Reviews

Occidental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume III by Joseph Campbell, David Kudler

annevoi's review against another edition

3.0

This tome is not for the novice. What the book left me with was an impression of immensity and confusion, of the vastness of the human life on this planet, of the mystery and the desire for control—or to be controlled, perhaps, but in a positive way: to be directed, to be driven forward. We humans want magic, but we also want potency. I was also struck by all the millions and millions of little people who are essentially worthless, mere peons, workers, potential sacrifices to the gods. And by the few numinous personages, or powerful leaders, who steer our human destiny.

I am very impressed by all the five-star reviews. There are a lot of very smart people out there. I'm not one of them, sadly...

august1's review against another edition

informative

5.0

cristinamirzoi's review against another edition

3.0

I love comparative mythology, and Campbell's book is indeed well written... in a way that brings joy to the comparative enthusiast, however, he's a sloppy researcher. His theories make sense...until a point. Once you dig deeper you can see how he tries to make things fit in, and if something doesn't...it will not be included...at all... so I believe that he's too much of a reductionist. Also I feel that his comparisons are a bit exaggerated and the monomyth theory doesn't have a solid background.

shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition

4.0

This was another great addition to Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God series. This was the strongest book, so far, in Campbell's series since Western ("Occidental") mythology, particularly Greco-Roman mythology, is universally studied and focused on. Campbell took the time to explain, clearly and in detail, the history of Western mythology, and what's included in that. Mythology has always been a love of mine. Therefore, reading Campbell's series about mythology and, as he phrases it, "the masks of god," has been a unique experience. I definitely feel like I've learned something through reading Campbell's work. I'm looking forward to finishing the fourth book, [b:The Masks of God, Volume 4: Creative Mythology|985519|The Masks of God, Volume 4 Creative Mythology|Joseph Campbell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609828547l/985519._SY75_.jpg|971014].