Joseph Campbell and the Heros Journey BACKGROUND JOSEPH

Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey BACKGROUND

JOSEPH CAMPBELL Born March 26 th, 1904 � As a child, he became fascinated with Native American culture and learned all he could � As he grew older, his studies included the works of Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung � His studies led him to the belief that, “all myths are the creative products of the human psyche, that artists are a culture's mythmakers, and that mythologies are creative manifestations of humankind's universal need to explain psychological, social, cosmological, and spiritual realities. ” (jcf. org) �

MAJOR WORKS � The � In Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) this study of the myth of the hero, Campbell posits the existence of a Monomyth (a word he borrowed from James Joyce), a universal pattern that is the essence of, and common to, heroic tales in every culture. While outlining the basic stages of this mythic cycle, he also explores common variations in the hero's journey, which, he argues, is an operative metaphor, not only for an individual, but for a culture as well.

THE POWER OF MYTH � Campbell died in 1987, and in 1988 PBS broadcast six hours of conversation Campbell had videotaped with Bill Moyers. The conversation covered Campbell’s thoughts on myth, storytelling, and the hero’s journey. The transcript of that conversation was later published in book form. � Campbell often referenced Star Wars to explain his interpretation of a hero’s journey: � https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=2 F 7 Wwew 8 X 4 Y

HERO’S JOURNEY � Part One: Departure � The Call to Adventure � Refusal of the Call � Supernatural Aid � The Crossing of the First Threshold � The Belly of the Whale

HERO’S JOURNEY � Part Two: Initiation � The Road of Trials � The Meeting with the Goddess � Woman as the Temptress � Atonement with the Father � Apotheosis � The Ultimate Boon

HERO’S JOURNEY � Part Three: Return � Refusal of the Return � The Magic Flight � Rescue from Without � The Crossing of the Return Threshold � Master of the Two Worlds � Freedom to Live

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ENTRY #2 � Considering the homework reading and the information discussed in class – what are your thoughts on the following quote from Campbell? � “Whether you call someone a hero or a monster is all relative to where the focus of your consciousness may be. ”