The Final Word

Well, I think I probably enjoyed the book more than you did. But, Joseph Campbell is a name that I remember from childhood being associated with the original Star Wars (a defining interest in my youth) and, thus, with cool things. So, I'm glad I've finally thoroughly read one of his most famous manuscripts.

As to your critiques about lack of analysis, I wonder if it's just not as we've talked about before: the subject matter is very large, very general, and, thus, difficult to do specific and deep rigorous analyzing. I suppose one of my critiques is that the book does not have enough examples of mythology. No doubt trends and similarities can be found in the mythologies of different peoples from different places, but it seems one would have to compile a large number of myths to substantiate that. Campbell has a number, but I can't but have the feeling that the similarities ought to be more apparent than the examples he provides. But, that also requires getting past the extensive red tape of worthy translations to make valuable comparisons.

Also, I often had the sense that Campbell's thoughts are all only partially mature. While I agree with some of his claims, he seems to carry a grudge against the Christianity in the West at the time. The portion I read of Bill Moyer's interview with Campbell The Power of Myth showed a deeper and more fundamental understanding of myth, as well as a greater maturity about life. His claims and notions still were very broad, none too specific, but they had a more focused spirit, if you will. No doubt, much of this came with time, but it seemed to make a better crafted understanding, not one that seemed so loose.

You touched on this, and Campbell touches on this in the last chapter of the book, but one of the most fascinating issues about myth now is its modern predicament. What is its place in our culture? What does it mean to you and me, to your kids? It feels like we need new stories of mythology, new myths to guide us adapted to the modern framework. If they are stories to help show us our places in society and in the world, clearly views of the individual, society and the world have changed significantly in the past several thousand years, and that's where the tension comes in. It's like new wine in old wine bags, or misshapen gears trying to work together. There's a tension and a confusion about it all.

With that in mind, I think film has become the dominant storytelling medium of our society, and I think the best candidates for new mythologies come from that art form. There's always been something grand and substantial about films, especially played in movie theaters, like temples they enshrine the images of heroes and heroines whose perfect images are displayed in sizes larger than human life. In film, time moves in reflection of the plot, a single guiding line about one action or story, it is not burdened with the incarnational aspects of life (i.e. eating, sleeping, paying bills, using the restroom, bathing, working, relaxing; granted, I believe some of the best films and film characters do show and do these, but I'll not get too deep into that), rather, their lives flow in reference to a specific purpose or task. Music accompanies their journeys, and situations turn out fantastically perfect. All of this, of course, has been harmed by the ubiquitous nature of digital media and screens. So, now, you can watch the quest, but it's on your tv or computer monitor, much less monumental than the experience of seeing it in the cinema. Yet, still, I think it's the closest thing we've got to what our ancestors have.

Thus, in the end, pipe in hand, I've enjoyed this book and I'd like to read more of Campbell's work, especially the larger collections/compendiums of myths (The Masks of God series).

Thanks for reading!