on and alluding to the ancient tradition from which their motifs derive. These books explore possibilities of what empowered, confident young women can do to help improve their lives and societies, qualifying them for the archetype of heroism.

The Argument

My thesis combines a lot of critical theory, arguments, and research with my own analysis of primary fantasy texts. (See my bibliography for more information regarding references.)

There are two main arguments in my thesis: firstly, a discussion of the genre of fantasy in general and its unique capability of conveying deep meaning against an unusual and exciting setting; and secondly, a discussion of the archetype of the hero and a demonstration that female characters (like real life women) are equal to the tasks set to male heroes, and that female heroes are different — but no less capable of being heroic.

Read an excerpt.

Check out my bibliography of both primary and critical texts.

Copyright Note

Please keep in mind that this thesis and all pieces and content of it posted on this site and elsewhere belong to me, Erin F. Danehy, and Carnegie Mellon University, where I wrote, researched, and presented the thesis and where it’s currently on file. Please contact me with any questions regarding attribution.