Never before on audio and authorized by the Joseph Campbell Foundation, here is Volume Three in a new 40-hour series. These are the key lectures that Campbell kept in his study and used as the basis for later lectures on myth, symbolism, and spiritual awakening. Provocative and exhilarating, full of wit and wisdom, they are windows into one of the greatest minds of our time. 5 cassettes.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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Winner of the Listen Up Award - Best Use of Archival Material of 1997 [brought to you by HighBridge Audio]. -- Publishers Weekly, January 5, 1998
About the Author
JOSEPH CAMPBELL (1904-1987) was a prolific writer, dedicated editor, beloved teacher, inspiring lecturer, gifted storyteller, avid scholar, and a foremost interpreter of myth. Among the many books he wrote and edited, he is best known for The Hero with a Thousand Faces, his four-volume The Masks of God, and his magnum opus, Historical Atlas of World Mythology.
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More About the Author
Joseph Campbell 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.
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.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Overview of Asian Beliefs,
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This review is from: Joseph Campbell Collection: The Eastern Way (Audio Cassette)
This collection of readings by Joseph Campbell give a wonderful overview of the mythical traditions of the "east" (as opposed to those of the occidental "west). By Campbell's definition, the line (which is pretty blurry) is drawn around the Indus. Hence, this collection focuses on the Indian traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the creative traditions of the far east. In the first tape "Oriental Mythology", he explores this, showing a tradition where man himself is the great mystery, where there is no tradition of the "originl sin" or of an exile from the divine. These traditions are very different from those of the west (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), so it is very nice that Campbell starts off by explaining the framework for Asian society. Following this is an exploration of the "Mystic Traditions of India", wherein Campbell explores yoga, the caste system and the concept of nirvana, setting a framework for explorations of both Hinduism and Buddhism (both of which grew out of indigenous Indian traditions). The next tapes explore Hinduism and Buddhism respectively. Although I would say that Hinduism is such a broad, contradictory reigion (or rather collection of several different religions all under a common umbrela) that a single tape is a risky adventure at best, this is still a wonderful tape anyway. Especially with the exploration of yogis and left-handed mysticism. The exploration of Buddhism is also wonderful, including a description of the Buddhas life. Listening to these two tapes, it becomes very appearent that Campbell had a deep respect and interest in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. His final tape wraps everything up with a wonderful exploration of how ideas and beliefs have bled over into Asian culture and lifestyles. He focuses on belief systems as diverse as Taoism, Zen and Hinduism. Ultimately he sums up the mystical experience within Oriental beliefs in general. This is a wonderful collection of tapes and a superb item for anyone interested in mythology, religion or philosophy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gives one a lot to contemplate with good perspective.,
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This review is from: Joseph Campbell Collection: The Eastern Way (Audio Cassette)
What can I say...its joseph Campbell. What a wonderful insight he offers the reader/listener of this series. He is a marvelous synthesizer of traditions and explains them in a very entertaining way. I particularly like the way he references the commonality of the doctrines with each other.
3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Campbell speaks on the roots of the orient,
By A Customer
This review is from: Joseph Campbell Collection: The Eastern Way (Audio Cassette)
tezcatlipoca22 Gives an excellent description of this work. I would like to add; Campbell offers insightful antidotes to reinforce concepts addressed in his lecture, his humor is dryly abundant, and he speaks on the core concepts found in this region's religions that is often misinterpreted and underestimated by the western civilized world. This work is for those with or without a strong understanding of the oriental life.
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