the hero with a thousand faces sparknotes

I didn’t agree with some of their conclusions. In an open discussion with some female attendees of one of his seminars, Campbell and the women try to define how the woman’s heroic journey is different than a man’s. I had some issues with his concluding chapter of this book, Dialogues. Despite this, I suggest you read Hero first, because it’ll give you a better contextual base to understand what the heck Campbell is going on about. I found this book easier to understand than The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which I read a few months ago. It doesn’t affect me that way, so am I a sinner?” pg 43 Photo by Pixabay on

Unfortunately, when you have a dogma telling you what kind of effect the symbol is supposed to have upon you, you’re in trouble. “And my little sermon to the churches of the world is this: you have got the symbols right there on the altar, and you have the lessons as well. Campbell applies his mythological lens to the world religions, to life stages, to everything in-between to see what universal truths he can pull out of the stories and the common experience of humanity. Though, he does point out, you could experience your unique pathway through ritual and communion with a community of like-minded believers. The pathway to that which you are here to live is something that only you can find for yourself. He also stresses the need for the individual to find their own meanings in the stories and symbols of the mythology. He believes there is trouble on the horizon if society’s myths don’t change and evolve to keep up with the challenges of the current day. Ritual is simply myth enacted by participating in a rite, you are participating directly in the myth.” pg xixĬampbell talks about not only the importance of the myths throughout generations of humankind, but the idea that it is a living, breathing system. “If it is a living mythology, one that is actually organically relevant to the life of the people of the time, repeating the myths and enacting the rituals center you. That statement is over simplifying Campbell’s complex and richly-developed discussions of mythology, but it’s the basic building blocks of the thing.

The hero with a thousand faces sparknotes