To understand the tales in this book would be a semester of study. I read it quickly because I don't have a semester to learn these books. In retrospect, it seemed like a stream of consciousness where each part reminds him of another myth. Just as he starts to make a conclusion, he is off into another myth. Myths of war, conflict, death, foolishness, etc.

A few statement that struck me:

"The fundamental text of the Hindu tradition is, of course, the Bhagavad Gita; and there four basic yogas described. The word yoga itself, from the Sanskrit yui, meaning 'to yoke, to link one thing to another,' refers to the act of linking the minds of the source of mind," (Page 97) He then goes on to briefly describe the four yogas.

"Many of my professor friends are beginning to suggest that our students today are looking not for teachers but for gurus. The Guru in the Orient accepts responsibility for his students moral life, and the students aim, reciprocally, must be to identify with the guru and become, if possible just like him." (Page 101) But the students of today do not exercise the required "perfect faith."

"I am told that in the old days a young person desiring to learn swordsmanship in Japan would be left by the master largely unattended for a long time, doing chores around the school, washing dishes, and so on; ..." (Page 119) There is a superficial resemblance to the movie Karate Kid.

"The two greates works of war mythology in the West are ... the Iliad and the Old Testament." (Page 174)

"However, as the wold well knows, the long, long history of China has been distinguished largely by the regin of merciless despots alternating with chaotic centuries of war;" (Page 192-193)

Perhaps the book is best summed up by chapter 10 near the end of the book: "Schizophrenia - the Inward Journey"
( )

orientalist, ableist, unoriginal garbage ( )

What is a properly functioning mythology and what are its functions? Can we use myths to help relieve our modern anxiety, or do they help foster it? In Myths to Live By, Joseph Campbell explores the enduring power of the universal myths that influence our lives daily and examines the myth-making process from the primitive past to the immediate present, retuning always to the source from which all mythology springs: the creative imagination.Campbell stresses that the borders dividing the Earth have been shattered; that myths and religions have always followed the certain basic archetypes and are no longer exclusive to a single people, region, or religion. He shows how we must recognize their common denominators and allow this knowledge to be of use in fulfilling human potential everywhere.

Wow.

Well, it seems that I've had this book on my list since 2008 and only now got around to finishing it. Sadly, I think I've owned it since before even 2008. Finishing it feels like a great accomplishment, to be perfectly honest. More sadly, my lack of finishing it was not at all due to a lack of interest.

Others reviewers have complained that the book doesn't truly seem to follow any exact pattern, and I have to agree with that. Some of the lectures seem entirely unrelated, but nonetheless they are all quite interesting. Campbell, as always, is a delicious read and a wealth of information even if he does tend to repeat himself now and again.

I would recommend the book as a reference to anyone working within the mythic or the folkloric. It may not all read smoothly as a whole, but take any one of the essays out of there and you will have something informative and fascinating to read. ( )

Ideas are good, though the writing can be better. ( )