The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell

De: Joseph Campbell

Narrado por: Arthur Morey, John Lee, Susan Denaker

Since its release in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Joseph Campbell's revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology. In this book, Campbell outlines the Hero's Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world's mythic traditions. He also explores the Cosmogonic Cycle, the mythic pattern of world creation and destruction.

As relevant today as when it was first published, The Hero with a Thousand Faces continues to find new audiences in fields ranging from religion and anthropology to literature and film studies. The book has also profoundly influenced creative artists - including authors, songwriters, game designers, and filmmakers - and continues to inspire all those interested in the inherent human need to tell stories.

©2008 The Joseph Campbell Foundation (jcf.org). Third edition (with revisions) / 1968 by Princeton University Press. Second edition (with revisions) / 1949 by Bollingen Foundation and published by Pantheon Books. (Original edition), year 2008 (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Arthur Morey, John Lee, and Susan Denaker are an adept and experienced performance team. The way they trade voices adds texture to the complex compendium of stories." ( AudioFile)

HUGE Campbell fan, but audio slightly confusing

I don't know if this work will be enjoyed by the average reader. My undergrad was in comparative religion, so for a philosophy geek like me, I loved it.

The only part of this production that I didn't like was how the producers decided to break-up the narrators for various parts of the book. Generally, Arthur Morey read the bulk of the book and John Lee and Susan Denaker read the scriptural/mythical text relevant to the topic.

What confused me though, was that in several instances Lee seemed to be reading parts that Morey should have been reading. I love John Lee's voice though, so this wasn't a huge deal. I don't remember this being an issue with Susan Denaker's sections though. I need to look at the printed version to see if I can figure out why the producers decided to break up the text/narrators in the way that they did.

Good points on literature, very dated pop psych

What did you like best about The Hero with a Thousand Faces? What did you like least?

It's good to finally sit down and go in depth with this book, the concepts within are fundamental to much of mythology as well as modern literature. The disappointing part is the literary analysis is only about 2/3 of the book. The rest is super dated psycho analysis. Put simply Campbell has his head so far up his own butt he'd try to interpret his colon's dreams to understand its relation with its' parents.

What was most disappointing about Joseph Campbell’s story?

See aforementioned dream comment.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but they do a good job utilizing multiple readers for quotations.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

This is not a popcorn flick of a movie, but if you took the mythology and literary analysis thereof it would make an ok documentary.

Any additional comments?

Nothing wrong with the performance, though as I said, Joe Campbell is a bit of a blowhard so be prepared. Still listen though, 2/3 of the book is invaluable.

Everyone should read this ♥️ thought provoking

This book is exceptional. I have a copy and would sometimes go back to read a passage to understand it better. I have no doubt I'll listen to it again.

Narration doesn’t work.

Even though lively and professional the narration doesn’t connect with the content in an efficient way. The narration is too theatrical and makes you feel dreamy in minutes. The textual content is good stuff. In any case, I cannot listen to this without falling asleepz

Dense and disjointed

I really wanted to appreciate this one more than I did, but I guess its just not my thing. The book didnt flow as much as it should, and I didnt know enough about the reference myths to piece it together.

Difficult to get through

Listening to the audio book, this seemed more like a collection of quotes stories than an exploration of the hero’s journey. The narrators sounded bored and thus made the book excruciating to get through at times.

Certainly there were some great insights but don’t get this anticipating something that resembles ‘The Power of Myth’, where Campbell breaks down meanings and symbolism from myths.

Maybe it’s just me and maybe it’s the audio format. I suspect the book would be easier to follow with a physical book.

Thoughts on Hero with a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell penned a classic defining the monomyth. While there are far more discussions to be had on the monomyth and some criticism to be had, it is very much worth reading.

Amazing book, but long

I really enjoyed this book. His idea of the hero myth is culturally universal is well known in today's society, at least at a non-conscious level. The book is based in a legion of anthropologic research and articulated in the language of psychology. Amd while the tendency is to think he treats cherished religious beliefs as myths, he does not. He says a, couple times that I'd you ecamine a myth or religion in thr cold light of day, you miss a lot by shining your Hiesenbergian light of examination.

It can be long and ponderous. But it's worth while slogging through. Thr cumulative effect is stunning. He wraps it all up in a masterful final chapter, summarizing the change to the challenge of the hero in modern times as opposed to the hero's challenge pre-Enlightenment.

The universal basic for story and myth

Explained well, shows universal connections and stories. I encouraged the various stories shared and the explanation d that followed.

too much for me

Maybe I am too simple, but this book was too much. Too much information, too much jumping from example to example without (I felt) enough history of said example and finally, too "wordy". A lot was lost on me just trying to keep up with the verbiage. Was he writing prose, or a novel? Is his audience collegiates working towards a masters in philosophy/world religion or the above-average intelligent history buff looking to expand their knowledge base for trivia night? I felt like his point could have been made in half the pages and a more clean and succinct writing style.

Saddened that this book did not "do it for me", but I will keep it in my library and maybe listen to it again in the future. Or maybe try a hardback and make lots of notes. 😄