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Difficult concept, yet universal

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Campbell was one of the most distinguished figures in the continuing study of mythology, a sadly neglected subject in recent times. Legend and myth aren't identical. Legend (or saga) at least hints at some historical truth (e.g. the Trojan War). Myth, often associated with legend, is far more complex. The human mind can't think at first in terms of abstracts, such as truth. We need a mental picture of someone or something that is true, especially in dreams. What does truth itself look like? We need a symbol. All societies known have a mythology, usually treating it with more respect than our own - to our cost. A person may be the symbol of e.g. courage. We see a courageous person in dreams, not courage itself. And any given society has its own type (archetype) of the courageous character etc. Hence the title: Hero With A Thousand Faces, a face for each society, but the same concept (heroism, courage), that and many more. A remarkable piece of work, although, for my money, I prefer Kerenyi, the overall treatment and the individual volumes on specific, particularly significant, concepts, such as motherhood and prolonged life, or death. Much to be recommended, both Campbell and Kerenyi.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

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The Hero with a Thousand Faces is the work that first introduced me to Joseph Campbell. It was then and continues to be one of my favorite books of all time. Each time I read this valuable resource, I uncover another layer of usefulness. This time, I was specifically looking at how the cycle of the Hero's Journey directly related to the cycle of healing. The Hero with a Thousand Faces presents Campbell's Hero's Journey. By looking at mythology worldwide, he noticed some very significant similarities in the journeys taken by the hero or heroine of these stories, hence the cycle. In this work, Campbell presents a number of snippets from different myths showing that indeed such a pattern exists. Indeed, it is a template still used by the best pieces of fiction and some of the most memorable movies. The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a must have for anyone the least bit interested in mythology as well as every psychologist, writer, and healer on the planet. This is one of those books that quickly becomes dog-eared with consistent reuse.

If your job is to create narratives then this is vital

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It's early days for me with this book, and I'm going to have to read it several times to wring every drop of usefulness from it. But it seems to me that this is possibly one of the most important books ever written about the art of story telling. It's tied into unfashionable Freudian and Jungian analysis (the book was published in 1948), and it's best read if you already know the outline of the monomyth/heroic myth and why it's useful to writers (Google it---there are many sites offering on outline). It's also, essentially, an academic work, although I had no problems reading it, and it's definitely not an academic text of the "rigorous" type (ie an overload of citations and dry explanations). Campbell is a compelling writer, and the text reads well. If you create narratives for a living, whether as a script writer or novelist, then this book should be considered essential reading. Unless you're supremely and destructively arrogant, I really can't see how your work won't be enhanced in some way by the analysis contained within. Not only will it help you structure your work but it will also help you connect with your readers or audience, because you will understand what it is that they want out of stories. It's interesting to see how many movies and novels that I've seen and read that explicitly contravene the advice in this book, and fail as a result. It really is that clear-cut.

Most Insightful Book

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I began to read Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" without stopping and I could not put it down. It is a very intriguing and easy to read book, and I would strongly recommend this book to the general readers. In this book, Campbell brought forth in a very insightful way about the journey of the 'archetypal hero' who can be found in almost all the mythologies and religions of every country. This is interesting for I never seen it before. The author has done so with a careful study of these mythologies, legends, and religions. There was a mention of "Dark Night of the Soul" in this book, which I think is important for me personally. The fact that I have a journey and this book speak of great volume for me. Each of us has a road of trials, challenges and obstacles to face. But, not everyone has a destiny. There are many in our world who refuses to know one's own "dark night of the soul," who refuses to heed one's calling, and who desires to be 'safe' and 'asleep.' These people are ignorant of the fact that they are slaves to their own temptations and to the will of the psychopaths in power. This book is one of the most important books. And, if you are a truth seeker, this is a book for you.

The One.	Customer Rating:
This was one of the most infuential works in modern day, presenting the answer to many questions of myth. It has also inspired many to construct better modern day stories; from books to films.