SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

§  What, according to Joseph Campbell, is the power of myth?  How would you begin to describe what he sees as its most basic meaning and purpose?  What, for you, is the power of myth?

MYTH AND THE MODERN WORLD

§  “The whole history of Western culture can be seen as a history of demythologization.”  Comment.

§  What is the role of myth in the modern world?  To what degree is the mythic imagination still vital and alive?

§  Who are the keepers of mythology today?  How do you respond to Campbell’s comparison of modern artists and poets to the shamans of old?

§  To what extent are contemporary movies vehicles for mythological story-telling today?  How would you compare the movie-makers of today to the mythic story-tellers of the past?  How would you compare and contrast the movie theatre as a vehicle for transformation of contemporary mythic images with the television or the computer?

§  Do we have mythological figures in the contemporary world?  If so, who are they?

§  Can myth save the world?  What sort of myth?

§  Is the return to myth a step backward, a denial of reason and a simplistic retreat to a pre-critical past?  Is the call for myths to save the world but another nostalgic longing to return to the Garden?

§  What, for Campbell, is the importance of ritual?  How is it connected to myth?  Is he correct stressing the positive role of ritual?  Do we live in a de-ritualized world?

MYTHOLOGY AND THE SELF

§  How does Campbell begin to incorporate mythology into this discussion of the individual personal life journey?

§  How do you respond to this idea of your life as myth?  Are you living a myth?  Are you a living myth?

§  What can mythology teach us about the self?

MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION

§  How would you begin to make sense of the interplay between Campbell’s discussion of mythology and his analysis of religion?  How does he portray the relationship between the two?

§  What are his most basic criticisms of his own religious tradition?

§  What does Campbell mean when he says “theology turns poetry into prose?”

§  How does Campbell contrast the priest and the shaman?

§  How does Campbell compare and contrast Western views of God and energy with Eastern and primal cultures?

HUNTING AND PLANTING CULTURES

§  What, according to Campbell, are some important differences between the mythology of a hunting culture and that of a planting culture?  How and why do the metaphors and symbols change?

§  How are sacrifices different in hunting and planting cultures?

§  How are the hunting myths a covenant between the worlds of animals and humans?  To what extent do you think the mythic and religious idea of sacrifice is ultimately connected to distantly remembered rituals commemorating the sacrifice of the animal to the human? 

HEROES AND SACRIFICE

§  What is most interesting about Campbell’s idea of the hero’s adventure?  What is “the hero’s deed?”  What is the basic motif of the hero’s journey?

§  What role does suffering play for the hero?

§  What is the purpose of sacrifice?

CAMPBELL AND GENDER

§  How would you begin to analyze the ways in which Campbell frames gender and the meanings of male and female in his discussion of mythology?

§  How do you think he would respond to the arguments of Marija Gimbutas?

CAMPBELL INTERPRETING MYTH

§  What details did you learn about the biography of Joseph Campbell?  What is most important here for understanding his arguments and point of view?

§  What role do mystery and mysticism play in the thought of Joseph Campbell?   How do these inform his vision and how, in your opinion, are they related to the strengths and/or weaknesses of Power of Myth?

§  What have you learned the most from this book?