The hero with a thousand faces
1949
- mythology
- psychoanalysis
- mythologie
- helden (personen)
- psychanalyse
- long now manual for civilization
- jungian psychology
- social science
- fairy tales, folk tales, legends & mythology
- psykoanalys
The story
Originally written by Campbell in the '40s-- in his pre-Bill Moyers days -- and famous as George Lucas' inspiration for "Star Wars," this book will likewise inspire any writer or reader in its well considered assertion that while all stories have already been told, this is *not* a bad thing, since the *retelling* is still necessary. And while our own life's journey must always be ended alone, the travel is undertaken in the company not only of immediate loved ones and primal passion, but of the heroes and heroines -- and myth-cycles -- that have preceded us. ([Amazon.com review][1].) [1]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691119244
What it’s like
Dense, scholarly prose with the texture of a well-worn library hardback: long argumentative sentences that circle back on themselves, footnoted asides, and a patient, unhurried voice that reads like a late-night lecture delivered to one listener. The sensory world is not of landscapes but of ideas made tactile through a thousand retold tales, from Polynesian and Hindu sources to Grimm and the Bible, so the imagery arrives in fragments: a cave, a river crossing, a serpent, a sleeping king. Vibe: contemplative, warm, quietly expansive, the feel of an armchair, a reading lamp and a pencil in hand. It suits a slow winter weekend, a dedicated study session, or a patient reread after a long stretch of novels. Pacing is deliberate and cyclical, building a single pattern (departure, initiation, return) across many chapters rather than driving toward any climax. Emotionally it is reflective and mildly uplifting, treating the hero's road as a shared human inheritance rather than a source of dread. Intensity is low: violence and sexuality appear only as cited examples from myth, never dwelt on, so it is calm despite its subject. Written for readers curious about storytelling, comparative mythology, and Jungian psychology, and for writers who want to understand why certain narratives keep returning.
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