(Arc)hetypes: Collective Commemoration and Transformative Trajectories in Un village français

This article links the myths of France during the Second World War with Joseph Campbell’s concept of the monomyth by arguing that, during the Occupation, France played host to heroes and anti-heroes each “with a thousand faces”. It provides an insight into various tiers of society at the time; bureaucratic, clandestine and victimized. By analyzing archetypal characters (collaborator, resistant, victim), this work examines narrative trajectories against the themes of agency, responsibility and corruption. This television series’ engagement with personal transformations during a complex historical period offers an in-depth, nuanced exploration into French life during the Second World War.