This is the threat to our lives; we all face it, we all operate in our society in relation to a system. Now, is the system going to eat you up and relieve you of your humanity, or are you going to be able to use the system to human purposes?
from The Power of Myth, Part 1: The Hero’s Adventure (1988)
Joseph John Campbell was an American Professor of Literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. Campbell’s magnum opus is his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), in which he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world mythologies. Since the book’s publication, Campbell’s theory has been consciously applied by a wide variety of modern writers and artists. His philosophy has been summarized by his own often repeated phrase: “Follow your bliss.”
Alphabetic
Date
Duration
Word Count
Popularity
Date
June 21, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Word Count
7,461
Duration
54:38
Quotes
13
Views
17,451
Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell begin their groundbreaking and timeless conversation with an exploration of the classic hero cycle, including consistent and enduring hero patterns in literature, real life, and even the Star Wars films. Campbell also encourages the audience to view parts of their own lives as heroic journeys.
Date
June 22, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Word Count
8,009
Duration
54:43
Quotes
10
Views
1,182
Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell compare creation myths from the Bible and elsewhere, and talk about how religions and mythologies need to change with time in order to maintain their relevance in peoples’ lives.
Date
June 23, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Word Count
7,722
Duration
54:44
Quotes
3
Views
1,137
Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell discuss the importance of accepting death as rebirth as in the myth of the buffalo and the story of Christ, rites of passage in primitive societies, the role of mystical Shamans and the decline of ritual in today’s society. Campbell explains how ancient myths were designed to “put the mind in accord with the body, and the way of life in accord with the way nature dictates.” As one example, Campbell explains how myths bring humans to understand and accept birth, growth and death.
Date
June 24, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Word Count
8,126
Duration
54:42
Quotes
4
Views
29
Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell discuss the role of sacrifice in myth—including a mother’s sacrifice for her child—and the need for all of us to find our sacred places in the midst of today’s fast-paced world.
Date
June 25, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Duration
59:00
Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers discuss the mythology of love—from kāma to agape to courtly romance—and the role of the female as the giver of life and form.
Date
June 26, 1988
Type
Television Episode
Duration
59:01
Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell discuss commonalities in every culture that create a need for God, and the symbolism of circles in life and literature.