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The Power of Myth Paperback – 20 Sep 1989

by
Joseph Campbell (Author)
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Joseph Campbell (Author), Bill Moyers (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 44 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 236 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group; Reissue edition (20 Sept. 1989)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385247745
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385247740
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 1.5 x 27.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 20,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Inside This Book

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First Sentence
Why myths? Why should we care about myths? Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting and paradigmatic
By A Customer on 25 Jan. 1999
Format: Paperback
The book and the tapes on the power of myth are very interesting and interpret mythology and religion within the same paradigm and concepts - that myth flows from the contrary and contradictory stresses and strains of the body and society. The thesis is tightly explored by Campbell in numerous of his works and explains why he sometimes cannot explain (sorry) variations in conceptual problems among myths. Campbell had a tremendous impact on my study of comparative religion at university over 10 years ago, in a positive way, howver since then I've realized that his ideas are worn and flawed in many respects. Thinking outside of his parardigm of mythic evolution will raise many more questions than he attempts to answer. All in all I think Campbell is one of the greatest philosophers of comparative religion and mythology and someone who stood at a crossroads of academic insight over many decades.
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5.0 out of 5 starsInteresting, Educational, Provocative, Truthful
By A Customer on 10 Aug. 1998
Format: Paperback
One of the best books I've ever read. Campbell's insights and interpretations supercede religious doctrines, while fully respecting them. The conversational style of the book makes it a quick read. Bill Moyers' role should not be overlooked. His preparation was impeccable. A great follow-up Campbell book might be "Transformations of Myth Through Time," (ISBN 0-06-096463-4) consisting of 13 lectures. Again, Campbell brings out the similarities among cultures brilliantly and positively.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFollowing Your Bliss, Aurally
By A Customer on 27 Mar. 1998
Format: Audio Cassette
Moyers and Campbell's conversation first aired on the PBS special: "The Power of Myth." The tapes capture the relaxed and entertaining essence of six programs: The Hero's Adventure; The Message of the Myth; The First Storytellers; Sacrifice and Bliss; Love and the Goddess; and Masks of Eternity. There is something very comforting in hearing Campbell's voice respond with ease to Moyers questions about myth: questions that anyone might ask. Campbell was a great storyteller, but it is his range of stories and depth of insightful interpretation that will keep the listener engaged - maybe awed. Taking place on George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, "The Hero's Adventure" discussion has an interesting piece where Campbell laments the paucity of modern heroes and its consequences for adults and children alike. Then he relates the plot from the Lucas film "Stars Wars" with elements of the hero's journey; the listener can hear Campbell's optimistic excitement as he links the film's characters and plot to the Hero's rite of passage. The listener can sense Campbell's hope for future hero/heroine role models with universal appeal as his voice trys to keep pace with his thoughts. After listening to a tape individuals may feel a sense connectiveness to all that surrounds them: touched by the wisdom of myth. Campbell's words still echo in my ears, "If you follow your bliss . . .the life you ought to be living is the one you are living." For those who need to see the words and visually hold them in space and time, Moyers and Campbell's book "The Power of Myth" [edited by Flowers] provides the orginal PBS transcipt and additional material that was edited out. In addition to the six topics detailed on the tapes, the book includes the program on The Journey Inward.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Journey Starts Here
By Meredon on 23 Dec. 2006
Format: Paperback
This book is an excellent primer for Campbell's more in-depth books "Hero with A Thousand Faces" and the Masks of God series.

Bill Moyers does get in the way of Campbell's message but this should not distract the reader from being encouraged to embrace a more balanced personal and cultural point of view. The journey is well worth the effort.

Other reviewers particularly "A reader" seem either not to have read the book or lack the courage to move on.
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4.0 out of 5 starsMind expanding musings minus heroic effort
By Allen Baird on 4 Nov. 2011
Format: Paperback
Several years ago I tried to work my way through Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces (HWATF). I was designing a university course based on Star Wars at the time (true story) and learned that Lucas was influenced by Campbell in matters of plot and characterisation. So Campbell became a must read.

Almost immediately I ran into difficulties. HWATH is a hard study, at least for someone with my type of brain and training. If you, like me, are educated in the ways of Western thinking, especially in the Anglo-Saxon linguistic tradition, then Campbell may give you a migraine. How? His style is not analytic. There is a lack of definitions, sequential reasoning, accumulative evidence, cautious conclusions etc. Everything seems thrown together at once. Knowledge of all sorts of different disciples - literature, psychology, anthropology, theology - seems to be assumed. You have to know the whole before you can decipher the parts. By instinct and method, Campbell is a generalist; this is not in itself a bad thing.

However, I did need to find a different way into his thought. The Power of Myth (TPOM) provided this for me.

Here's what I got out of it.

First and foremost, I got an introduction to Campbell's ideas. Campbell, along with Henry Morton Robertson, wrote A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. Well, TPOM serves as a sort of key to Campbell's thought. It'll get you started. I've since gone back to HWATF after reading TPOM and I feel I finally 'get it'.

Second, it could serve as a general introduction to the study of mythology. I've found it hard to come across such an intro. I've recently read Myth: A Very Short Introduction by Robert A Segal with mixed results.Read more ›
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