Joseph Campbell
AUTHOR

Joseph Campbell

Politics & Social Sciences | Biographies & Memoirs
Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles. Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities. After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey. Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people. For more on Joseph Campbell and his work, visit the web site of Joseph Campbell Foundation at JCF.org.
Read more Read less

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Most popular
View Details

The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

You can’t beat a good story. Luckily, humans are great at storytelling, and the best fiction podcasts are all the proof that the modern listener requires. Get the popcorn ready; it’s storytime.

Featured Article: The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

Best Sellers

Product list
  • Myths to Live By cover art

    Price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • The Power of Myth: Programs 1-6 cover art

    Price: $28.81 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $28.81 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • The Hero's Journey cover art

    Price: $26.00 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $26.00 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • Pathways to Bliss cover art

    Price: $26.00 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $26.00 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • The Hero with a Thousand Faces cover art

    Price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • Primitive Mythology cover art

    Price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $32.00 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • En busca de la felicidad cover art

    Price: $21.22 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $21.22 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00
  • En busca de la felicidad cover art

    Price: $21.22 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $21.22 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00