Customer Reviews
Difficult concept, yet universal - By: M.I., 11 Nov 2008 
Campbell was one of the most distinguished figuresin the continuing study of mythology, a sadly neglected subjectin recent times. Legend & myth aren't identical. Legend (or saga) at least hints at some historical truth (e.g. the Trojan War). Myth, often associated with legend, is far more complex. The human mind can't think at firstin terms of abstracts, such as truth. We need a mental picture of someone or something that is true, especiallyin dreams. What does truth itself look like? We need a symbol. All societies known have a mythology, usually treating it with more respect than our own - to our cost. A person may be the symbol of e.g. courage. We see a courageous personin dreams, not courage itself. And any given society has its own type (archetype) of the courageous character etc. Hence the title: Hero With A Thousand Faces, a face for each society, but the same concept (heroism, courage), that & many more.
A remarkable piece of work, although, for my money, I prefer Kerenyi, the overall treatment & the individual volumes on specific, particularly significant, concepts, such as motherhood & prolonged life, or death. Much to be recommended, both Campbell & Kerenyi.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - By: Dr. Tami Brady, 09 Oct 2008 
The Hero with a Thousand Faces is the work that first introduced me to Joseph Campbell. It was then & continues to be one of my favorite books of all time. Each time I read this valuable resource, I uncover another layer of usefulness. This time, I was specifically looking at how the cycle of the Hero's Journey directly related to the cycle of healing.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces presents Campbell's Hero's Journey. By looking at mythology worldwide, he noticed some very significant similaritiesin the journeys taken by the hero or heroine of these stories, hence the cycle. In this work, Campbell presents a number of snippets from different myths showing that indeed such a pattern exists. Indeed, it is a template still used by the best pieces of fiction & some of the most memorable movies.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a must have for anyone the least bit interestedin mythology as well as every psychologist, writer, & healer on the planet. This is one of those books that quickly becomes dog-eared with consistent reuse.
If your job is to create narratives then this is vital - By: MarkTwain2007, 01 Sep 2008 It's early days for me with this book, & I'm going to have to read it several times to wring every drop of usefulness from it. But it seems to me that this is possibly one of the most important books ever written about the art of story telling. It's tied into unfashionable Freudian & Jungian analysis (the book was publishedin 1948), & it's best read if you already know the outline of the monomyth/heroic myth & why it's useful to writers (Google it---there are many sites offering on outline). It's also, essentially, an academic work, although I had no problems reading it, & it's definitely not an academic text of the "rigorous" type (ie an overload of citations & dry explanations). Campbell is a compelling writer, & the text reads well.
If you create narratives for a living, whether as a script writer or novelist, then this book should be considered essential reading. Unless you're supremely & destructively arrogant, I really can't see how your work won't be enhancedin some way by the analysis contained within. Not only will it help you structure your work but it will also help you connect with your readers or audience, because you will understand what it is that they want out of stories. It's interesting to see how many movies & novels that I've seen & read that explicitly contravene the advicein this book, & fail as a result. It really is that clear-cut.
Most Insightful Book - By: Zadius Sky, 05 Nov 2007 I began to read Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" without stopping & I could not put it down. It is a very intriguing & easy to read book, & I would strongly recommend this book to the general readers.
In this book, Campbell brought forthin a very insightful way about the journey of the 'archetypal hero' who can be foundin almost all the mythologies & religions of every country. This is interesting for I never seen it before. The author has done so with a careful study of these mythologies, legends, & religions.
There was a mention of "Dark Night of the Soul"in this book, which I think is important for me personally. The fact that I have a journey & this book speak of great volume for me. Each of us has a road of trials, challenges & obstacles to face. But, not everyone has a destiny. There are manyin our world who refuses to know one's own "dark night of the soul," who refuses to heed one's calling, & who desires to be 'safe' & 'asleep.' These people are ignorant of the fact that they are slaves to their own temptations & to the will of the psychopathsin power.
This book is one of the most important books. And, if you are a truth seeker, this is a book for you.
The One. - By: Jean Erasmus, 29 Sep 2007 This was one of the most infuential worksin modern day, presenting the answer to many questions of myth. It has also inspired many to construct better modern day stories; from books to films.
