The heroine journey in adolescent literature

Joseph Campbell's groundbreaking work on the hero journey alerted man to an archetype that has lived in literature from the time the first story was ever told. His work has allowed men the opportunity to know themselves better. Maureen Murdock has now refined that work to include women and has developed a heroine's journey. These journeys have both similarities and stark differences, but both allow men and women to know themselves better through models in literature. Mary Pipher in her work has alerted society to the great need of young women for strong models to help them survive the stormy years of adolescence. By comparing Campbell's and Murdock's work and acknowledging the needs of young women as outlined by Pipher, a review of the heroine journey in Newbery winning novels shows that there are literary models that can assist young women in a positive direction for their own journeys.