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Loading... The Power of Mythby Joseph Campbell
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Great read! ;)  DengLaoshi | Oct 25, 2008 |  Just fucking mind-opening and amazing. (  ) ryry9379 | May 22, 2008 | It's a series of interviews Campbell gave to Bill Moyers on the nature and power of myth taped over two years, with the last one done a few months before his death . In a format of questions and answers Campbell examines common myths that transcend cultures and human conditions: on the hero, the nature of myth, storytelling, the goddess, and finally what we understand of eternity. His thoughts are very insightful and show both immense knowledge of the subject matter and an amazing ability to both analyze and synthesize. He is at an equal ease citing from Greek and Western philosophers, Old and New Testament, Eastern ancient texts, and various aboriginal cultural tradition. He spices it all up with stories and myths which he retells with great skill. Wonderful stuff. I'll be reading more of him. ( )1  Niecierpek | Nov 27, 2007 | I love what Joseph Campbell has to say, but the interview style of the book was distracting. (  )1 tloeffler | Aug 5, 2007 | Not to speak ill of the dead, but Campbell's misogynistic view of myth is not transcendental or life changing. Much better to just read the myths he refers to, acknowledge a "humankind" connection to them, and take your own personal meaning from them. (  ) MollyBethStrijkan | Jun 5, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0385418868, Paperback)Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of The Power of Myth, showing how humans are apt to create and live out the themes of mythology. Based on a six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this classic is especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format, creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics. For example, when discussing the mythology of heroes, Campbell and Moyers smoothly segue from the Sumerian sky goddess Inanna to Star Wars' mercenary-turned-hero, Han Solo. Most impressive is Campbell's encyclopedic knowledge of myths, demonstrated in his ability to recall the details and archetypes of almost any story, from any point and history, and translate it into a lesson for spiritual living in the here and now. --Gail Hudson(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:57 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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