Difference between revisions of "Joseph Campbell"
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| − | Joseph J. Campbell (1904 – 1987) was an American mythologist, perhaps best known for his PBS miniseries, '''The Power of Myth,''' based | + | Joseph J. Campbell (1904 – 1987) was an American mythologist, perhaps best known for his PBS miniseries, '''The Power of Myth,''' based on his book of the same name and another book titled ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces''. |
==Personal Life== | ==Personal Life== | ||
| − | Joseph Campbell was born in 1904 to a conservative, Catholic family in White Plains, New York<ref>http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3846</ref>. | + | Joseph Campbell was born in 1904 to a conservative, Catholic family in White Plains, New York. <ref>http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3846</ref> He remained a political conservative throughout his life. <ref>http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-joseph-campbell.htm</ref> However, his books and other writings show him to have been an atheist as an adult. <ref>http://www.solvinglight.com/features/theserpentworshippers02.htm</ref> His books use questionable academic tactics and relativism in an attempt argue against the factual accuracy of Christian scripture. <ref>Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973.</ref> |
| − | In 1938, Joseph Campbell married Jean Erdman, whom he remained married | + | In 1938, Joseph Campbell married Jean Erdman, to whom he remained married for the remainder of his life. |
| − | He passed away due to esophageal cancer in 1987<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/02/obituaries/joseph-campbell-writer-known-for-his-scholarship-on-mythology.html</ref> | + | He passed away due to esophageal cancer in 1987. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/02/obituaries/joseph-campbell-writer-known-for-his-scholarship-on-mythology.html</ref> |
==Professional Life== | ==Professional Life== | ||
Revision as of 01:09, June 18, 2010
Joseph J. Campbell (1904 – 1987) was an American mythologist, perhaps best known for his PBS miniseries, The Power of Myth, based on his book of the same name and another book titled The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Personal Life
Joseph Campbell was born in 1904 to a conservative, Catholic family in White Plains, New York. [1] He remained a political conservative throughout his life. [2] However, his books and other writings show him to have been an atheist as an adult. [3] His books use questionable academic tactics and relativism in an attempt argue against the factual accuracy of Christian scripture. [4]
In 1938, Joseph Campbell married Jean Erdman, to whom he remained married for the remainder of his life.
He passed away due to esophageal cancer in 1987. [5]
Professional Life
Joseph Campbell wrote extensively on mythic structure, identifying themes and plot elements common to hundreds of myths from many different world cultures. Perhaps his most widely-read book, which is required reading in unviersities across the world, is The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In this book, he examines the "human impulse to create stories and images that, though they are clothed in the motifs of a particular time and place, draw nonetheless on universal, eternal themes."
He achieved widespread recognition with his PBS miniseries, "The Power of Myth."
References
- ↑ http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3846
- ↑ http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-joseph-campbell.htm
- ↑ http://www.solvinglight.com/features/theserpentworshippers02.htm
- ↑ Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/02/obituaries/joseph-campbell-writer-known-for-his-scholarship-on-mythology.html