Friday, June 03, 2011
Book Talk
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Submitted by: Anne Gudger
Yes! She is back! Anne, my fantastic and wonderful co-teacher, has gifted us with a great write up on a new book. Book Talk is our gift to you, about what's out there and what's great about reading it.
The Hero With a Thousand Faces balances on the top of my stack of books—the pile that mirrors a game of Jenga meaning it's ready to topple over with one false pull. The Hero moves between the top, second and third spot on my pile. I’ve been reading it for almost a year and sometimes it feels like a thousand hours—in miniature bites—and I’m still not done. Weird for someone like me who’s been aptly accused of eating books. It’s SLOW. Or is it me who is slow?
For years I’ve heard writers say it’s the storyteller’s guide, the map they unfold and study again and again. This is where story telling starts—with myths and heroes. George Lucas credits Campbell for the shape of Star Wars. Wally Lamb (one of my favorite authors) said when he was stuck, he went back to read Campbell, back to the well for ideas. If you’ve read The Hour I First Believed, you know mythology and the hero’s journey are huge.
LOVE Lamb’s book, but that’s for another Book Talk.
For me, that message of “Read this book” is also layered with my parents’ fascination with Joseph Campbell. They read him, talked about him, loved him. When I was a teenager and trying to write meaningful poetry about my angst (awful stuff no one read—thank goodness.) I first tried to read Campbell but put him down just as fast. The man was too much for a sullen me at 14.
But now, as I struggle to write my own memoir (and suffering with so much self-doubt, which I believe Jennifer talked about during the last teleseminar...and PS do not miss the one on June 9th for more insight...), I see myself on my own hero’s journey and thus Campbell beckons me back. In The Hero, Campbell chronicles the history of myth, centered around the hero’s journey--across antiquity, across cultures. He lays out the hero’s path and flushes it out, drawing from his vast smarts. He defines the call to adventure, the initiation and the return. Each stage has multiple steps and requires specific actions of the hero.
The book is still super slow going but at 52, it's fascinating to read. Admitting this is, well, hard since I was a good student and a decent teacher. I like academics. I should feel right at home with Campbell. But then I think, hey, the guy understood James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake which puts him in a different universe from me. Of course I struggle with some of his writing.
Campbell’s writing is dense, academic, masculine. He writes to a group who get it, who get the code. I’m not in that group. And it’s okay. I hang out on the sidelines enough to get the bullet points.
I’m on my hero’s journey. So are you. I’m writing about it like crazy. I like to imagine that one of the things I carry in my backpack is Campbell’s book, so that when I get stuck I can find a good tree root to curl up next to and read the stage I’m in or the one coming up. He defines the stages of the journey beautifully and that is the gold for me.
If you read this story teller’s guide here’s what I suggest: Don’t read it when you’re comfy in bed with your favorite pillows and comforter or you just might wake up cradling the book and wondering what to make of your dream about centaurs.
And now tell me...does this book make you feel a bit intimidated? And what other books have you attempted to read and given up on because they were just too darn smart?
Labels: Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, writing, writing advice, writing memoir, writing tips
5 Comments:
Love this Anne and let me nudge you a step further into this question of accessibility! What is it about the language that makes it so intimidating and in light of our fantastic conversation on the teleseminer on Thurs...is patriarchy and elitism making his word choices for him...thus depriving people of this incredible knowledge...doesn't this kind snobbism (sorry to be judgmental) trigger people into self loathing--thinking they are not "smart enough" or "he's better than me"...which is also a way to keep people out of learning and growing and thinking....????
What is the use of great thinking if it is inaccessible?
Yes, I understand what you mean. For anyone interested in getting all the joy out of Campbell without all that hassle, I'd recommend reading or watching, "The Power of Myth."
Like any great interviewer, in "The Power of Myth" Bill Moyers demystifies Campbell, makes him accessible to everyone, and brings the core of his work to the audience.
The book is the transcribed version of the series. Just as good in a way, but I have to admit there is something about seeing Campbell talk about his passion, his "bliss" that can't be beat! :)
... and for any writer interested in working directly with his ideas, try The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. It's been a very helpful book for me.
On a personal note, my godmother was married to Joe Campbell, which makes him almost my godfather, and which means I had the privilege to spend time with him. Despite his somewhat rarefied air, he was also deeply, sweetly human. When eating dinner with me and my grandparents (real "salt of the earth," gas station-owning, New York Jews), he never once spoke down to them -- he was not a snob. He was an old-school gentleman, and very charming.
I actually think it is appropriate that we have to read his work slowly, in tiny, thoughtful bites (and I confess that I've only dipped in). He spent all day every day for decades researching, thinking about, and writing these works... they are from a different kind of time (even though he lived in the 20th century) and require a slower pace.
Ericka: What a total treat to have your words here, on the page and your thoughts. Thank you for coming in and speaking up! Very helpful and insightful!
Normally I just lurk, Jennifer! Loyalty got me riled, I guess. :) (And all that said, yes, I often feel intellectually intimidated by his- and many other people's- work)...
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