Story Structure
Hero's Journey
Detect monomyth beats and flag missing stages in the Hero's Journey archetype.
What It Does
Maps narrative content to four key stages of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey (Monomyth), using keyword patterns and positional validation:
- Refusal of the Call — expected in the first 30%
- Crossing the Threshold — expected around 20–40%
- The Ordeal — expected around 50–75%
- Reward/Return — expected in the last 30%
If at least 2 beats are detected (suggesting the text follows a monomyth structure), missing beats are reported.
Why It Matters
The Hero's Journey is one of the most pervasive story structures in world literature. If your narrative naturally follows this pattern, knowing which beat is missing can reveal a structural gap. A quest without a Refusal feels too easy. An Ordeal without a Reward feels unresolved. This analyzer doesn't prescribe the monomyth — it detects when your story is almost following it and shows where the pattern breaks.
What Gets Flagged
Missing Monomyth Beats
Severity: Information
Example (flagged):
Hero's Journey: detected monomyth structure but missing: Crossing the Threshold, Reward/Return
Why: The analyzer found a clear Refusal of the Call and Ordeal, but no evidence of the hero physically leaving their familiar world (Threshold) or receiving a reward for their trials (Return).
Beat Descriptions
| Beat | Position | What it looks for |
|---|---|---|
| Refusal of the Call | First 30% | Negation + safety vocabulary: "can't," "afraid," "too dangerous," "stay" |
| Crossing the Threshold | 20–40% | Travel verbs + new locations: "journey," "cross," "venture," "portal," "beyond the" |
| The Ordeal | 50–75% | High-tension markers: "death," "battle," "sacrifice," "confront," "greatest fear" |
| Reward/Return | Last 30% | Achievement + return: "reward," "treasure," "transform," "return," "homeward" |
Minimum Requirements
- At least 3 scenes and 500 words
- At least 2 of 4 beats detected before reporting missing ones (to avoid flagging non-journey narratives)
Configuration
No configuration options.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Document-level (position-based within the overall word count)
- Method: Keyword regex with positional constraints; cumulative word count per scene to determine position