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Summary of The Power of Myth 

4.7 . 2940 reviews

Short summary

A dialogue between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell addresses the penetrating questions of myths. With brutal honesty, Campbell answers these difficult and fundamental questions as a person who has spent a lifetime living with myth. Specifically, this conversation took place at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and at the Museum of Natural History, New York, in 1985 and 1986. Though it was first made into a PBS series, those who have long appreciated Campbell through reading his books demanded that the conversation be made into a book. As much as possible, the editing team retained the actual conversation in its pure form without converting it to book talk. Campbell taught that a principal theme of classic mythology is mortality. Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was an instructor at Sarah Lawrence College where he taught for almost 40 years. The Joseph Campbell Chair in Comparative Mythology was established in his honor. Bill Moyers is a renowned journalist, famed for his work both at CBS News and at PBS. “The secret cause of all suffering is mortality itself, which is the prime condition of life. It cannot be denied if life is to be affirmed.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Table of content

  • Summary of The Power of Myth
  • About the author
  • What is The Power of Myth about?
  • Who should read The Power of Myth
  • Topics in The Power of Myth
first key point

Mythologies are how we make sense of much of life

Listen the first key point
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Campbell saw the world in mythological terms in his lifetime. He believed there are mythological themes rooted in human need. We carry out different rituals to express this need. Funerals, for example, helps us reestablish the sense of solidarity we have with one another when a life is taken away. Think of judges in our society. Their power is ritualized for the law to hold authority. They put on the magisterial black robe instead of wearing whatever they chose to court.
From religion and war to love and death, much of life must be ritualized, mythologized for it to be meaningful to us.
Myths, even when we deny them, line the walls of our interior system of belief, like shards of broken pottery in an archaeological site. It is through rituals that we evoke the energy stored in these mythologies.

George Lucas — the filmmaker of “Star Wars” — once invited Moyers and Campbell to view the “Star Wars” trilogy at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in California. Campbell beamed with delight as he saw ancient themes and motifs of mythology reenacted in powerful contemporary images. In the movie, Campbell saw a new spin to the classic story of the hero.
The hero symbolizes our ability to control the irrational savage within us…Luke Skywalker was never more rational than when he found within himself the resources of character to meet his destiny. ~ Joseph Campbell
In the end, we will have to rely, not on technology, computers, tools, or machines to save us, but on our intuition. To be a hero is to act in ways to redeem society.
The difference between a celebrity and a hero is that the former lives only for themselves while the latter has found the wisdom and power to serve others.
Campbell believed life to be an adventure and that one sure path into the world runs along with the printed page. His journey toward becoming one of the world’s leading scholars of mythology started as a boy who visited the Museum of Natural History in New York. He wanted to know the stories behind the totem poles and masks he had seen.

Moyers encountered Campbell in his quest to bring the lively minds of the time to television. Having learned at his feet, Moyers vowed to share the treasure he found from a systematic and thorough exploration of his ideas. The following pages explore some of these ideas.
second key point

Campbell was a great teacher who taught by example rather than talking people into belief

He revealed a joy for learning and living. His belief was that preachers ought to reveal the radiance of their own discovery rather than trying to talk people into belief. The guiding principle of Campbell’s work was the pursuit of a commonality of themes in myths all over the world to find a center in terms of deep principles that guide all humans.
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third key point

What we seek in life is not meaning but a resonance between our physical and emotional lives

fourth key point

We live in a demythologized world with grave consequences

fifth key point

Myths exemplify the eternal truth that humanity is one

sixth key point

The fundamental function of mythology is the sanctification of the local landscape

seventh key point

Conclusion

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What is The Power of Myth about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

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