Awe before Great Mystery: Mythology’s First Function

Sage Mind
Awe before the Great Mystery: Mythology’s First Function
Awe before the Great Mystery: Mythology’s First Function

In this lecture, Joseph Campbell reviews the leading functions of mythology. What are the functions that mythology has served in the past? How many of these functions can be served today? And for those that are not being served by traditional mythologies, are they being served by some other aspect of our culture?


Size: 6 MB
Version: v11.1.1
Download
CategoriesAudio

Author: Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. Campbell's best-known work is his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), in which he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero shared by world mythologies, termed the monomyth. Since the publication of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell's theories have been applied by a wide variety of modern writers and artists. His philosophy has been summarized by his own often repeated phrase: "Follow your bliss." He gained recognition in Hollywood when George Lucas credited Campbell's work as influencing his Star Wars saga.

Scroll Up