Myth And Meaning
By (Author) Joseph Campbell
New World Library
New World Library
14th November 2023
United States
General
Non Fiction
398.2
Hardback
304
Width 140mm, Height 216mm, Spine 21mm
A wide-ranging collection of insights from legendary mythologist Joseph Campbell, sourced from rare and previously unpublished interviews What would you ask Joseph Campbell if you had the chance Comparative mythology was an obscure academic subject until Joseph Campbell published The Hero with a Thousand Faces in 1949. With that groundbreaking study, Campbell moved mythology out of the halls of academia and into mainstream America. He conclusively demonstrated that all myths, regardless of culture, have a fundamental unity. Readers responded enthusiastically to his message, and subsequent generations of psychologists, artists, and writers have found inspiration in his work. In addition to writing prolifically, Campbell gave thousands of lectures and interviews throughout his life. Myth and Meaning compiles some of Campbells most thoughtful responses to an array of interviewers, including audience members at various seminars, the historian Studs Terkel, and journalists from publications such as Time, Esquire, and Psychology Today. The informal question-and-answer format allows Campbells charm, humor, and effortless command of the subject matter to shine through. Divided into chapters by theme, the dialogues in the book address a wide range of questions, including: Where do myths come from How did Campbell discover the timeless pattern of the Heros Journey Can our politically fractured, multicultural society find a set of common myths to live by How did Campbells life story influence his scholarship Throughout, Campbell emphasizes the universal aspects of human experience and finds striking parallels between cultures separated by time and distance. Longtime fans of Campbell will gain a deeper appreciation of the man and his legacy, while new readers will receive a memorable introduction to a thinker who revolutionized our understanding of human nature.
Praise for Joseph Campbell
No one in our centurynot Freud, not Thomas Mann, not Lvi-Strausshas so brought the mythical sense of the world and its eternal figures back into our everyday consciousness.
James Hillman
Campbell has become the rarest of intellectuals in American life: a serious thinker who has been embraced by the popular culture.
Newsweek
There is no one quite like Joseph Campbell. He knows the vast sweep of mans panoramic past as few men have ever known it.
The Village Voice
In our generation the mythographer who has had the fullest command of the huge scholarly literature, the analytical ability, the lucid prose, and the needed staying power has been Joseph Campbell.
Commentary
Joseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood loved to read about American Indians and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History, where he became captivated by the museums collection of totem poles. From those days onward, Campbells interest in mythology grew and deepened. He was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and, after earning a masters degree, continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the classic The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the four-volume The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space, and the Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers, introduced his views to millions of people.
Stephen Gerringer is the Joseph Campbell Foundation community director and author of Myth and Modern Living: A Practical Campbell Compendium.
JCF.org