The Book Report (7)
Title- The Hero With A Thousand Faces
Author– Joseph Campbell
Type– Nonfiction (Culture, Psychology, Philosophy, Literature)
ISBN-9781577315933
Description– The Hero With A Thousand Faces at its core is a deconstruction of The Hero’s Journey and how it is essential to the human psyche and experience. Essentially the book explains why epics are structured the way they are and how that structure can mirror the change and growth an individual goes through during major life events (puberty, leaving home, making a family, black swans).
The Hero With A Thousand Faces is the most referenced and referred to book in pop-conservative culture I’ve found. It is referenced by writers, commentators, psychologist, and modern philosophers, and understanding the concepts of The Hero’s Journey and the Mono-myth allows you to better
Importance/Utility– Ever wonder why movies like the Original Star Wars are beloved by almost everyone, able to be watched over and over again, but films like the Star Wars prequels/sequels are completely forgettable, almost unwatchable, and eventually universally panned (sorry if you like those films, you’re in the minority). The ideas within The Hero With A Thousand Faces like the heroic cycle are not simply clever structures for storytelling, but are in fact representative of the core constructs of the human experience.
Rating– 9/10 – This is a very big idea book and may be difficult or incomprehensible to someone unversed in storytelling, philosophy, and human psychology. The Author uses narrative and examples from several cultures and mythologies to explain and express the ideas he is trying to explain, but fails to bring the concepts down to the level needed for it to be approachable by the average reader.
Recommended Format– The book doesn’t have too many diagrams, so digital versions would be adequate. Physical copies are also fine as this is a book that you will probably refer back to when you see its ideas and principles echoed in reality or entertainment.
One reply on “The Book Report (7) – The Hero With A Thousand Faces”
I’ve got this on my bookshelf and need to dust it off and re-read it.
I watched the Joseph Campbell-Bill Moyers series quite some time ago. It was good.