Myths to Live By (Condor Books)
by Joseph Campbell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joseph CampbellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-10-10
ISBN: 0285647318
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Souvenir
Book Reviews of Myths to Live By (Condor Books)
Book Review: A treasure of knowledge and inquiry
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is based on a series of lectures, and as such, has more of a direct, conversational tone than the author's more academic works, which though no less forceful, contain numerous allusions to artwork, artifacts, and other specifics that make it harder to follow. It helps to have familiarity with these prior works - like the MASKS OF GOD - or prior experience with the study of myth. Such background gives the reader a depth of perspective that would make the concepts more difficult to grasp otherwise; and gives the vantage point of a summary or review.
From my point of view, a special appeal of the book concerns comparing and contrasting the mythology of East and West. The author notes how mythical elements such the serpent, the tree, and the garden of immortality have a common, deeply rooted past. In the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden, the serpent is the enticer, the one who leads Adam and Eve astray with the knowledge of good and evil from the tree, the cause of all the trouble. In the Buddhist myth, on the other hand, rather than being cursed, the serpent is accepted as being the protector of the Buddha; and the tree of immortality is not out of reach in the same way that it is in the Bible. Rather than being banished from the Garden or Paradise because of disobedience, what is keeping mankind alienated from the original source is ignorance, a mistaken attachment to the impermanent.
Also, reaching into the past, the author notes that the first ever cities were based on a astronomical order that was applied by priests, who wielded a special religious authority, to all of social life. The East, he maintains, has never really strayed very far from holding onto the necessity of a cosmically based order. Everyone has a pre-ordained role to fill, and it is folly for anyone to step out of his or her role. The West, on the other hand, although it has had long spells of religious suppression, has valued the individual as being worthy of development and expression. This humanism can certainly be seen in the Greeks in their laying a foundation for modern science; and finds it's most extreme expression in the myth of Prometheus. It can also be seen in the Tristan and Isolt myth, and the remarkable daring which the poet Gottfried expressed in "challenging hell", in defying the imposed religious order of the Middle Ages.
A chapter of special interest, especially in the unfolding of world events, is the "Mythologies of War and Peace". As revealed in myths of primitive planting and hunting cultures, humankind does not extend itself in this world in any appreciable way without killing. One would think that planting cultures would be the most life-revering, but throughout the tropics and in the ancient world, the most horrific sacrifices have been made in the interest of extending fertility. Even kings have been sacrificed. A comparison is made between the war mythology of the Greeks and Hebrews, who were roughly contemporaries. The Hebrews had no consideration for their opponents, thinking that their way was the only sanctified way and even worth slaughtering for (the author quotes passages from Deuteronomy and Joshua). Zoroastrianism, a cosmic conception of the forces of light against the forces of darkness, became the basis for the Jewish and Christian apocalyptic traditions, providing further justification for fighting and killing an enemy. With Jesus Christ, however, there is a clear break with the traditions of war and the drive to eradicate the evils of an enemy. "Love thine enemy as thyself" represents a very different approach from much of history. The author compares Jesus with Buddha and the ascetic tradition of the East.
Picking out some of the salient myths gives me a sense of how much depth and breadth is involved here. In this attempt not to over-generalize, I have barely scratched the surface.
Summary of Myths to Live By (Condor Books)
What is a properly functioning mythology and what are its functions? Can we use myths to help relieve our modern anxiety, or do they help foster it? In Myths to Live by, Joseph Campbell explores the enduring power of the universal myths that influence our lives daily and examines the myth-making process from the primitive past to the immediate present, retuning always to the source from which all mythology springs: the creative imagination.
Campbell stresses that the borders dividing the Earth have been shattered; that myths and religions have always followed the certain basic archetypes and are no longer exclusive to a single people, region, or religion. He shows how we must recognize their common denominators and allow this knowledge to be of use in fulfilling human potential everywhere.
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