Having listened to dozens of hours of Campbell lectures in addition to reading several of his books, it's clear to me that Campbell is a much more effective speaker than writer. It may not be clear to audiences chiefly familiar with Campbell through the PBS series "The Power of Myth" but he is a prodigious scholar of immense learning and insight. This book is a delightful and fascinating collection of interview excerpts strung together to tell his biography, illuminated with the occasional digre...

Sexism can really kill a mood. I used to respect this guy somewhat, but if he couldn't shake the most basic of social constructs, after having clearly stated that he knew otherwise, then I can't help but to doubt the validity of all else he has interpreted. I'm not saying there's nothing of value in there. I'm saying that after a certain number of pages thinking surely they are done with this old-school sexist crap now, only to turn into yet another freaking page of the shite, I was disgusted &

Included because I'm a writer, so I need to know everything I can about the meaning, the origin, the potential of story. I was about to say, 'and this is a seminal work', but I realised there is no female parallel. 'This is an ovate work'. Just doesn't work. OK. It's a seminal work, but I'm not sure I like that phrase.

Some parts have not aged well, some parts are gems, some parts repeat themselves since the book is just a collection of short dialogues from different times and places.Part biography, part wisdom, part rants. Learn how to think about and recognize myths, use myths that are useful to you, live an authentic life. I will have to read The Hero with a Thousand Faces soon.

There are some great bits in this but there is also some appallingly sexist moments.He did some great work looking at the Hero's journey from the point of view of a man, and what he wrote was seminal, but he just didn't see stories that had women's journeys, maybe because they weren't recorded, maybe because, in the past, it was more important for a woman to remain at home and keep the next generation stable and continuing than go on a journey. The biggest problem is that now, this is the monomy...

Another good book I've read a couple of times. It names common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies. The author uses movies to defend his philosophy. A must in a writer's library.

I got this on an audible sale for cheap and jumped when I saw it as I love his Hero with a Thousand Faces. But this ain’t that. I didn’t read the description, perhaps at all? Imagine my surprise (after the first hour of listening) to find it to be a collection of interviews put together about Campbell’s life and his critical thinking POV. Still, I finished with an open mind and found many thought provoking, interesting tidbits. Overall, it’s not really my thing but it was done decently well. I’d...

I've just re-read this book for the umpteenth time - a real classic that would definitely be on my desert island list.

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed! True to Campbell's other works, the depth of discussion about various topics that his life's work was involved in - myth, mythologies, stories, roles, rituals, etc. was outstanding.But the formatting of the book threw me - it's a collection of snippets of conversations between Campbell and the many poets and psychiatrists and even filmmakers who he inspired with his extensive work on the world's mythologies. I'm not

Excerpts from interviews have Joseph Campbell in conversation with others inspired by him.Read in preparation for a course I'm doing in 'spiritual phyto'essencing' based on the theme of the hero's journey.Will follow up with The Hero with a Thousand Faces, his theory of the archetypal hero in ancient mythology.

A wonderful collection of interview with Campbell. Organized by the motif of the hero's journey. Reveals personal history of Campbell, as well as his attitude toward his experiences and his continual mythological understanding of all around him. Additionally, the epilogue contains a priceless tale.

Sooner or later all of us will have to face and go through our own :Hero' Journey" ... whether we like it or not! We may try to avoid it as long as we can. I did!

This book is largely a collection of transcribed interviews with Joseph Campbell. This is a benefit given that he is so much more affecting as a speaker than he is as a writer. He gets to the heart of the matter in spoken word while his writing can be a bit opaque and scholastic. This volume attempts to map out Campbells life according the monomyth, or hero's journey, formally dividing the chapters into each major step of the way: the call to adventure, the road of trials, etc. It was a clever t...

Disjointed and self-congratulatory. Lots of fawning and name dropping. Rambling explanations and poor writing.

If like me you are not familiar with the work of Joseph Campbell, this is a great way to dive right in. It's not only a look at this contributions to the world but also his life story that led to all those contributions. Through reading this I am much more closely connected to mythology and am assured that the work I've been doing over the past few years of looking inward is not for nothing and is core to my experience as a human. The sad thing is that I don't recall who handed me this book, sti...

Read this in college. It was very inspiring to me at the time. Still is in many ways. The video series by Bill Moyers is fascinating as well.

An insightful look into the life and work of one of the great minds of the 20th century. A sprawling web of art, history, and the human condition all tied together by the common and underlying thread of mythology. Would recommend this book for anyone interested in the deeper mysteries of the human condition. Campbell's approach to making sense of these mysteries is so creative and insightful, you'll surely come away from this book with some new ideas about your own life to consider.

More inspiration for writers. Also Star Wars source. Note: I'm pretty sure Asimov's Foundation series was also a huge influence to GL.

Joseph Campbell had a remarkable mind that is evident in every answer he gives in these conversations. I elaborate on this in the following article: https://bookoblivion.com/2019/10/21/j...

I consider Joseph Cambelll one of my "spiritual fathers." I've read or watched everything he wrote or videotaped. ADORE.