Customer Reviews

The Journey of Luke Skywalker: An Analysis of Modern Myth and Symbol

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I was very excited to come across this book as I have been looking for a Jungian analysis of the Star Wars saga for quite some time. I have always been fascinated by George Lucas' use of various mythical motifs and archetypes throughout his amazing Star Wars saga. It is no secret that Lucas was an enthusiast of Joseph Campbell and his Jungian analysis of myths and legends and how they resonate across cultures and generations. Lucas himself catagorized his saga as modern myth and it is loaded with powerful images of the collective unconscious. But Galipeau's "The Journey of Luke Skywalker" doesn't really touch on these aspects so much as describe scene by scene the various nuances of the scenes and characters. It isn't a bad book in any regard. In fact, there are many interesting psychological aspects of the story that I had never even anticipated. For instance, the use of color and it's inherent meaning throughout the saga, particularly references to alchemistic symbolism. Also, images of the Jungian anima and animus appear throughout the Star Wars storylines, especially regarding Luke Skywalker's quest for the Self. And of course, there is no missing the concept of the Shadow in regard to Darth Vader and the Empire. Thus, this is really the tale of two entities, the individual (Luke Skywalker), and the Galaxy at large (human civilization and its many manifestations). This shows that there is much deeper meaning involved in this wonderful space adventure than meets the eye. Unfortunately, I am still left to search for a thorough discussion of the profound mythical aspects of this great epic elsewhere.

Steven Galipeau's book, The Journey of Luke Skywalker, is, in my opinion, the finest scholarly work that has been done on the Star Wars films. I say this with some authority. As part of the research for my doctoral dissertation, I compiled an annotated bibliography of all the scholarly work which has been done on the Star Wars films. During this project, I read more than a hundred journal articles, books, conference papers, book chapters, and academic papers written from 1977-2001. Though a Jungian perspective was used by several other writers to look at the Star Wars films, no one has penetrated this myth's depths and its relevance to our culture as insightfully as Steven Galipeau.

One of the outstanding things about this book is the way in which Galipeau identifies a psychological situation in Star Wars and then connects it with his own experiences as an analyst and with everyday psychological experiences with which the reader can identify. And though the book is a Jungian psychological analysis, the author uses little Jungian "jargon," thus making the book accessible to the general reader.

Galipeau approaches Star Wars as a "cultural dream," as a myth or fairy tale which "symbolically depicts in important aspects the psychological and spiritual shifts taking place in our age." Just as our dreams reveal the unconscious archetypal dimensions of the psyche on a personal level, so too, our myths --whether told through traditional means or through the modern medium of film -- reveal hidden archetypal dimensions of our collective psyche. As Mary Lynn Kittelson says in her book, The Soul of Popular Culture (Open Court, 1998), "The movies are like the collective culture dreaming. We assemble in darkened spaces, experiencing together an intense world of images. More directly than any other cultural phenomenon, the movies invite us to experience and ponder our lives and culture." The Journey of Luke Skywalker offers an opportunity to do just that -- to ponder our lives and our culture through the rich symbolism and story of one of the most popular film sagas of our time.

Admittedly, this psychological approach to Star Wars is but one perspective among many, but a very important one to those of us who are interested in looking below the surface of our contemporary myths and seeing what they may have to teach us as individuals and as a culture.

I always enjoy reading other people's thoughts on the underlying themes of Star Wars. And this book takes a great Jungian approach to it. Several times the author points things out that make you think "Hey, i never thought about it like that." On the other hand, there were some parts where I felt the author was making an observation that was a litle out there. But then, I'm not a psychology student.
The majority of the text in the book is relating the events of the movies. So even if you're not a hardcore fan like me, who's seen the movies a bazillion times, you'll be able to follow along as if you were watching the movies.

Quite an outstanding analysis of he steps through which we all pass in life. The author takes you through Carl Jung's theory of development of "normal" human to achieve their full potential. By taking Carl Jung's theories and using the steps Luke takes from immature and undeveloped young man to a mature and self-actualized adult/hero (something we all need to pass from and to), Galipeau explains Jung and Luke extremely well and interestingly. Well done....well worth a couple of weekends to read and digest.

The book was in excellent condidtion and not only did it arrive sooner than expected, it arrived in time for me to use it before a first draft paper deadline for my class. Great Job!

This is a truly awful book. Do not buy it. Fully 90-95% of the text is empty recapitulation of the plot of Star Wars. There is another 4% of empty, shallow psychological commentary, mostly tangential or irrelevant, that is added by the author, Galipeau. The last 1%, the times in which Carl Jung's theories are quoted, is the only meaningful text contained herein. I kid you not. Save your money for better books - such as McDowell's "The Gospel According to Star Wars" The Gospel according to Star Wars: Faith, Hope, and the Force or Grimes "Star Wars Jesus."Star Wars Jesus - A spiritual commentary on the reality of the Force Or just get a book on Jung out of the library. Read the Star Wars novels yourselves - your own analysis will be better and more meaningful to you than what tripe is contained in this book. This book is almost entirely plot summary, which is used as a weak excuse for the author to insert is own, equally weak and mostly meaningless or irrelevant psycho-babble "analysis" of masculine-feminine stereotypes. In capital letters - DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

This book is yummy. Definitely not a cocktail table book. I love understanding why I have enjoyed the series of movies so much. It puts into words my feelings and occasional thoughts. I appreciate the author's style, I can hear and see the movie as he writes. At first it may seem dry or difficult to grasp, yet as one reads the author explains concepts clearly and the subject matter kept me reading.

Joseph Campbell wrote "The Writer's Journey" and "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"; two books which have altered storytelling and which were a direct influence on the creation of Star Wars. Go buy those books.

This book, on the other hand, is a glorified retelling of Star Wars with not a single ounce of valuable insight.

Let me repeat that: this book is a retelling of the Star Wars saga. The author is clearly trying to make a buck off of that name. His commentaries are uninformative and uninteresting. What a waste.

Steven Galipeau . The Journey of Luke Skywalker: An Analysis of Modern Myth and Symbol.

Open Court. Apr. 2001 c.306. illus. ISBN 0-8126-9432-5. paperback. $19.95. PSYCHE

Since the release of the first installation in 1977, the Star Wars saga has become an all-consuming passion bordering on a religion for millions worldwide. And it's not just the fun plotting, likable characters, cool props, and dazzling visual effects that keep fans begging for more. Behind the space dogfights and lightsaber duels is a mythology that touches a special chord in the human psyche. Galipeau, the executive director of the Coldwater Counseling Center in Studio City, CA, here offers a Jungian analysis of the four Star Wars fliks in terms of both characters and story. The book is essentially a blow-by-blow description of each film with liberal doses of dialog, followed by Galipeau's interpretation of what the characters' words and actions perhaps mean on a deeper level. Discussing each episode on a separate basis allows readers to comprehend the psychological growth of each character, especially Luke, who transforms from an inexperienced adolescent to both a spiritually and mentally mature adult by the series' finale. As the prime audience for this book is geek fanboys who can recite these scripts in their sleep, the author spends too much time detailing each scene, and ignores that film is a visual art, so many of the elements he attaches great significance to appear in the story simply because they look boffo on screen. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a Saturday afternoon movie is just a Saturday afternoon movie. Nonetheless, this title will be the basis of many Internet discussions-not to mention term papers-by fans who will enjoy it. Recommended.-Michael Rogers, "Library Journal"