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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I thought this would be an audiobook.
Instead, it appears to be two people sitting down and shooting the breeze, largely impromptu, about mythology and how it relates to life. Don't get me wrong; this would be interesting dinner conversation. But it falls far short of my expectations as an audiobook. The sound quality is not the best. Both speakers repeatedly will try to learn each other on with questions, only to have the other person respond differently than they expect. There seems to be no overall purpose, outline or syllabus for them to follow.
This would have been much better off as a properly produced audiobook featuring a wide variety of myths, with added commentary from one person.
Instead, it appears to be two people sitting down and shooting the breeze, largely impromptu, about mythology and how it relates to life. Don't get me wrong; this would be interesting dinner conversation. But it falls far short of my expectations as an audiobook. The sound quality is not the best. Both speakers repeatedly will try to learn each other on with questions, only to have the other person respond differently than they expect. There seems to be no overall purpose, outline or syllabus for them to follow.
This would have been much better off as a properly produced audiobook featuring a wide variety of myths, with added commentary from one person.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
important to Western thinking about world myth, incredibly limited in its depth of understanding a variety of world mythologies. also, woman as temptress is hugely Biblical, born of a gendered binary, and pretty misogynistic.
Written in interview form, this book covered a broad variety topics in mythology, from the tree of life and virginal births to cannibalism and love. It never went into too much depth on any topic, but it was nonetheless a fascinating and extremely creative conversation between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers about the overlap between mythologies from all around the world, their impact on modern day religions/beliefs/practices, and what we can take away from their teachings.
I didn't agree with everything in this (for example, I didn't find Campbell's observations about America's founding fathers to be entirely accurate, nor did I necessarily agree that the modern world has fewer rituals than the past) but I really appreciated this book for being what it was - an unflinching, thought-provoking, somewhat philosophical conversation about our place in existence. It made me rethink the concept of an afterlife (a term which in itself invokes a sense of time), which Campbell says is a state of being outside of the fourth dimension and one that we can participate in, right here and now. "Heaven and hell are within us."
I didn't agree with everything in this (for example, I didn't find Campbell's observations about America's founding fathers to be entirely accurate, nor did I necessarily agree that the modern world has fewer rituals than the past) but I really appreciated this book for being what it was - an unflinching, thought-provoking, somewhat philosophical conversation about our place in existence. It made me rethink the concept of an afterlife (a term which in itself invokes a sense of time), which Campbell says is a state of being outside of the fourth dimension and one that we can participate in, right here and now. "Heaven and hell are within us."
medium-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Completed just before Campbell's death, a fascinating series of conversations with Bill Moyers consisting of an overview of Campbell's life's work
I'm guessing I should just stick to Campbell's original writing.
I understand that this interview was groundbreaking for many people when it was filmed for PBS in the 80s, but I feel that the book is disjointed, Moyer's questions are insipid, and the subject matter is treated too generally. Except for a couple of interesting insights, like, "Religion is metaphor," and the chapter on marriage with a really good discussion on the Troubadours, there really wasn't anything there for me.
Moyers reminded me of Will Ferrell as Harry Caray, "Hey Joe, do you think God is made out of swiss cheese?"
I understand that this interview was groundbreaking for many people when it was filmed for PBS in the 80s, but I feel that the book is disjointed, Moyer's questions are insipid, and the subject matter is treated too generally. Except for a couple of interesting insights, like, "Religion is metaphor," and the chapter on marriage with a really good discussion on the Troubadours, there really wasn't anything there for me.
Moyers reminded me of Will Ferrell as Harry Caray, "Hey Joe, do you think God is made out of swiss cheese?"
Oh Joseph, you have my heart. I have only ever read exerts in school from Campbell's works and have always been impressed. After all this time i finally pick up one of his books and basically underlined the entire thing. I appreciate his concise and multi-dimensional approach. Most definitely a fan, gotta read more.