Either Joseph Campbell or some of the works of Carl Jung, from whom I think Campbell may have developed some of his ideas, would be a good place to start on this topic. Campbell's archetypes are pretty interesting, and he explains them in one book by going in-depth into Star Wars and the movie version of the Wizard of Oz as examples of the Hero's Journey and the archetypes that go along with it. I wrote my high school senior thesis on the subject, especially because those are two of my favorite movies.Kalato wrote:I always thought that “the tunnel of white light” was due to the optical nerve fading away as part of the dying process. I’d like to know more about the “archetypal symbolism” Sacks mentions, some universal examples. Maybe I find something in Joseph Campbell. I am not familiar with that at all.
The History Channel also had a special on the historical and archetypal workings in Star Wars, where they talk about Campbell's theories (George Lucas actually worked with Campbell to create some of the themes in Star Wars), Greek myths, Kirosawa movies, and other mediums George Lucas drew from when creating Star Wars. I know you can find it to buy online, but it may also be on YouTube somewhere and the History Channel airs it from time to time. I saw the first half of it, and if you like Star Wars, it is definitely worth watching.