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69 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MY HERO, 26 Jul 2000
By A Customer
"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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by Christopher Vogler
by Christopher Booker
by Joseph Campbell
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