The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work

by Joseph Campbell, Phil Cousineau (Editor), Stuart L. Brown (Foreword by)

Overview

Joseph Campbell, arguably the greatest mythologist of the twentieth century, was certainly one of our greatest storytellers. This masterfully crafted book interweaves conversations between Campbell and some of the people he inspired, including poet Robert Bly, anthropologist Angeles Arrien, filmmaker David Kennard, Doors drummer John Densmore, psychiatric pioneer Stanislov Grof, Nobel laureate Roger Guillemen, and others. Campbell reflects on subjects ranging from the origins and functions of myth, the role of the artist, and the need for ritual to the ordeals of love and romance. With poetry and humor, Campbell recounts his own quest and conveys the excitement of his lifelong exploration of our mythic traditions, what he called “the one great story of mankind.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608681891
Publisher:	New World Library
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Series:	The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) is widely credited with bringing mythology to a mass audience. His works, including the four-volume The Masks of God and The Power of Myth (with Bill Moyers), rank among the classics in mythology and literature.

Phil Cousineau is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, teacher and editor, lecturer and travel leader, storyteller and TV host. He has written and co-written numerous books on religion, travel, and mythology, including The Art of Pilgrimage and Once and Future Myths. He lives in San Francisco.

Stuart L. Brown was the executive producer of (and driving force behind) the popular documentary film The Hero's Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell. He lives in Northern California.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Preface to the Centennial Edition	xi
	Introduction	xv
	Editor's Acknowledgments	xxv
	Chronology of Joseph Campbell's Life	xxvi
Chapter 1	The Call to Adventure	1
Chapter 2	The Road of Trials	19
Chapter 3	The Vision Quest	51
Chapter 4	The Meeting with the Goddess	81
Chapter 5	The Boon	113
Chapter 6	The Magic Flight	141
Chapter 7	The Return Threshold	179
Chapter 8	The Master of Two Worlds	199
	Epilogue: The Tiger and the Goat	231
	Books by Joseph Campbell	233
	Bibliography	235
	List of Contributors	238
	Illustration Credits	239
	Index	241
	About the Author	251
	About the Joseph Campbell Foundation	253

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating series of dialogues with Joseph Campbell, revealing at every turn fresh aspects of his genius, wisdom, and understanding. I hope this much-needed book will be widely read and pondered.”
—Richard Adams, author of Watership Down

“We don’t have enough personal history regarding Joseph Campbell, so [this] book fills a real need.”
—Michael Murphy, cofounder of the Esalen Institute

“Blissful! Illuminating! The voice of the master storyteller himself...An outstanding introduction to the great teacher and personalizer of our myths and muses.”
—Noel Riley Fitch, author of Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation

“These stories reveal how [Campbell’s] sense of the oneness of mythology began and grew over the course of his long and event-filled life journey. As we read them, we experience the warm human presence of a man who spent his life learning from others as well as teaching. Recommended.”
—Library Journal

From the Publisher

Campbell's spiritual autobiography, filled with quotable comments, offers insights into his Catholic youth, travels, teaching career and marriage as well as dialogues on poetry and ritual art with notables including Robert Bly and Jung. ``Fans of . . . Campbell's books on comparative myth and religion will enjoy this amalgam of interviews, speeches and conversations,'' said PW. Illustrated. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Campbell's 1990 volume is being rereleased to honor his centennial. The book essentially is a collection of interviews in which Campbell reveals information about his life as well as his work in dissecting the world's mythologies. This edition contains a new foreword by Phil Cousineau and sports illustrations as far ranging as symbols of the ancients to pix of James Joyce, Jerry Garcia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. LJ's reviewer found that as the stories unfold, readers "experience the warm human presence of a man who spent his life learning from others as well as teaching" (LJ 5/15/90). Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal