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May 18, 2010The_Bill rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I cannot believe anyone would read this book, understand it, and rate it anything less than a 4.5 - it's absolutely fantastic. The reader might take issue with the emphasis on psychoanalysis, since (as I understand it) that field of psychology has been discredited by now; the reader might also point out that Campbell makes a few logical leaps. A particularly knowledgeable reader might even point out that the structural similarities across global myths are more likely due to cross-cultural pollination rather than deep, latent dream-imagery residing within the human mind. But trust me, these criticisms do not affect the quality or the insight of this book one bit. The point of the monomyth that Campbell sets out in this book is not to 'explain away' the powerful impact of myth, and his theory is not the endpoint of an examination of myth. It should not even be read as an interpretive framework for reading myths. Above all, the reader should not view the monomyth structure as a suggestion for future works - Star Wars and Harry Potter, as well as countless inferior works, all partake of Campbell's blueprint - because such a position is hopelessly reductive and won't get anyone anywhere. Rather, the reader should appreciate this book for two reasons: as a general primer on comparative mythology that leads to some fascinating works, such as the Prose or Poetic Eddas or the Devi Mathatmyam, which are the fascinating and evocative epics of other cultures. The second and even more compelling reason to read this book is the quality of Campbell's prose itself; he really is a master. Read his work in the right spirit and you will feel an immense and delicious calm steal over you - one or two pages, if not paragraphs, are all that are required to feel deeply at peace. Campbell studied the holy books of various civilizations as well as their myths (if it is possible to separate the two - Campbell would say that both lead to the same profound lessons) and his style reflects that. Some passages are exciting, some inspiring, some restful. READ THIS BOOK!