The Hero with a Thousand Faces
- Downloads：1543
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-17 05:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joseph Campbell
- ISBN：9382742875
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Since its release in 1949， Joseph Campbell’s classic The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Campbell’s revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology。 In its pages， Campbell outlines the Hero’s Journey， a universal motif of adventure that runs through all of the world’s mythic traditions， evident in the stories of such heroes as Buddha， Moses， Jesus， and Jason of the Argonauts。 As relevant today as when it was first published， The Hero with a Thousand Faces continues to find new audiences among students and professors in fields ranging from anthropology and the history of religion to literature and film studies。 The book has also profoundly influenced creative artists， including authors， songwriters， game designers， and filmmakers — George Lucas cites it as the inspiration for Star Wars — and continues to inspire all those interested in the inherent human need to tell stories。
Reviews
Ophelia
，
Campbell loves to ramble， Ophelia loves a dry piece of nonfiction。 Just give me the facts， Joe， I don’t want to be entertained！
Guilherme Souza
，
Vai mudar sua vida literalmente
Chris
，
What a journey！ Written in 1949， this is multifaceted but a challenge to get through！ The fact that this book is so frequently misquoted and misinterpreted， with the monomyth being interpreted from subchapter headings alone， tells you that placing this work within a mental framework is a challenge。 On one side， you have a deeply anthropological study of the universal commonalities of myth。 Campbell reveals to us how myths from cultures as far flung as Sub-Saharan and Australian aboriginal tribes What a journey！ Written in 1949， this is multifaceted but a challenge to get through！ The fact that this book is so frequently misquoted and misinterpreted， with the monomyth being interpreted from subchapter headings alone， tells you that placing this work within a mental framework is a challenge。 On one side， you have a deeply anthropological study of the universal commonalities of myth。 Campbell reveals to us how myths from cultures as far flung as Sub-Saharan and Australian aboriginal tribes use similar story elements that represent similar aspect of identity and humanity。 You would think， therefore， that this is a general narrative theory。 The "one story to unite them all: the monomyth，" and that is indeed how it's interpreted in popular culture; but， no， it appears that aspect of the book's popularity is accidental。 You can tell as the story elements are more representative groupings of psycholoanalytical archetypes， not a sequential model of narrative form。 Some sub-chapters explore story elements， while others represent common mythological symbolism。On the other side， we are exploring the commonality of myth and dreams and a Freudian interpretation of their symbolic meaning。 We are deep into Fraudian psycholoanalysis: the desire for one's mother， the jealousy for one's father， the abandonment of the ego， how the superego and id conflict。。。etc。。。 this makes it feel as though was most likely intended as a general anthropological study of psycholoanalytical symbolism in cultural artefacts from around the world。 The elements of the story is not a model of the story itself， but a sequential outline of the how stories can be generalised to validate Freudian theory。 Hence， each stage of the monomyth is a component of Freudian analysis。 Campbell doesn't define the monomyth as either a continuous nor a branching process until Chapter 4， so you're not always sure if the chapter you're reading is a psycholoanalytical explanation of a previous stage， a sub-type or alternate branch of the previous stage， or a subsequent stage。 As Campbell is more interested in Fraudian theory than narrative form， he doesn't clearly define each stage， instead， he uses subjective groupings （as is common in anthropological studies） to isolate psycholoanalytical commonalities。Yet， both the anthropological narratives and Freudian theory do mostly enrich each other。 I am REALLY not a fan of Freudian theory， yet in the context， it works quite well。 The woman， man， mother and father are all symbols here: metaphors of higher aspects of the self: the hero's journey of transformation through death and rebirth。 In the analogues of storytelling， Freud fits。Although Chapter 4's summary helps a lot， the heavy use of Fraudian theory， and examples that jump from to another， across cultures and time， as well as the heavy use of metaphor and mythical references in Campbell's prose， make generalising the points quite a challenge。 I found I had to reread almost every chapter with concentration to distill a framework that fits in the modern context。 That said， I read this book to find a general narrative template， and， after some abstraction and interpretation， I believe I now have one。 The book itself felt like the journey， where the reader becomes the hero seeking reunion with the bliss of knowledge and if forced to depart from one's comfortable preconceptions， undergoing a number of trials， to return transformed with a new mental model to further uncover the mysteries of the universe。The Adventure of the Hero（view spoiler）[ I。 Departure:• 1。 The call to adventure: destiny summons the hero。 The hero's spiritual center of gravity is shifted to the unknown。 Both treasure and danger awaits。 May be an event: a blunder revealing an unsuspected world， the hero is pulled in by forces not fully understood; a crisis of happenstance that escalates; an event that leads to an awakening of the self; a spiritual passage of death and birth; outgrowing the familar， or an event that causes a lack of fit with old concepts and patterns， requiring the passing of a new threshold。 May be a herald of adventure: a dark， evil creature: a representative of the repressed; or a veiled mysterious figure， representing the unknown。 • 2（a）。 Refusing the call: tragedy pathway; the hero rejects the summons and becomes walled in by the mundane; divinity itself becomes the terror; life becomes a labrinth and the divine power destroys。 If defeat is not immediate， the subject becomes a victim needing saving by a miracle。 • 2（b）。 Supernatural aid: comedy pathway; the hero， although perhaps reluctant， accepts the summons and receives divine intervention via a fortunate event by the protective power of benign destiny， often personified as a mother or father figure: mother nature， the wise crone， a wizard， the fairy godmother， a guiding star， a chieftan。 May be a magical amulet or armour needed for the coming journey。• 3。 The crossing of the first threshold: the hero encounters the first "threshold guardian at the entrance to the zone of magnified power。" A dangerous presence awaits just beyond the village boundary that must be traversed or overcome。 May be an event， eg。 A storm。 May be a supernatural or evil beast or a primary antagonist。 In passing the threshold， the hero is released from ego and enters the darkness ahead。• 4。 The belly of the whale: the transit of rebirth begins and the hero is willingly engulfed by the unknown， giving the appearance of death。 The passage becomes a metaphor for self-annhialation beyond the visible world。 The hero travels inwards on a journey of self-discovery。 The hero therefore enters a temple of metamorphisis and realise that they must shed their skin of who they once were。II。 Initiation:• 5。 The road of trials: Aided by the supernatural help， the hero enters a vague land of symbolical figures some whom want to destroy， others are secret helpers， and must face numerous trials within the hero's own "spiritual labrinth。" A process of "dissolving， transcending or transmuting the infantile images of our personal past。" A path of prelimary victories and moments of illumination， where resistances are broken through each trial。 The hero and the hero's opposite become equally deprived: one of the same。 • 5。1。 The Goddess: Help and protection is provided。 The Universal Mother is presented as a nourishing and protecting presence， or an embodiment of bliss and joy: the bride， lover or mother。 Helps may come as the reminder or promise of what can be gained by success。 The assurance that something blissful awaits at the end of the journey。 It may also be malign: the hampering， forbidding， punishing mother。 A cruel mistress or an embodiment of fear or a symbol of blocked desire that reminds the hero of something greater beyond themselves。 May be a painful death or loss， symbolic of rebirth and cyclicity。 A symbol that unites both good and bad as Universal， rather than personal。• 5。2。 Carnal temptation and cognitive dissonance: When the hard realities of life are revealed， the hero is forced to accept within him/herself the carnal acts of temptation that generate repulsion: the reluctant warrier that loves to kill， the celibate monk's sexual desire， the survivor that begs for death， all represent the guilt and shame of seeing within oneself carnal desire （eg。 Frodo and the ring）， reprenting rejection of the wholeness of the organic self。• 5。3。 Atonement: The hero confronts that which holds power of them。 The brutality of the trials are thus balanced with determination， hope， and protection。 The splintering of the superego and repressed id create a duality that requires surrender and abandonment of the ego to unite and make whole。 • 5。4。 Apotheosis: The innate potential of the hero is released as the hero reaches the innermost crisis。 The hero transcends the final trial by uniting dualities and finding balance。 Suffering draws out wholeness of the self， and the hero finds an inner peace。 • 6。 The ultimate boon: After overcoming a great trial， the hero gains the reward they seek: the holy grail， purification， enlightenment， concentrated power， the nectar of life， immorality， transcendance from suffering and supression。III。 Return: • 7（a）。 Driven from within: for the monomyth to be concluded， the hero must return with the boon and endow it on his/her people。 Human， not superhuman， success is required to overcome the trials and failures。 The hero must return as their human self。 A challenge in and of itself， as those left behind have no comprehension of the journey or transformation， and what is returned back to may be unrecognisable。 • 7（b）。 Refusal to return: the hero refuses to return to their former life， retreating further into the enlightened， transmuted state。• 7（c）。 The magic fight: the hero may have stolen the boon from higher powers and must flea， pursued， to return to save his/her people。 It may be a process of evasion and magical obstruction。 • 7（d）。 Rescue: the hero may be trapped in a weakened state and have to be rescued in order to return。 Perhaps they must be forced as they are reluctant to return。 They may be rescued from their prison， or guided by divinities back to mortality。 • 8。 Crossing the return threshold: the hero returns with the boon and wisdom gained must survive its impact。 The hero must therefore learn that the yonderworld and innerworld are two of the same， for both good and bad。 "The realm of the gods is a forgotten dimension of the world we know。" The hero must once again form a connection to the banalities of life， and find fulfillment in the ordinary。 • 9。 Master of two worlds: by embracing and finding attachment and joy in the mundanities of life， the hero no longer fears the self-destructive process of rebirth， and is able to find connection to the present moment。 The hero can thus apply the spiritual rebirth to the material life they have returned to to become a master of both worlds。• 10。 Freedom to live: freed of the guilt of life， self-righteousness of living， and fear of death， the hero has achieved the ultimate gift: the freedom to live。 Hence， the hero has faced the trials and become "the champion of things becoming， not of things become。"Types of hero• Warrier: the destiny of the hero is to slay a terrible foe: a tyrant， a dragon。 The tyrant's pride is key to his defeat， for he sees his strength as belonging to him， not endowed to him by others。 He can therefore be outwitted by the hero or overthrown by his people。 • Lover: the hero is either driven to rescue his/her love， or is driven by love through a series of obstacles that stand between them， for the hero's destiny is for them to be together。 • Emporer: the hero is destined to represent the divine power among man to lead the world to continue its cycle of rebirth。 However， the power may corrupt， and the emporer may become a tyrant needing of defeat。• World redeemer: rather than being a divine emissary， the hero returns unified with the divine spirit， and as the divine incarnate， rebuilds the world by overthrowing the tyrant that prevents its continued growth。 The hero does not become another tyrant because the hero， once succeeded in removing the tyrant， returns to the primordial chaos。• Saint: the hero is the ascetic and is destined to remain among men with the divine wisdom of enlightenment。 The soul is thus divine and only the body remains， free from ego， with no desires， lust or need of possessions。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Ana kazemi
，
۳/۷۵ هرچند که میدونم در یک وقت بهتر بازم باید بخونمش。
Mohammedraza Esmail
，
I was expecting a side by side comparison of myths especially the Abrahamic religions， even more so Islam。But this has very little of a Abrahamic religions and hardly anything on Islam。More so， I think you need some background in comparative mythology before you pick up this book。 If you are a novice like me then you will be very disappointed。
Edmond
，
A great read。 Joseph Campbell， influenced by Jung， shows how myth or stories are a manifestation of the collective unconscious。 Truth is told in Fantasy。 What is my hero’s journey？ Where am I in my hero’s journey？ Modern rationalism splits humanity into two halves， he rejects half of life。 There is more to life than our philosophy can account for。
Stephen Kramar
，
This is a fascinating book that explores more myths and legends from more civilizations than I knew existed。 The premise is that there is an underlying similarity to all these legends。 There were some fascinating observations and different interpretations that were quite interesting， but there was a lot to slog through to find them。 And， I’m not completely convinced by the author’s assertions。
AshleyKWbooks
，
I had to read this book for a college course on Folklore and it was a very interesting read that honestly I think a lot more people should read。 Learning the ins and outs of myths and how the stories are all interwoven is very useful and interesting。 I did take off a star because there were big chunks of repetitive information that made some sections very difficult to get through。 They felt wordy and unnecessary。
Aaron Sanstrum
，
very interesting book spending a lot of time trying to demonstrate how the myths and fairy tales have consistencies between the different cultures， countries， etc。 and I can see it to some extent 。 may read again sometime in the future， but I'll have to read much slower。 very interesting book spending a lot of time trying to demonstrate how the myths and fairy tales have consistencies between the different cultures， countries， etc。 and I can see it to some extent 。 may read again sometime in the future， but I'll have to read much slower。 。。。more
Rgusterman
，
A book written for an academic audience， yet lacking a clarity of thought and structure - compounding its lack of accessibility to the reader。 His interviews are a better source of knowledge
Irina Tatiana
，
Habla de historia， cosmogénesis， del camino del autoconocimiento y los retos por los que pasamos
Fabian Garcia
，
This book marked a before and an after on my understanding of religions， mythologies and their purpose on humanity， on learning to look for the messages hidden in the symbols and understanding them， not dying on a hill defending said symbols。 If you are either religious or not this book will enlighten your world view and help you be more empathetic with all your fellow humans。 In my opinion a must read
Thomas
，
I thought this book was going to be "here's the monomyth and it's present in everything"， but it's more， "a monomyth emerges from all these different stories， but not all of them display it equally"， which is a much more valuable persepctive。 I learned a lot， both from the myths I knew from before， and from the ones that were novel to me。 If anything， this book will inspire you to seek out more mythologies。 Mythology has been interpreted by the modern intellect as a primitive， fumbling effort to I thought this book was going to be "here's the monomyth and it's present in everything"， but it's more， "a monomyth emerges from all these different stories， but not all of them display it equally"， which is a much more valuable persepctive。 I learned a lot， both from the myths I knew from before， and from the ones that were novel to me。 If anything， this book will inspire you to seek out more mythologies。 Mythology has been interpreted by the modern intellect as a primitive， fumbling effort to explain the world of nature （Frazer）; as a production of poetical fantasy from prehistoric times， misunderstood by succeeding age （Müller）; as a repository of allegorical instruction， to shape the individual to his group （Durkheim）; as a group dream， symptomatic of archetypal urges within the depths of the human psyche （Jung）; as the traditional vehicle of man’s profoundest metaphysical insights （Coomaraswamy）; and as God’s Revelation to His children （the Church）。 Mythology is all of these。 。。。more
Lucero Sarahí
，
No me extenderé en esta ocasión porque tengo que seguir leyendo otras lecturas que me encargaron， pero sí tengo que mencionar lo increíble e interesante que fue este análisis。El monomito es algo que ya había escuchado， pero es increíble que a pesar de poseer diferentes culturas: nuestros sentimientos， nuestros modos de ver la vida y los conceptos moralistas sean tan parecidos para que los mitos se parezcan entre todos。 Capaz algún día lo relea con mas tiempo。
Tuğrulcan Elmas
，
It is the genesis book of Hero's Journey。 It describes the pattern（s） in detail and with many example。 Unfortunately it is written in 1949 and so it's very hard reading for a person from 2022。 Having read and listened the patterns described in this book from internet， I wanted to dig deeper but it's so hard because the book is so unorganized。 There are examples of mythical everywhere， that's good， but they are written unnecessarily detailed and I have no idea what to do with them。 This was my se It is the genesis book of Hero's Journey。 It describes the pattern（s） in detail and with many example。 Unfortunately it is written in 1949 and so it's very hard reading for a person from 2022。 Having read and listened the patterns described in this book from internet， I wanted to dig deeper but it's so hard because the book is so unorganized。 There are examples of mythical everywhere， that's good， but they are written unnecessarily detailed and I have no idea what to do with them。 This was my second failed attempt to read this book。It's not a writing guide， if you came for that go away now。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Miranda
Martha
，
in depth view of psychological thought with myths and religions
Alex Bruning
，
A heavy read that takes a little while to get into。 But after a while I was captivated by the knowledge it contains and I can honestly say it influenced me in my everyday life。 This book helped me see the journey I am on as well as those around me， and it helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel when going through struggles， trials and tribulations。
Juan Pulido
，
A delightful， detail packed book on mythology and religion that took me 4 ½ years to pre-read （first read was too dilated， it deserves a dedicated run in a shorter period）。This was recommended to me by two great illustrators， as a book to know how stories work， and it totally makes up for a useful compendium of global myth and legend。
Andrés Astudillo
，
Loved it。 Please remember， my family's catholic， I am baptised。 I received communion。 But， I grew up and read other books。 Im an atheist， and all I try to do is understand our behavior as species and the origins （not just astrophysically speaking） but the origins of our cognition。 Thus， the study of myth is one way to go。 Campbell wrote this in 1949。。。。 more than 70 years ago， when there was no more WWII， when DNA was yet to be discovered and cosmology was not even a real thing in science。 But h Loved it。 Please remember， my family's catholic， I am baptised。 I received communion。 But， I grew up and read other books。 Im an atheist， and all I try to do is understand our behavior as species and the origins （not just astrophysically speaking） but the origins of our cognition。 Thus， the study of myth is one way to go。 Campbell wrote this in 1949。。。。 more than 70 years ago， when there was no more WWII， when DNA was yet to be discovered and cosmology was not even a real thing in science。 But he was really accurate。 What the book is about， concerns the concept of a person whose goal in life is to do something for civilization， this we could call "The path of the hero"。 What is really interesting is the fact that this， is a -human universal-， meaning that has happened in every culture around the world。Why？Well， every human being that has existed before us was still a Homo Sapiens， with the same cerebral wiring that we all have to this day。 So， myth is a human construct， but， what matters is the message or the symbols that we leave。 Homo Sapiens has been considered too as a symbolic animal。Also， there is a lot of psychology here。 Psychoanalysis was a broad theme at that time and there are many references to Jung， Freud and studies on greek， sumerian and asian mythology。This is not just about what we think we know， Judaism or Christ or Allah or Viracocha， the contents of this book are totally unknown for anyone not being an academic on the subject。 。。。more
Henrique Iwao
，
Resolvi passar pela íntegra de um livro que， hoje em dia， é mais conhecido como fornecedor de regras de roteiro do que uma análise freudiana universalista da importância da mitologia para o estabelecimento de um senso saudável de pertencimento coletivo humano。 Um pouco como o manual de roteiro "Poética"， do Aristótolo， mas tal como na leitura real do último， há mais do que simplesmente a lista das etapas do herói e uma lista de histórias agrupadas pela sua similaridade。 Primeiro， porque fica pat Resolvi passar pela íntegra de um livro que， hoje em dia， é mais conhecido como fornecedor de regras de roteiro do que uma análise freudiana universalista da importância da mitologia para o estabelecimento de um senso saudável de pertencimento coletivo humano。 Um pouco como o manual de roteiro "Poética"， do Aristótolo， mas tal como na leitura real do último， há mais do que simplesmente a lista das etapas do herói e uma lista de histórias agrupadas pela sua similaridade。 Primeiro， porque fica patente a grande quantidade de soluções e desvios a partir do esquema， que por vezes parece excessivamente geral ou amplo。 Depois， a insistência de Campbell no papel arquetípico significa um olhar para os estágios pós-mitológicos （religiosos e de secularização） que busca alertar para o fato de que， se os mitos refletem os povos， eles apontam para o comum do humano e não para a elaboração de facções ou o desencantamento meramente individualista。 。。。more
Márcio Ricardo
，
Quando peguei este livro para ler vinha de uma obra grande。 E grande obra。 Talvez por isso eu já tenha chegado cansado， mas ainda assim O herói de mil faces é prolixo e chato。 O autor abusa da quantidade de exemplos， nem sempre tão assertivos， para justificar suas ideias。 Acabei os últimos capitulos fumegando da cabeça e， como dizem por aqui， na força do ódio。 Em todo o caso， é uma obra riquissíma， culturalmente falando。 O herói de mil faces é um estudo da narrativa mitíca， do herói， mito e lend Quando peguei este livro para ler vinha de uma obra grande。 E grande obra。 Talvez por isso eu já tenha chegado cansado， mas ainda assim O herói de mil faces é prolixo e chato。 O autor abusa da quantidade de exemplos， nem sempre tão assertivos， para justificar suas ideias。 Acabei os últimos capitulos fumegando da cabeça e， como dizem por aqui， na força do ódio。 Em todo o caso， é uma obra riquissíma， culturalmente falando。 O herói de mil faces é um estudo da narrativa mitíca， do herói， mito e lenda。 Do seu chamado， da sua aventura， das suas circunstâncias e do seu destino。 A mitologia e seus símbolos é assim descodificada， traçando-se a relação entre as várias estórias e crenças encontradas em todas as culturas e religiões e que nos moldaram ao que somos hoje。 Se em pleno 2022 as pessoas se dão ao luxo e são imbecis ao ponto de acreditar em absurdos， imagine há milhares de anos atrás。。。 É cada estória sem pés nem cabeça que dói ver até que ponto chega a ignorância humana。O livro tem um prólogo que vai até à página 59 e as notas se encontram no final de cada capitulo， coisas que estranhei。 Em contrapartida， conta com várias imagens a complementar e o arcaboiço mitológico do autor é inequívoco。 As referências são mais que muitas e de todos os lados， por isso quem não tiver um mínimo de cultura geral， especialmente da antiguidade， pode facilmente se sentir perdido。 A quem procura compreender melhor somente a estrutura da maioria das grandes estórias e filmes， acho bem mais fácil optar pelo A jornada do escritor do Christopher Vogler， obra que é filha deste。 。。。more
Hope
，
“Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the highroad to the soul's destination。”― Joseph Campbell， The Hero With a Thousand FacesOne of the best books I have ever read。 I have come to many revelations while reading this book。 We all have our own hero journeys， but they ultimately all are the same journey if you allow surrender to your self。 The world is both death and rebirth。 Duality exists as oneness。 Our society has forgotten this “Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the highroad to the soul's destination。”― Joseph Campbell， The Hero With a Thousand FacesOne of the best books I have ever read。 I have come to many revelations while reading this book。 We all have our own hero journeys， but they ultimately all are the same journey if you allow surrender to your self。 The world is both death and rebirth。 Duality exists as oneness。 Our society has forgotten this mystery of the divine and the cosmos and it has created the mass death we are experiencing now。Joseph Campbell is such an eloquent writer and I enjoyed how he touched on myths from every corner of the world to show the common essence of humanity and the universe。 Beautiful。 。。。more
Wiki
，
This book is very hard to finish。 It has an eye-opening theory about what is common among every mythology around the world。 Packed with tons of myths and stories but texts explaining the psychoanalytic origins of those myths and stories are making me yawn。 It may make sense when I read this book later in my life。 I need more knowledge on psych and consciousness。
Christopher Walker
，
This is a work of monumental genius - but of genius so great and complex that reading Campbell's unifying account of all of mythology and religion became exhausting at times。 This is a work of monumental genius - but of genius so great and complex that reading Campbell's unifying account of all of mythology and religion became exhausting at times。 。。。more
Guy Grindlay
，
I really wanted to like this book， and was very much looking forward to reading it。 A journey through the similarities between all major mythological cannons sounded very exciting， but in the end it fell well short。 The overarching themes and archetypes that comprise the structure of the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey were fascinating， as were the commonalities of these between the various cultures， locations and timeframes discussed。 The work is derived from what is clearly a wealth of scholarship I really wanted to like this book， and was very much looking forward to reading it。 A journey through the similarities between all major mythological cannons sounded very exciting， but in the end it fell well short。 The overarching themes and archetypes that comprise the structure of the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey were fascinating， as were the commonalities of these between the various cultures， locations and timeframes discussed。 The work is derived from what is clearly a wealth of scholarship on Campbell’s part， and I can readily see how it’s core tenets have become so influential。 However， the actual prose leaves much to be desired。 The narrative style is excessively verbose， imprecise and disorganised as to at points become virtually unintelligible。 A great many words are used to convey very little。 I could feel my eyes glazing over and my mind wandering all too often。 Additionally， some aspects are now clearly very dated， particularly the psychoanalytical elements。 The parallels Campbell attempts to draw with the now largely defunct theories of Freud， Jung and others， feel contrived。 The text is also littered with unsupported references to random peoples’ dreams， in an effort to support Campbell’s view that they and myths are essentially one in the same。 In summary， I am sad The Hero with a Thousand Faces was such a painful experience。 Given the material and theory behind it， it could have been so much better。 。。。more
Zoe
，
Loved this book！ Found the connections between story telling and psychology super interesting
Gunhee Park
，
The book provides numerous examples of myths and folk tales from civilizations around the world and expounds on the common themes found in them （e。g。 the call to adventure， the crossing of the first threshold， etc。）。 As we look back at these myths even with the modern day lens， Campbell calls out that "there is no final system for the interpretation of myths， and there will never be any such thing。 Mythology is like the god Proteus， 'the ancient one of the sea， whose speech is sooth。' the god 'w The book provides numerous examples of myths and folk tales from civilizations around the world and expounds on the common themes found in them （e。g。 the call to adventure， the crossing of the first threshold， etc。）。 As we look back at these myths even with the modern day lens， Campbell calls out that "there is no final system for the interpretation of myths， and there will never be any such thing。 Mythology is like the god Proteus， 'the ancient one of the sea， whose speech is sooth。' the god 'will make assay， and take all manner of shapes of things that creep upon the earth， of water likewise， and of fierce fire burning。' The life voyager wishing to be taught by Proteus must 'grasp him steadfastly and press him yet the more，' and at length he will appear in his proper shape。 But this wily god never discloses even to the skillful questioner the whole content of his wisdom。" Overall， the key insights of the book were quite revealing， especially as I reflect back on how closely great stories and movies follow these themes。 Yet， I still found a big chunk of the book difficult to get through - possibly because there are simply too many tales that Campbell lays out。 I did find the call-to-action in the epilogue an accurate portrayal to the modern day。 In it， Campbell describes that， in the past， by participating in mythology and its rituals， "the whole society becomes visible to itself as an imperishable living unit。 Generations of individuals pass， like anonymous cells from a living body; but the sustaining， timeless form remains。 By an enlargement of vision to embrace this super-individual， each discovers himself enhanced， enriched， supported， and magnified。" In contrast， "the problem of mankind today is precisely the opposite。。。。 [back] then all meaning was in the group， in the great anonymous forms， none in the self-expressive individual; today no meaning is in the group - none in the world: all is in the individual。 But there the meaning is absolutely unconscious。 One does not know toward what one moves。 One does not know by what one is propelled。"Thus， "the modern hero-deed must be that of question to bring to light again the lost Atlantis of the co-ordinated soul。" 。。。more
Adam Murphy
，
The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is a mythological bible that's older than you think。In the days of yore when the mere idea of the Internet was a pipe dream， and the secrets of the first computers were either lost to history or covered up by nervous post-war governments， one Joseph Campbell published his seminal work in 1949: The Hero with a Thousand Faces， a comparison of classical mythology that focused on the archetypal hero and his journey。 In essence， he attempts to render The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is a mythological bible that's older than you think。In the days of yore when the mere idea of the Internet was a pipe dream， and the secrets of the first computers were either lost to history or covered up by nervous post-war governments， one Joseph Campbell published his seminal work in 1949: The Hero with a Thousand Faces， a comparison of classical mythology that focused on the archetypal hero and his journey。 In essence， he attempts to render these stories down to their familiar tropes， then demonstrates how these tropes originate from archetypes encoded within the human brain。 The Hero's Journey is an archetypal story pattern common in ancient myths and modern-day adventures。It can be boiled down to three stages:* Departure: the Hero leaves the familiar world behind。* Initiation: the Hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world of adventure。* Return: the Hero returns to the familiar world。The work became a lot more well-known after George Lucas cited the work as a significant source of inspiration when writing the first six Star Wars movies。 Since then， it has become a substantial source of media for anyone involved in creative writing careers， and its themes are commonly discussed in many literature courses。 The book is incredibly fascinating with its use of mythology。 This is what the phrase "hero with a thousand faces" describes， the idea being that all mythological heroes are facets or reflections of one heroic archetype。 。。。more
Carme Hernández
，