This collection, first published in 1992, offers critical-interpretive essays on various aspects of the work of Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), one of a very few international experts on myth. Joseph Campbell examines myths and mythologies from a comparative point of view, and he stresses those similarities among myths the world over as they suggest an existing, transcendent unity of all humankind. His interpretations foster an openness, even a generous appreciation of, all myths; and he attempts to generate a broad, sympathetic understanding of the role of these 'stories' in human history, in our present-day lives, and in the possibilities of our future.

A collection of 17 critical essays about Campbell (1904-87) as the foremost expert on mythology; about specific themes, questions, and subjects in his work; and about his impact on contemporary mythological study and other disciplines. Among the topics are Freud's and Jung's influence on him, his i