The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Difference between revisions

{{a|bookreview|}}Joseph Campbell’s writings have had more influence on late 20th century culture than you might expect: the principles of ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' resonates obviously through Star Wars, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings —indeed almost any other contemporary Science Fiction work you could mention, and more subtly in any one of hundreds of films and novels of the last half century. Many indeed are the fruit of Campbell’s tree.

In The Hero With A Thousand Faces Campbell sets out his stall early: his ''[[Mythic adventure|monomyth]'' which he explains in fairly short order and defends over the rest of the book. By Campbell’s account there are hundreds instantiations of it embodied in myths from the Judeo-Christian, Classical, Native American, Indian, African, Asian and Polynesian traditions. It is even illustrated, rather pointlessly, with sculptures and depictions of these various myths.