The Power of Myth By Joseph Campbell
As I started to read this book I decided that it would have been much better to get the audio version. The book is a conversation between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell that took place between 1985 and 1986 at George Lucus’ Skywalker Ranch and the Museum of Natural History in New York.
The book addresses the fundamental and difficult subject of myth from the point of view of Joseph Campbell and his studies in comparative religion. The book is a must read for anyone who is studying theories of mythology because he tackles the myth from the point of view that says that myth are stories of our search through the ages for truth, for meaning, for significance. They are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life. They help you to put your mind in touch with this experience of being alive and they tell you what the experience is.
The Power of Myth is essentially a summery of Campbell’s life work and provokes the reader to view his/her world with different eyes. He discusses five concepts in the book and they are: myth and the modern world, the journey inward, the first story tellers, sacrifice and bliss, the hero’s journey, the goddess, love and marriage, and the many faces of myth. The book is full of examples from other cultures and religions that help illustrate his concepts and though I do not agree with everything he says in his book I really enjoyed reading it very much as one of the theories of mythology.
- Posted in: Book Reviews
- Tagged: Mythology, myths, Theories of Mythology
