This is a question I am curious about, and am not sure of the answer. This seems the best place to satisfy that curiosity. In general, I have found that the Star Wars myth, the Lord of the Rings myth sit so well with men. It is rare that I find a female who likes these myths, there are occasions, but it is rare. When thinking about the application of the myth as symbolic of the individuation process, it seems very much oriented towards the masculine journey.

Is this the reason why it is not so popular amongst females? And if so are there feminine myths, and how do these myths differ from more masculine myths?

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Rook,
The Star Wars series is the fundamental path that all 'heroes/heroines' experience, male or female. Although the primary focus is on the masculine there is also the feminine heroine in Princess Leia. What resonates with the unconscious mind of both male and female is the archetypal representations {images from the movies}. George Lucas used Joseph Campbell's monomyth as the basis for Star Wars. It is the story of the hero within us all, also the dark side and other universal emotional patterns. The actual tale of Luke seeking his father is a common mythological theme {especially in Native American mythology}. And while the main heroic characters are masculine the universal {archetypal} patterns are within us all and are unconsciously recognized whether we consciously understand them or not.
To get a better understanding on the making of Star Wars I suggest you read this page Star War Origins.

Jerry

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I know what you are talking about and I also agree with the second poster. It strikes a cord with both male and female. However, I think it can be taken as a more masculine myth because of the role of many of the characters, but also keep in mind that women (and men) in main stream culture are taught what to like and what is feminine and what is not. And for the most part females learn that we aren't supposed to identify with star wars and such, we “supposed” identify with romantic comedies and legally blond. So I think sometimes what seems to be the case concerning this has a lot to do with culture and learned idea’s rather than a given, but that’s just how I see it at the moment. Do you know what I mean?

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Thanks Jerry, and thanks Holly both for you input.

I see what you are both saying. My step-daughter has an interest in Star Wars, and her mother hates it. I think I will go buy Episode 1 for the two of us...

And yes, I think we are all shaped by societies expectations of us, especially during the school years when we are young and more impressionable. It is that need to fit in at school that makes us behave how we think others want us to behave. Probably more impacted by peers than teachers/parents.

Ironically I have found that the way I percieved people wanting me to act is not at all based on reality, and what people like about me is nothing like what I expected. But then that does depend upon what particular group of people I am talking to.

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It seems to me that's it's more portrayed in movies and myths that the male is the one who perseveres, has the challenges to overcome, while the female is the help that is given to the male, the one who heals. It also seems that it's more females who have magic, power, take on the role as guardian. It's very rare to find a myth with a heroine who doesn't come across as masculine.

Sexual scripts (the things society tells us are to be associated with each gender), it seems, lead us to stories with a strong male lead and a loving, nurturing female support.

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Rook,
Along with buying the Star Wars 1 movie I suggest you also watch Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth videos {6 one hour interviews with Bill Moyers much of which was filmed at George Lucas' Luke Skywalker ranch}. You can watch the videos at my page located here. These videos will provide you with the basic tenants of the hero path and journey and insights to the psychology behind the series. It is also a great primer for anyone interested in learning Jungian psyche. It was from this series back in 1992 that I realized my inward journey to wholeness and lead 6 six years later to the birth of Myths-Dreams-Symbols and eventually to this Dream Forum.

Jerry

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Thanks Jerry!

But I don't know if work would be too happy with me streaming live videos off the net.

Might have to go see if I can buy a copy someplace, or else possibly get my father to download it onto a dvd...

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Hi Rook, Jerry and Holly too,
It's likely that it's more the male perspective that dissuades interest by women. The damsel in distress is the male journey. Isn't the woman's path through individuation all about questioning her emotional responses and rationalising her behaviour? Note the Leia character . . . she is resistant to Luke's overtures. She doesn't behave like a vulnerable damsel in need of being rescued. I would say that the woman experiencing individuation is pretty much the same. She's becoming independent in thought, feeling out her own power of reason, strategy and control. Thus Star Wars seems like an affront to a woman's self-determination. Of course, a little girl is still in need of protection and thus a knight in shining armour with amour is still attractive.

Finding out what underlies the modern and ancient masculine-feminine myths is very compelling for me. Not so much in the effort of integrating my own masculine-feminine qualities, but rather understanding the nature of polarity, duality, paradox, opposites and complimentaries. It just feels like there is a mystery to be discovered. We take for granted that procreation requires male and female. Yet simple life forms are able to replicate without pairing. I associate gender-based sexuality with an elemental necessity for genetic diversification, adaptation and evolution. To me, the masculine-feminine polarity exists for the purpose of eventually mixing up genetic code to the point where it becomes homogenous again. That links to the Ourobos, the circle of life and the universal process of separating to develop complexification only to return again to the beginning, but at a higher level of consciousness.

In physics we find electron and positron, matter and antimatter. We've learned that electrons have twins that are entangled and participate in non-local behaviour . . . modify one - even through observation - and the twin, regardless of where it is in the universe is also modified. Then we have the myths of male and female, gods and goddesses and twins. Micro-cosmology - nature - emulates macro-cosmology - the universe and it would seem the myths represent this metaphorically and symbolically. I also think the portrayal of attraction, affinity, eros and love speaks to the attraction of polar opposites.

Now, there's something very peculiar that happens when electron meets it's twin positron . . . they are very, very attracted to one another, but when they get close enough, they REPEL each other. When forced beyond this point of affinity to collide, guess what happens!!! They explode into two photons and are themselves annihilated! When matter and antimatter meet, they produce light. (For the science look here to start: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1701/what-is-antimatter-how-was-it-discovered)

Having a little understanding of physics, let's look at the masculine-feminine myths again. Strong attraction and affinity is always central as 'love at first sight' or some magic or other circumstances that joins or draws the two together. Then comes the tragedy, such as found in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Arthur and Guinevere, Adam and Eve, and so on. Their larger-than-life love ends with death.

Now, when we look at Anima and Animus and the individuation process, we see the result is a balancing out of polarities, which is the dissipation of strong opposites that might cause dichotomous internal conflicts within men and women. A fruitful journey through ones psyche results in a rather androgynous character with little if any pronounced gender qualities. The sexuality is, in essence, annihilated.

Back to Star Wars . . . Leia is woman, mother of matter, representing the life-giving, life-nurturing element. Luke is man, with warrior-hunter spirit, aiming his will at destruction of life. Woman resists man to maintain matter, but man desires to conquer woman and in effect return to light and homogenous equilibrium within the universe. Women are all about maintaining matter, while men are all about restoring the antimatter that seems to be missing from the universe. The battle of the sexes, the paradoxical attraction-repulsion between sibling (if not twins) Luke and Leia, the Alchemy Twins, the Sun and the Moon . . . all masculine-feminine mythology and symbolism lead us back to physical laws of our universe.

If women don't typically like Star Wars it's because they don't like the way the story of the universe ends. We just seem to be built for the 'Happily Ever After' fairytales. Men, on the other hand, are built for the battle of good (light) versus evil (darkness) and finding the lost treasure - antimatter.

Maybe my explanation is a little bit of an aside from this post, but I can't help but imagine the bigger questions that underlie the small ones.

Cheers,
t

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