The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Meaningful and thought-provoking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is of course a classic, valued by artists, novelists and humanities-lovers for decades. Interesting note: George Lucas and Star Wars were heavily influences by this book.

Outside of religious scripture, this is one of the most meaningful and thought-provoking books I've read. Drawing on archetypes - deep universal constructs in our human psyche - Campbell explains how we are all on (or could be on) a meaningful heroic journey.

This book was written when the ideas of Freud and Jung were all the rage. Freud has not aged too well. But Jung had a lot of intuition about the human soul that still resonates.

Campbell includes many fascinating accounts of dreams and world myths. "Myth" in this sense means a story with meaningful symbols that convey universal insights, as well as teaching the values of the culture in which the myth originated. Jung and Freud believed that dreams and myths contain subconscious truths.

I've owned the hard copy for years but found it difficult reading. I don't think Campbell was a great writer. But his ideas are mind-blowing. In audio-book form I have finally been able to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

107 of 112 people found this review helpful

Very good if hungry for more Campbell

Where does The Hero with a Thousand Faces rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an earlier work of Campbell, but not at all where I would start. Start with The Power of Myth and The Wisdom of Joseph Campbell and hear Campbell in his own voice. Much clearer and much greater impact. They are much more accessible, and once hear Campbell in his own voice you'll much more easily be able to access his more scholarly works and you'll also be more forgiving of the passionless, reading of Arthur Morey. The reader was a real miss on this one. But the deeper exploration on myth is fantastic.

76 of 80 people found this review helpful

Hard to finish

I love the ideas that Joseph Campbell has given us in his career. I just don't think this book is a concise enough presentation of those ideas. I listen to lots of different audio books while driving, and many are very engaging. This one just wasn't... I could never follow what was being presented, and it seemed all over the place. I don't think the material was "over my head," I just think I got bored listening to it. Often times the quotes from the myths and stories read by the female and the british narrators were just thrown in without introduction or explanation. I would occasionally hear an idea that resonated with me, where I'd think "ohhh cool!" But that happened only once in a while, in the middle of a sea or drawn out boring narration.

Sorry, love JC, but not this audiobook:

41 of 43 people found this review helpful

The Connections between the Myths

This is a book I have been meaning to read for years. Literally. And now I have finally learned what all the fuss is about. Campbell takes the reader/listener on an intellectual journey showing the common themes, characters, and events (plot developments?) to the myths of the world. This is an awesome feat and in no way should be seen as denigrating the beauty and power of the world's mythologies and religious traditions. Campbell was an intellectual of the first order and he makes his enthusiasm for the subject a contagious thing. Now I see why this book had such a profound impact on George Lucas and how he drew so heavily on it in constructing his Star Wars mythos (and since I am writing this on Star Wars day--May the Fourth be with you all!). Loved this book and will look for more titles by Campbell and other writers about the ideas in this classic.

24 of 27 people found this review helpful

good book, though tougher to follow on audio forma

would suggest you get the physical book, great stories and context to patterns across all cultures

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

A test to see how bad you want answers

The test is in the form of the main narrator. He’s slow in reading every word and very dull. Then again this is not for those who wish to be entertained, but for those who are seeking clarity on the origins of their belief system and to have their mind opened to the fact that all religions and mythology are seeking to describe that which is eternal in ways that allow us to grasp in a very small measure the nature of all that was, all that is, and all that will be.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful

The Listener with a Thousand Pauses

I love stories, and having heard this book mentioned in a number of other books I decided to dive in and experience it for myself. I'm not sure what I expected of this book, but I was expecting some sort of "greatness" from it. While I'll agree that this is a thoughtful, and thorough treatment of the art of storytelling, and the commonality of stories across cultures, I'm not sure it's worth listening to unless you're really deep into understanding stories over time. Listening to this book required frequent pauses, both so I could understand and appreciate, and so that I could rest. This book has the feel of a 14 hour lecture, taught day after day in a dark lecture hall by a bland lecturer. I'll admit that this was probably the style back in 1949 when this book was written, but for most listeners I think you're better suited with something derived from this master work than with this original.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

This is truly an amazing work. It is beautifully performed, though, unfortunately, the use of narrators with differing intonation, strong accent, and old-style pronunciation, sometimes makes the audio difficult to understand.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

rough narration good content

it was disappointing that such rich material was a bit like listening to paint dry. I really did not enjoy this production.

12 of 16 people found this review helpful

I could listen to this a 1000 times...

I would have to listen to this audio presentation a 1000 time to grasp the depth of this material.
Yet, I feel as if I have accomplished something getting through it once.
My gray matter is on fire. 😀🔥😀

12 of 16 people found this review helpful