Joseph Campbell
by: Jedi Kidohdin Subject: Joseph Campbell
In 1949 Joseph Campbell began a revolution in anthropology (the study of people and culture) with his book ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’. This book built on the pioneering work of German anthropologist Adolph Bastian (1826-1905), who first proposed the idea that myths from all over the world seem to be built from the same "elementary ideas."
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875-1961) named these elementary ideas "archetypes," which he believed to be the building blocks not only of the unconscious mind, but of a collective unconscious. In other words, Jung believed that everyone in the world is born with the same basic subconscious model of what a "hero" is, or a "mentor" or a "quest." (Jung developed his idea of archetypes mostly as a way of finding meaning within the dreams and visions of the mentally ill.)
Campbell's contribution was to take this idea of archetypes and use it to find the common underlying structure behind all religion and myth. He proposed this idea in 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces', which provides examples from cultures throughout history and all over the world. Campbell eloquently argues that all stories are fundamentally the same story, which he named the "Hero's Journey," or the "monomyth."
This sounds like a simple idea, but it suggests an incredible ramification, which Campbell summed up with his adage "All religions are true, but none are literal." That is, he concluded that all religions are really containers for the same essential truth, and "the trick is to not mistake the wrappings for the diamond."
Lucas had already written two drafts of Star Wars when he rediscovered Joseph Campbell's ‘The Hero With a Thousand Faces’ in 1975 (having read it years before in college). This blueprint for "The Hero's Journey" gave Lucas the focus he needed to draw his sprawling imaginary universe into a single story. I don't believe there are "correct" and "incorrect" interpretations: the capacity to accommodate multiple viewpoints is part of the secret of Star Wars' incredible ability to connect with people.
Jung and Campbell aren't the only people who have attempted to map the Hero's Journey; There have been dozens of less celebrated forays into this area, notably work by: Otto Rank (1884-1939, very Freudian), Lord Raglan (1885-1964, wrote The Hero), Peter Stillman (Introduction to Myth), Edward Taylor, Johann Georg Van Hahn and Vladimir Propp.
Joseph Campbell often noted that while mythic structure is universal, myth itself is kept fresh through reinterpretation. Every generation must re-contextualize myth to suit their times, to create their own road map for how to fit into the world. He often suggested that the scarcity of modern myth is an incalculable loss to our culture.
After the release of Star Wars, Campbell and Lucas became friends. Campbell credited Lucas with re-invigorating the mythic force in the modern world. In return Lucas reignited worldwide interest in Campbell's ideas, which have had profound repercussions in Hollywood in particular and world culture in general. This symbiosis with a primary mentor-figure must have been a great moment for Lucas, who once called Campbell "my Yoda."
One of the Campbell's messages is that "mythic structure" is more than the underlying archetype of a good story: myth teaches us how to live well. Moyers: Do you think, for example, that a movie like Star Wars fills some of that need for a model of the Hero?
Campbell: I've heard youngsters use some of George Lucas' terms – `The Force' and `The dark side'. So it must be hitting somewhere. It's a good sound teaching, I would say.
(If Joseph Campbell is telling us that 'Star Wars' presents a good sound teaching, that is saying a lot. MTFBWY!
Jedi Kidohdin circa 2005
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