Uses of Comparative Mythology (RLE Myth) Essays on the Work of Joseph Campbell

This collection, first published in 1992, offers critical-interpretive essays on various aspects of the work of Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), one of a very few international experts on myth. Joseph Campbell examines myths and mythologies from a comparative point of view, and he stresses those similarities among myths the world over as they suggest an existing, transcendent unity of all humankind. His interpretations foster an openness, even a generous appreciation of, all myths; and he attempts to generate a broad, sympathetic understanding of the role of these ‘stories’ in human history, in our present-day lives, and in the possibilities of our future.

Part 1. The Man 1.1. The Soul's High Adventure: Campbell's Comparative Mythology Phil Cousineau 1.2. Freud, Jung, and Campbell Stephen Larsen 1.3. Myth Versus Religion for Campbell Robert A. Segal 1.4. Interpreting Campbell: Hermeneutics and Comparative Mythology Gregory Salyer 1.5. The American Roots of Campbell's Mythic Vision Ted R. Spivey Part 2. The Work 2.1. The Twin Heroes: Campbell's Solar/Lunar Vision of the Masculine Howard Teich 2.2. Campbell on Myth, Romantic Love, and Marriage Joseph K. Davis 2.3. Campbell and Schopenhauer: Synchronicity and the Tragic Vision Sandra J. Smith 2.4. Campbell, the Feminine Principle, and the Romantic Male Hero Donna McGee Onebane 2.5. The Chariot of the Hero: Myth and Metaphor in Campbell Joan Weatherly 2.6. The Rhetoric of Mythology and Science in Campbell's Works Kenneth T. Rainey Part 3. The Farther Reaches 3.1. Campbell and the "Vanilla-Frosted Temple": From Myth to Multiplex Harold Schechter and Jonna Gormely Semeiks 3.2. Campbell, Science Fiction, and Space Age Myths Kenneth L. Golden 3.3. Campbell and the Inklings - Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams Vernon R. Hyles 3.4. The Power of Wilderness: Campbell and the Ecological Imperative Mary A. Doll 3.5. Campbell, America, and the Individual as New Hero Dabney Gray 3.6. Campbell and the Perennial Philosophy: Social Sciences, Mysticism, and Myth Mark Meadows

Kenneth Golden