Word of the day: Monomyth

n. (noun) A cyclical journey or quest undertaken by a mythical hero. 'Monomyth' was coined by James Joyce and appears in 'Finnegans Wake.' Examples “When they were all there now, matinmarked for lookin on. At the carryfour with awlus plawshus, their happy-ass cloudious! And then and too the trivials! And their bivouac! And his monomyth! Ah ho! Say no more about it! I’m sorry! I saw. I’m sorry! I’m sorry to say I saw!” Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce “The long line of heroes on a quest (James Joyce called the structure of that journey the monomyth because of its universality) extends not just through literature, but also into film and television. Feature film characters Shane and Luke Skywalker were classic heroes.” David Zurawik, Christina Stoehr, 'Twin Peaks -- The Hero Quest,' Seattle Times, October 7, 1990 “It's also the story of a true hero, in the Joseph Campbell monomyth sense, who manages to be wounded and human and still archetypical.” Book Report: American Gods, by Neil Gaiman