- Paperback: 440 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press; 2Rev Ed edition (17 Sep 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691017840
- ISBN-13: 978-0691017846
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
24,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Mythology > Storytelling
- #16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Philosophy
- #36 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Mythology > Folklore
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Product Description
Review
‘A brilliant examination, through ancient hero myths, of man’s eternal struggle for identity.’ Time
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Product Description
In this compelling and influential work, Joseph Campbell scours the myths of the world to reveal the characteristics common to heroes from all cultures and periods.
Mankind has always used fantastical stories as a weapon against fear and ignorance. But despite their infinite variety of incident, setting and costume, the myths of the world present us with remarkably similar heroes. Through meticulous research, Joseph Campbell has identified the composite hero, the common thread that runs through Apollo, Buddha, the Grimm Brothers’ Frog King, and thousands of others. By comparing his findings with the words of such spiritual leaders as Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, Campbell shows how the myths of the world hold a mirror to our notion of heroism – and our interpretation of life itself.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 105 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Joseph Campbell was one of the great souls of our age. I've read this book twice, first on my own and the second for a class in "Myth, Religion & the Mythic Imagination." I read the paperack to tatters, literally, marking each illuminating, exhilirating insight. "Dry"? "Not a fun read"? What book did YOU read? Campbell is unlike other writers on myth; he looks not at an entire myth but at its parts. By the end of the book, he has essentially created the Ultimate Hero Myth, which takes bits of every hero myth from virtually every culture (heavy on Native Americans). Campbell was not a dispassionate academic--this was his gospel, and he lived by it. This book is alive and inspiring like no other book I know. One unique aspect of it at the time it was published was its approach to Christianity. For Campbell, Christ's life had to be seen as a myth. Before him, most Western scholars wouldn't have dare to say such a thing. Others had written on that, but in a skeptical manner. Campbell's view is that the Virgin Birth, miracles, Resurrection, etc have meaning only because they ARE myths. Look, there'd be no "Star Wars" without this. No "Sandman" comics from Neil Gaiman. No "Watership Down." This book is for the intellectual who wants to LIVE, not just to sit sterile at the desk. Recommended like mad.
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent and very informative read. So absorbing couldn't put it down until finished! The author presents this book in an innovative and interesting way : a psychological interpretation of the hero throughout human history and across the continents analysing various myths and legends. A must for all budding authors because the book can be used as a blueprint for writing novels through its in depth look at the role of the hero.
84 of 89 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"A hero is someone who has given himself to something bigger than, or other than, himself."
That sort of definition conveys the wide applicability of "the hero cycle" articulated by Campbell. His influence on George Lucas' Star Wars films is, of course, well-known.
Campbell's thrust is to blur the distinction between established religious orthodoxy and mythology. He bluntly states that "all religions are true for their time; they are true as metaphorical representations of the range of human psychological and spiritual experience".
The very substantial influence of Carl Gustav Jung is felt throughout Campbell's work. Religious ideas are METAPHORS. When one becomes "stuck to one's metaphor", one misses the point of religion, which is - to awaken one to the presence of these forces within oneself, and instead becomes embroiled in creedbound religious formalism.
Jung maintained that "religion" is a defense against a religious experience, that if one constantly projects these ideas outwardly, rather than seeking to find and elaborate them inwardly within oneself, the inner psychology is unaffected and remains barbaric.
This is a very good starting point for Campbell's work. Be certain to see "The Power of Myth" videos with Bill Moyers for an infectiously engaging introduction to comparative religion and mythology.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
a newfound you
It is one of those books you feel impelled to go back to and discover something new within and introduced me to mythologies, legends and other folk tales that I would have probably... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Arawly
Great item, impecable shape
I was expecting a torn down book but what I received was a brand spanking new item. Great stuff. thanks Amazon
Published 9 months ago by drek machado
The Monomyth and the Journey of the Hero
This is a excellent book to counter the soulless rationalistic tendencies that can pervade the mind due to an excessive intake of popular science. Read more
Published 14 months ago by nicholas hargreaves
Very interesting
This book is quite old now, and the myth and legends it references are even more so, but the subject matter is timeless and still just as relevant today and any day. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Miles
An amazing book on culture and anthropology
"The Hero With A Thousand Faces" is primarily known as the book that inspired George Lucas to create the Star Wars franchise, transposing a knights-and-princesses tale to outer... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Thomas Jensen
Erudite, repetitious, pompous, boring, brilliant, theocratic, scary,...
The hero paradigm according to Campbell, is common to all cultures. The hero's journey is an all encompassing mind map, a schema that has existed throughout milleniums as a means... Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. Wickham
The lost Atlantis of the soul
"Mythology is psychology misread as biography, history and cosmology."
This statement of Campbell's from "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" sets up his viewpoint as a... Read more
This statement of Campbell's from "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" sets up his viewpoint as a... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2010 by Secret Spi
great mythologist!
Myth and dream, tragedy and comedy, the Hero and the God, all analysed in an inspiring book. Jungian approach of myth by a genius mythologist, Joseph Campbell.
Published on 12 Nov 2009 by Evangelia Voutsaki
Excellent book for contemplation and inner journey
I actually read this book many years ago, gave a copy to my wonderful son before he went to live in Finland. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Ms. Dawn Taylor
Not just the Hero's but Everyman's (and woman's) journey
This is a classic for writers and storytellers and I'm ashamed to say I've only just read it at the age of 56. Read more
Published on 11 July 2009 by U. Sinha
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