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For other uses, see Joseph Campbell (disambiguation). Joseph Campbell or Joe Campbell may refer to Joseph A Campbell (fl
Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell, circa 1984
Born Joseph John Campbell
March 26, 1904(1904-03-26)
White Plains,
New York,
United States
Died October 30, 1987 (aged 83)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Occupation Scholar
Nationality American
Influences

Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American mythology professor, writer, and lecturer best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on The City of White Plains is the County seat of Westchester County New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (29 May 1880 Blankenburg am Harz &ndash 8 May 1936 Munich) was a German Historian and Philosopher whose Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Heinrich Zimmer (1890 - 1943 was an Indologist and historian of South Asian art James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Paul Thomas Mann ( June Leo Viktor Frobenius ( 29 June 1873 - 9 August 1938) was an Ethnologist and Archaeologist and a major figure in German Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Lecturer is a term of Academic rank. In the United Kingdom lecturer is the name given to University Teachers in their first permanent Comparative mythology is the comparison of Myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics Comparative religion is a field of Religious study that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes myths rituals and concepts among the world's religions His work is vast and covers many aspects of the human experience, and his philosophy is often identified with the phrase he coined: "Follow Your Bliss".

Contents

Life

Childhood and education

Joseph Campbell was born and raised in White Plains, New York[1] in an upper middle class Roman Catholic family. The City of White Plains is the County seat of Westchester County New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous As a child, Campbell became fascinated with Native American culture after his father took him to see the American Museum of Natural History in New York where he saw on display featured collections of Native American artifacts. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic The American Museum of Natural History ( AMNH) located on the Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York, USA is one of the largest and most New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He soon became versed in numerous aspects of Native American society, primarily in Native American mythology. Like other religions Native American belief systems include many sacred narratives This led to Campbell's lifelong passion for myth and to his study of and mapping of the cohesive threads in mythology that appeared to exist among even disparate human cultures. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" He graduated from the Canterbury School (Connecticut) in 1921. Canterbury School is a college preparatory coeducational boarding and day school for students in Forms 3 through 6 (grades 9-12 While at Dartmouth College he studied biology and mathematics, but decided that he preferred the humanities. Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U He transferred to Columbia University where he received his B. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. A. in English literature in 1925 and M. The term English literature refers to Literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by Writers not necessarily from A. in Medieval literature in 1927. Medieval literature is a broad subject encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand Campbell was also an accomplished athlete, receiving awards in track and field events.

Europe

In 1927, Campbell received a fellowship provided by Columbia to study in Europe. A scholarship is an award of access to an institution or a financial aid award for an individual student scholar for the purpose of furthering their Education Campbell studied Old French and Sanskrit at the University of Paris in France and the University of Munich in Germany. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical The historic University of Paris (Université de Paris first appeared in the second half of the 13th century This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München also known as LMU, is a University in Munich and with more Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He quickly learned to read and speak both French and German, mastering them after only a few months of rigorous study. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. He remained fluent in both languages for the remainder of his life.

He was highly influenced while in Europe by the period of the Lost Generation, a time of enormous intellectual and artistic innovation. The ' Lost Generation' is a phrase made popular by American author Ernest Hemingway in his first published novel The Sun Also Rises. Campbell commented on this influence, particularly that of James Joyce, in The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (1990, first edition:28):

CAMPBELL: And then the fact that James Joyce grabbed me. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the You know that wonderful living in a realm of significant fantasy, which is Irish, is there in the Arthurian romances; it's in Joyce; and it's in my life. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders
COUSINEAU: Did you find that you identified with Stephen Daedalus. Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce 's literary Alter ego, as well as the Protagonist of his first semi-autobiographical novel of artistic existence . . in Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?
CAMPBELL: His problem was my problem, exactly. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical Novel by James Joyce, first serialized in The Egoist . . Joyce helped release me into an understanding of the universal sense of these symbols. . . Joyce disengaged himself and left the labyrinth, you might say, of Irish politics and the church to go to London, where he became one of the very important members of this marvelous movement that Paris represented in the period when I was there, in the '20s. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

It was in this climate that Campbell was also introduced to the work of Thomas Mann, who was to prove equally influential upon his life and ideas. Paul Thomas Mann ( June Also while in Europe, Campbell was introduced to modern art, becoming particularly enthusiastic about the work of Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 A new world of exciting ideas opened up to Campbell while studying in Europe. Here he also discovered the works and writings of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded It was also during this time, as well, that he met and became friends with the young Jiddu Krishnamurti, a friendship which began his lifelong interest in Hindu philosophy and mythology. Jiddu Krishnamurti ( Telugu: జిడ్డు కృష్ణ మూర్తి or J A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical In addition, after the death of Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, Campbell was given the task to edit and posthumously publish Zimmer's papers. Heinrich Zimmer (1890 - 1943 was an Indologist and historian of South Asian art

Return to the United States and the Great Depression

On his return from Europe in 1929, Campbell announced to his faculty at Columbia that his time in Europe had broadened his interests and that he wanted to study Sanskrit and Modern art in addition to Medieval literature. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Medieval literature is a broad subject encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand When his advisors did not support this, Campbell decided not to go forward with his plans to earn a doctorate and never returned to a conventional graduate program (The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work, 1990, first edition: 54). A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement

A few weeks later, the Great Depression began. Campbell would spend the next five years (1929-1934) trying to figure out what to do with his life (Larsen and Larsen, 2002:160) and he engaged in a period of intensive and rigorous independent study. H Stephen Larsen is a Psychologist and author who with his wife Robin Larsen was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and also founded the Campbell discussed this period in The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (1990, first edition:52-3). Campbell states that he "would divide the day into four four-hour periods, of which I would be reading in three of the four hour periods, and free one of them. . . I would get nine hours of sheer reading done a day. And this went on for five years straight. "

He also traveled to California for a year (1931-32), continuing his independent studies and becoming close friends with the budding writer John Steinbeck and his wife Carol (Larsen and Larsen, 2002, chapters 8 and 9). John Steinbeck III (February 27 1902—December 20 1968 was one of the best-known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century H Stephen Larsen is a Psychologist and author who with his wife Robin Larsen was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and also founded the Campbell also maintained his independent reading while teaching for a year in 1933 at the Canterbury School during which time he also attempted to publish works of fiction (Larsen and Larsen, 2002:214) [2]. H Stephen Larsen is a Psychologist and author who with his wife Robin Larsen was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and also founded the

Campbell's independent studies led to his greater exploration of the ideas of the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, a contemporary and estranged colleague of Sigmund Freud. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation A psychiatrist (also archaically called an alienist) is a Physician who specializes in Psychiatry and is certified in treating Mental disorders Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Campbell edited the first Eranos conference papers and helped to found Princeton University Press' Bollingen Press. For the town in Armenia see Yeranos. Eranos is an intellectual discussion group dedicated to the study of Spirituality which has met The Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Another dissident member of Freud's circle to influence Campbell was Wilhelm Stekel (1868 - 1939). Wilhelm Stekel ( March 18, 1868 – June 25, 1940) was an Austrian physician and Psychologist, who became one of Sigmund Stekel pioneered the application of Freud's conceptions of dreams, fantasies of the human mind, and the unconscious to such fields as anthropology and literature. The human brain controls the Central nervous system (CNS by way of the Cranial nerves and Spinal cord, the Peripheral nervous system (PNS Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter

Sarah Lawrence College

In 1934, Campbell was offered a position as professor at Sarah Lawrence College (through the efforts of his former Columbia advisor W. Sarah Lawrence is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States. W. Laurence). Campbell married one of his former students, dancer and dance instructor Jean Erdman, in 1938. Jean Erdman (born February 20, 1916) is a dancer and choreographer of Modern dance. He retired from Sarah Lawrence College in 1972, after having taught there for 38 years.

Death

Joseph Campbell died at the age of 83 on October 30, 1987, at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii, from complications due to esophageal cancer [1] shortly after completing filming of The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers. Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. Bill Moyers (born June 5, 1934, as William Donald "Billy Don" Moyers) is an American Journalist and public commentator

Select works

James Joyce and early works

As noted above, James Joyce was an important influence on Campbell. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Campbell's first important book (with Henry Morton Robinson), A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake [3] (1944), is a critical analysis of Joyce's final text Finnegans Wake. Henry Morton Robinson (born in Boston on September 7, 1898 –died in New York on January 13, 1961) was an American novelist best A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake (1944 by Mythologist Joseph Campbell and Henry Morton Robinson is a work of literary criticism Finnegans Wake is a fictional work by James Joyce, published in 1939 In addition, Campbell's seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, discusses what Campbell termed the monomyth -- the cycle of the journey of the hero, an idea which he directly attributes to Joyce's Finnegans Wake[4]. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and Finnegans Wake is a fictional work by James Joyce, published in 1939

The Masks of God

His massive four-volume work The Masks of God covers mythology from around the world, from ancient to modern. Where The Hero with a Thousand Faces focused on the commonality of mythology (the “elementary ideas”), the Masks of God books focus upon historical and cultural variations the monomyth takes on (the “folk ideas”). The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell In other words, where The Hero with a Thousand Faces draws perhaps more from psychology, the Masks of God books draw more from anthropology and history. The four volumes of Masks of God are as follows: Primitive Mythology, Oriental Mythology, Occidental Mythology, and Creative Mythology.

The Historical Atlas of World Mythology

At the time of his death, Campbell was in the midst of working upon a large-format, lavishly illustrated series entitled The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. This series was to build on Campbell’s idea, first presented in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, that myth evolves over time through four stages:

• The Way of the Animal Powers -- the myths of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers which focus on shamanism and animal totems.

• The Way of the Seeded Earth -- the myths of Neolithic, agrarian cultures which focus upon a mother goddess and associated fertility rites.

• The Way of the Celestial Lights -- the myths of Bronze Age city-states with pantheons of gods up ruling from the heavens, led by a masculine god-king.

• The Way of Man -- religion and philosophy as it developed after the Axial Age (c. 6th century BC), in which the mythic imagery of previous eras was made consciously metaphorical, reinterpreted as referring to psycho-spiritual, not literal-historical, matters. This transition is evidenced in the East by Buddhism, Vedanta, and philosophical Taoism; and in the West by the Mystery Cults, Platonism and Gnosticism. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Vedanta ( Devanagari: sa वेदान्त Vedānta) is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the Self-realisation Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Platonism is the Philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems

Only the first two volumes were completed at the time of Campbell's death. Both are now out-of-print.

The Power of Myth

Campbell's widest popular recognition followed his collaboration with Bill Moyers on the PBS series The Power of Myth, which was first broadcast in 1988, the year following Campbell's death. Bill Moyers (born June 5, 1934, as William Donald "Billy Don" Moyers) is an American Journalist and public commentator The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The series exposed his ideas concerning mythological, religious, and psychological archetypes to a wide audience, and captured the imagination of millions of viewers. It remains a staple of PBS television membership drives to this day. A companion book, The Power of Myth, containing expanded transcripts of their conversations, was released shortly after the original broadcast, and became a best seller.

Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor

A recent compilation of many of his ideas is titled Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor. In it Campbell writes:". . . Mythology is often thought of as other people's religions, and religion can be defined as mis-interpreted mythology. " In other words, Campbell did not read religious symbols literally as historical facts, but instead he saw them as symbols or as metaphors for greater philosophical ideas.

Campbell had previously discussed this idea with Bill Moyers in The Power of Myth:

CAMPBELL: That would be a mistake in the reading of the symbol. Bill Moyers (born June 5, 1934, as William Donald "Billy Don" Moyers) is an American Journalist and public commentator That is reading the words in terms of prose instead of in terms of poetry, reading the metaphor in terms of the denotation instead of the connotation.
MOYERS: And poetry gets to the unseen reality.
CAMPBELL: That which is beyond even the concept of reality, that which transcends all thought. The myth puts you there all the time, gives you a line to connect with that mystery which you are (Campbell, 1988:57).

Campbell's original voice

Campbell relied often upon the writings of Carl Jung as an explanation of psychological phenomena, as experienced through archetypes. An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer But Campbell did not necessarily agree with Jung upon every issue, and had very definite ideas of his own.

A fundamental belief of Campbell's was that all spirituality is a search for the same basic, unknown force from which everything came, within which everything currently exists, and into which everything will return. Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality This elemental force is ultimately “unknowable” because it exists before words and knowledge. Although this basic driving force cannot be expressed in words, spiritual rituals and stories refer to the force through the use of "metaphors" - these metaphors being the various stories, deities, and objects of spirituality we see in the world. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects For example, the Genesis myth in the Bible ought not be taken as a literal description of actual events, but rather its poetic, metaphorical meaning should be examined for clues concerning the fundamental truths of the world and our existence. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

Accordingly, Campbell believed the religions of the world to be the various, culturally influenced “masks” of the same fundamental, transcendent truths. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Religious belief refers to a mental state in which trust ( Faith) is placed in a Creed related to the Supernatural, Sacred, or divine All religions, including Christianity and Buddhism, can bring one to an elevated awareness above and beyond a dualistic conception of reality, or idea of “pairs of opposites,” such as being and non-being, or right and wrong. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Indeed, he quotes in the preface of The Hero with a Thousand Faces: "Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell " which is a translation of the Rig Vedic saying "Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanthi. "

Campbell was fascinated with what he viewed as basic, universal truths, expressed in different manifestations across different cultures. The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality For example, in the preface of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, he indicated that a goal of his was to demonstrate similarities between Eastern and Western religions. Eastern religion is a group of Religions originating in India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia. The following is a list of Religions and spiritual traditions, however it excludes modern religions which can be found in List of new religious movements. In his four-volume series of books "The Masks of God", Campbell tried to summarize the main spiritual threads common throughout the world. Tied in with this, was his idea that many of the belief systems of the world which expressed these universal truths had a common geographic ancestry, starting off on the fertile grasslands of Europe in the Bronze Age and moving to the Levant and the "Fertile Crescent" of Mesopotamia and back to Europe (and the Far East), where it was mixed with the newly emerging Indo-European (Aryan) culture. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the The Fertile Crescent is a Crescent -shaped region in the Middle East, originally incorporating the Levant and Ancient Mesopotamia, and often Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable"

Heroes and the monomyth

The role of the hero figured largely in Campbell's comparative studies. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and In 1949 The Hero with a Thousand Faces introduced his idea of the monomyth (as stated above, a word borrowed from Joyce), which outlined some of the archetypal patterns Campbell recognized. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell Heroes were important to Campbell because, to him, they conveyed universal truths about one's personal self-discovery and self-transcendence, one's role in society, and the relationship between the two. A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions

Organizations and Archives

The Joseph Campbell Foundation

In 1991, Campbell's widow, choreographer Jean Erdman, worked with Campbell's longtime friend and editor, Robert Walter, to create the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Jean Erdman (born February 20, 1916) is a dancer and choreographer of Modern dance. Robert John Walter MP (born May 30 1948 in Swansea) is the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Dorset in south west England The Joseph Campbell Foundation is a US not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserve protect and perpetuate the work of influential American mythologist Joseph Campbell The mission of the foundation is to preserve, protect and perpetuate Campbell's work, as well as supporting work in his field of study.

Among the initiatives undertaken by the JCF include: The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell, a series of books and recordings that aims to pull together Campbell's myriad-minded work; the Erdman Campbell Award; the Mythological RoundTables®, a network of local groups around the globe that explore the subjects of comparative mythology, psychology, religion and culture; and the collection of Campbell's library and papers housed at the OPUS Archive and Research Center (see below). [5]

The Joseph Campbell Collection

After Campbell's death, Jean Erdman and the Joseph Campbell Foundation donated his papers, books and other effects to the Center for the Study of Depth Psychology at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California. Jean Erdman (born February 20, 1916) is a dancer and choreographer of Modern dance. The Joseph Campbell Foundation is a US not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserve protect and perpetuate the work of influential American mythologist Joseph Campbell Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited Graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara California. Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in the southeastern extremity of Santa Barbara County California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura The collection is housed in the OPUS Archives and Research Center. Campbell had frequently lectured at Pacifica, a private school that supports graduate work in mythology and depth psychology. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Depth psychology is a broad term that refers to any psychological approach examining the depth (the subtle or unconscious parts of human experience The founding curator, psychologist Jonathan Young, worked closely with Ms. Jonathan Young is a Psychologist who became the founding curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives. Erdman to gather the materials from Campbell's homes in Honolulu and Greenwich Village, New York City. Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan The City of New York The Campbell Collection features approximately 3,000 volumes and covers a broad range of subjects, including anthropology, folklore, religion, literature, and psychology. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The collection also includes audio and video tapes of lectures, original manuscripts, and research papers. The current curator and librarian is Richard Buchen. [6].

Influence

Scholars who influenced Campbell

Campbell often referred to the work of modern writers James Joyce and Thomas Mann in his lectures and writings. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Paul Thomas Mann ( June Anthropologist Leo Frobenius was important to Campbell’s view of cultural history. Leo Viktor Frobenius ( 29 June 1873 - 9 August 1938) was an Ethnologist and Archaeologist and a major figure in German He often indicated that the single most important book in his intellectual development was Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West. Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (29 May 1880 Blankenburg am Harz &ndash 8 May 1936 Munich) was a German Historian and Philosopher whose The Decline of the West ( The Downfall of the Occident) (Der Untergang des Abendlandes is a two-volume work by Oswald Spengler, the first volume

Campbell's ideas regarding myth and its relationship to the human psyche are dependent on the work of Carl Jung, whose studies of human psychology, as previously mentioned, greatly influenced Campbell. Campbell's conception of myth is closely related to the Jungian method of dream interpretation, which is heavily reliant on symbolic interpretation. Jung's insights into archetypes were in turn heavily influenced by the Bardo Thodol (also known as the The Tibetan Book of the Dead). In his 1981 text The Mythic Image, Campbell quotes Jung on the Bardo Thodol, who states that it "belongs to that class of writings which not only are of interest to specialists in Mahayana Buddhism, but also, because of their deep humanity and still deeper insight into the secrets of the human psyche, make an especial appeal to the layman seeking to broaden his knowledge of life". . . "For years, ever since it was first published, the Bardo Thodol has been my constant companion, and to it I owe not only many stimulating ideas and discoveries, but also many fundamental insights" (Campbell 1981:392).

The "follow your bliss" philosophy attributed to Campbell following the original broadcast of The Power of Myth was possibly influenced by the 1922 Sinclair Lewis novel Babbitt. Sinclair Lewis ( February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American Novelist, Short-story writer and Babbitt, first published in 1922, is a work of fiction by the American Novelist, Short-story writer and playwright Sinclair In The Power of Myth Campbell quotes from the novel:

Campbell: "Have you ever read Sinclair Lewis' Babbit?
Moyers: "Not in a long time. The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. "
Campbell: "Remember the last line? 'I have never done the thing that I wanted to do in all my life. ' That is a man who never followed his bliss. " (Campbell, 1988:117)

Campbell studied mythology under Professor Heinrich Zimmer while a young student at Columbia. Heinrich Zimmer (1890 - 1943 was an Indologist and historian of South Asian art Zimmer taught Campbell that myth (rather than a guru or spiritual guide) could serve in the role of a personal mentor, in that its stories provide a psychological roadmap for the finding of oneself in the labyrinth of the complex modern world. Zimmer relied more on the meanings of mythological tales (their symbols, metaphors, imagery, etc. ) as a source for psychological realization than upon psychoanalysis itself. Campbell later borrowed from the interpretative techniques of Jung and then reshaped them in a fashion that followed Zimmer's beliefs- interpreting directly from world mythology. This is an important distinction because as it serves to explain why Campbell did not directly follow Jung's footsteps in applied psychology.

Campbell's influence on cinema

George Lucas was the first Hollywood filmmaker to openly credit Campbell's influence. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Lucas stated following the release of the first Star Wars film in 1977 that its story was shaped, in part, by ideas described in The Hero With a Thousand Faces and other works of Campbell's. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell The linkage between Star Wars and Campbell was further reinforced when later reprints of Campbell's book used the image of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the cover. Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American Actor, Comedian and Voice actor. Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist of the Star Wars universe portrayed by Mark Hamill in the films Star Wars Episode IV [7] Lucas discusses this influence at great length in the official biography of Joseph Campbell, Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind by Stephen and Robin Larsen:

I [Lucas] came to the conclusion after American Graffiti that what's valuable for me is to set standards, not to show people the world the way it is. H Stephen Larsen is a Psychologist and author who with his wife Robin Larsen was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and also founded the American Graffiti is a period Coming of age film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck . . around the period of this realization. . . it came to me that there really was no modern use of mythology. . . The Western was possibly the last generically American fairy tale, telling us about our values. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving And once the Western disappeared, nothing has ever taken its place. In literature we were going off into science fiction. . . so that's when I started doing more strenuous research on fairy tales, folklore, and mythology, and I started reading Joe's books. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Before that I hadn't read any of Joe's books. . . It was very eerie because in reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces I began to realize that my first draft of Star Wars was following classic motifs. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (first published in 1949 is a non-fiction book and seminal work of Comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera . . so I modified my next draft [of Star Wars] according to what I'd been learning about classical motifs and made it a little bit more consistent. . . I went on to read 'The Masks of God' and many other books (Larsen and Larsen, 2002: 541).

It was not until after the completion of the original Star Wars trilogy in 1983, however, that Lucas met Campbell or heard any of his lectures. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded [8] The 1988 documentary The Power of Myth was filmed at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. Skywalker Ranch is the name of the workplace of Film director and producer George Lucas in secluded but open country near Nicasio California During his interviews with Bill Moyers, Campbell discusses the way in which Lucas used The Hero's Journey in the Star Wars films (IV, V, and VI) to re-invent the mythology for the contemporary viewer. Bill Moyers (born June 5, 1934, as William Donald "Billy Don" Moyers) is an American Journalist and public commentator Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Moyers and Lucas filmed an interview 12 years later in 1999 called the Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas & Bill Moyers to further discuss the impact of Campbell's work on Lucas' films. [9] In addition, the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution sponsored an exhibit during the late 1990s called Star Wars: The Magic of Myth, which discussed the ways in which Campbell's work shaped the Star Wars films. The National Air and Space Museum (NASM of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington D The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of [10] A companion guide of the same name was published in 1997.

Christopher Vogler, a Hollywood screenwriter, was also highly influenced by Campbell. Christopher Vogler is a Hollywood Development executive best known for his guide for screenwriters The Writer's Journey Mythic Structure For Writers He created a 7-page company memo based on Campbell's work, A Practical Guide to The Hero With a Thousand Faces,[11], which led to the development of Disney's 1994 film The Lion King. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15 1994 Vogler's memo was later developed into the late 1990s book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. The Writer's Journey Mythic Structure For Writers is a popular screenwriting textbook by writer Christopher Vogler, focusing on the theory that most stories

John David Ebert, a former editor who worked with the Campbell Foundation, was also highly influenced by Campbell, and this is especially evident in Ebert's book Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons: Film as the Mythology of Electronic Society (Cybereditions, 2005). John David Ebert (b June 26, 1968) is a Cultural critic and Philosopher who has made several contributions to the study of Mythology

Controversy

A few years after his death, some of Campbell's critics accused him of anti-Semitism. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility The charges began with Brendan Gill's article, "The Faces of Joseph Campbell," published in the New York Review of Books, Vol. Brendan Gill ( October 4 1914 – December 27 1997) wrote for The New Yorker for more than 60 years The New York Review of Books (or NYREV or NYRB) is a semimonthly Magazine on Literature, Culture, and current 36, Issue 14, September 28, 1989, pages 16-19. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Gill, who identified himself as a friend of Campbell from the Century Association in New York City, notes in the article that he wrote it in reaction to the enormous popularity of The Power of Myth series in 1988. The Power of Myth is a book and six part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. Professor of religion Robert Segal followed Gill's contention of anti-semitism with the article, "Joseph Campbell on Jews and Judaism" ( Religion Volume 22, Issue 2, April 1992: 151-170). A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Later in the article Segal also suggests that this view of Campbell stems, at least in part, from his tendency to be perhaps blunt at times in his critique of certain aspects of various organized religions, which Campbell, in his valedictory series of lectures, Transformations of Myth Through Time had stated was his job. [12]

Other scholars disagreed both with Gill's general critiques as well as the accusation of anti-Semitism. A few months after Gill's article appeared, the New York Review of Books, Volume 36, Issue 17, November 9, 1989, pages 57-61, published the series of letters "Brendan Gill vs. The New York Review of Books (or NYREV or NYRB) is a semimonthly Magazine on Literature, Culture, and current Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Defenders of Joseph Campbell" (cover of New York Review), "Joseph Campbell: An Exchange" (title of letter collection). A number of the letters, from former students and colleagues, argue against the accusations. In particular, Professors Roberta and Peter Markman argue that "we were dismayed because this piece of character assassination was unsupported by any evidence. " Gill, in a response to these letters, continued to uphold his claims.

Stephen Larsen and Robin Larsen, the authors of the biography "Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind," (2002) also argued against what they referred to as "the so called anti-Semitic charge" (x). H Stephen Larsen is a Psychologist and author who with his wife Robin Larsen was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and also founded the They state that: "For the record, Campbell did not belong to any organization that condoned racial or social bias, nor do we know of any other way in which he endorsed such viewpoints. During his lifetime there was no record of such accusations in which he might have publicly betrayed his bigotry or visibly been forced to defend such a position" (2002:x).

Bibliography of works by Campbell

Books by Joseph Campbell

Books based upon interviews with Joseph Campbell

Audio Tapes of Joseph Campbell

Video/DVDs of Joseph Campbell

Books edited by Joseph Campbell

General references

On the Life and Work of Joseph Campbell

Books

Articles

Secondary References

Books


References

  1. ^ Joseph Campbell Foundation website
  2. ^ Pacifica Graduate Institute | Joseph Campbell & Marija Gimbutas Library | Joseph Campbell - Chronology
  3. ^ Joseph Campbell Foundation - Works - Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake, A
  4. ^ Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. the Bollingen Foundation, 1949. p. 30, n35. Cambell cites James Joyce, Finnegans Wake. NY: Viking, 1939, p. 581
  5. ^ The Joseph Campbell Foundation Website
  6. ^ OPUS Archives and Research Center at the Pacifica Graduate Institute
  7. ^ Campbell, J.: The Hero with a Thousand Faces
  8. ^ George Lucas Interview: Well Rounded Entertainment
  9. ^ Films for the Humanities and Sciences - Educational Media - The Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers
  10. ^ Star Wars @ NASM, Unit 1, Introduction Page
  11. ^ Pacifica Graduate Institute | Joseph Campbell & Marija Gimbutas Library | Joseph Campbell and the Skywalker: Meetings with George Lucas
  12. ^ Transcribed in book of same name [ISBN 0-06-096463-4]

See also

External links

Organizations:

General:

Interviews:

Critical Essays:

A lecture by Joseph Campbell:

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