The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Hero with a Thousand Faces
by Joseph Campbell, Ralph Blum

The Hero with a Thousand Faces
List Price: $22.95
Our Price: $17.72
You Save: $5.23 (23%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.31 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Joseph Campbell, Ralph Blum
Edition: Audio Cassette
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Abridged, Audiobook, Bargain Price
Published: 1995-03-15
ISBN: N/A
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Book Reviews of The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Book Review: The myth is greater than its parts, by breaking it down to its constituents, the magic is lost.
Summary: 3 Stars

The compilation of myths from throughout the world is both extensive and interesting, but I would say the myths as told in this book are missing their original "magic". This might be the effect of narrating only fragments of myths in each chapter (only the part that fits with the sequence of the hero's journey that is being explained) or maybe because by trying to rationalize the content of the myth, its magic dissolves.

For me myths arise in our imagination and their power resides in their ability to help us deal with the paradoxes and dualities that all human beings have to face (male/female, good/evil, etc.). Campbell prefers to think of myths and the hero's journey they imply, as a mean to overcome an unresolved issue with the father (mainly, but sometimes also with the mother). Apparently the hero succeeds only when he acknowledges that he is the same as the father ("He is in him and Him is he" or something put in equally difficult terms). These philosophical/theological views make the reading obscure and difficult and the psychoanalytical mechanisms are also some of the obstacles you will need to overcome on your hero's journey to the end of this book. On the other hand, his explanation of the dualism of good and evil in a multifaceted deity that bears the seed of creation and destruction in itself is quite interesting.

I personally enjoyed the first 90% of the The Philosophers' Secret Fire: A History of the Imagination much better. The author probably read Campbell, but his work is more recent and succeeds in transmitting you his passion for mythology. I think Mr. Harpur is more a follower of Jung than of Freud, so in his books you will meet the inhabitants of the "otherworld" (maybe archetypes), "but they will only come to haunt you if you try to annihilate their world".

Summary of The Hero with a Thousand Faces

A study of heroism in the myths of the world - an exploration of all the elements common to the great stories that have helped people make sense of their lives from the earliest times. It takes in Greek Apollo, Maori and Jewish rites, the Buddha, Wotan, and the bothers Grimm's Frog-King.
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.

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in General Books
All Creatures Great and Small ImageAll Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot, Christopher Timothy
Macmillan Audio; Published: 1996-09-15; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $32.34
Price in other shops: $39.95
The Brothers K ImageThe Brothers K
by David James Duncan
Random House Audio; Published: 1992-06-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Price in other shops: $15.99
The Book of Ti'Ana (Myst, Book 2) ImageThe Book of Ti'Ana (Myst, Book 2)
by Rand Miller
Random House Audio; Published: 1996-10-29; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $56.92
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour ImageThe Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
by James Hornfischer
Books on Tape; Published: 2004-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $54.99
Price in other shops: $96.00
The Lorax (Classic Seuss) ImageThe Lorax (Classic Seuss)
by Dr. Seuss
Random House Books for Young Readers; Published: 1992-03-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Price in other shops: $14.00
A Grief Observed (Library Edition) ImageA Grief Observed (Library Edition)
by C.S. Lewis
Blackstone Audiobooks; Published: 2005-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $14.10
Price in other shops: $22.95
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: More Stories of Life, Love and Learning (Chicken Soup for the Soul) ImageChicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: More Stories of Life, Love and Learning (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
Health Communications; Published: 1998-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops: $9.95
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths ImageD'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths
by Ingri D'Aulaire, Edgar Parin D'Aulaires
Airplay Audio Publishing; Published: 1996-09; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $173.46
The Book of Atrus (Myst, Book 1) ImageThe Book of Atrus (Myst, Book 1)
by Rand Miller
Random House Audio; Published: 1995-10-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $30.99
Seabiscuit: An American Legend ImageSeabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand
Random House Audio; Published: 2001-03-06; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $1.75
Price in other shops: $25.95
Similar Books and other products
The Masks of God, Vol. 2: Oriental Mythology ImageThe Masks of God, Vol. 2: Oriental Mythology
by Joseph Campbell
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1991-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.30
Price in other shops: $20.00
The Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology ImageThe Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology
by Joseph Campbell
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1991-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.80
Price in other shops: $20.00
The Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology ImageThe Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology
by Joseph Campbell
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1991-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.40
Price in other shops: $20.00
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting ImageStory: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
by Robert Mckee
HarperEntertainment; Published: 1997-12-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.00
Price in other shops: $35.00
Joseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey ImageJoseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey
Release date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $9.85
Price in other shops: $19.99
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth ImageJoseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
Release date: 2001-10-09; DVD
Best price: $20.40
Price in other shops: $26.95
Myths to Live By ImageMyths to Live By
by Joseph Campbell, Johnson E. Fairchild
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1993-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.04
Price in other shops: $16.00
Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation ImagePathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation
by Joseph Campbell
New World Library; Published: 2004-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops: $20.00
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition ImageThe Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition
by Christopher Vogler
Michael Wiese Productions; Published: 2007-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.35
Price in other shops: $26.95
The Power of Myth ImageThe Power of Myth
by Joseph Campbell
Anchor; Published: 1991-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.40
Price in other shops: $14.95