Campbell’s monomyth

Joseph Campbell

• The most popular mythologist in recent times has been Campbell

• He attempted to develop a theory of a monomyth—a basic story that underlies myths from throughout the world

• Controversial– Not seen as rigorous scholarship– Validity of monomyth questioned

Hero’s journey

• Campbell was especially interested in the archetypal character – Followed teachings of Jung

• The hero’s quest was a spiritual journey as well as a physical one– Left the seeker forever changed—for the better– Leaving home symbolic representation of leaving

childhood, becoming aware/adult—going through a transformation

Campbell

• Sees the search as mystical/transformative and argues that the quest is a crucial part of a well-lived life– If the quest is not truly transformative, not a true

heroic myth

Sources of concern

• Teach people to think in terms of either-or approach to conflict/competition– Inability to thoughtfully consider context, ambiguity– Little consideration given to compromise

• Preach violence and brinkmanship as a strategy of dealing with conflict/competition– Demonization of other side leads to escalation

• Strengthens position of extremists– No actions are mutually beneficial

• Life as a ‘zero-sum game’

Monomyth.org

Sources of concern

• Emotional rather than rational goals and reasoning– “Words that succeed while policies fail”– Irrational traditionalism

• Conflict based in religion, klan, nation– Can easily slide into some rather unpleasant

representations• Nazi use of Wagner’s epic heroic opera

Sources for concern

• Portrayal of a world split into warring factions– Archetypal good and bad groups lead to a

portrayal of those who are different in extremely negative terms

– Archetypes applied in the real world can quickly lead to harsh stereotyping or demonization of groups or individuals

Sources for concern

• Can promote a ‘great man’ vision of the appropriate form of social control

• Authoritarian if not monarchic implications– Lose patience with debaters, lily-livered liberals

• Teaches to make decisions, etc. based on tribal loyalties, heated passions rather than dispassionate, rational debate

• Can justify extreme, uncompromising actions– brutality– War– Enslavement– torture

Star Wars as a heroic myth• Star Wars is an influential science fantasy saga and

fictional universe created by writer/producer/director George Lucas in the early 1970s. The saga began with the film Star Wars, which was released on May 25, 1977. The film, later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, became a pop culture phenomenon, spawning five more feature films and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, et al.

• Star Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to both modern science fiction and ancient mythology, as well as the romantic music motifs of those genres.

• In 2005, Forbes Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise (over the course of its 28-year history) at nearly US $20 billion, easily making it one of the most successful film franchises of all time.

• Star Wars began with a 13-page treatment for a space adventure movie that George Lucas drafted in 1973, inspired by multiple myths and classic stories.

Influences on Lucas• Many different influences have been suggested for the Star Wars films by

fans, critics, and George Lucas himself. • Lucas acknowledges that the plot and characters in the 1958 Japanese

film The Hidden Fortress, directed by Akira Kurosawa, were a major inspiration. Lucas has said in an interview, which is included on the DVD edition of The Hidden Fortress, that the movie influenced him to tell the story of Star Wars from the viewpoint of the humble droids, rather than a major player. It also played a role in the conception of Darth Vader whose trademark black helmet intentionally resembles a samurai helmet. More particularly, the arch-villain in Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai wears a black samurai helmet to which Vader's helmet bears a remarkable resemblance. The Jedi, nearly extinct futuristic knights of the former republic also have a high influence from the Samurai as spiritual warriors and duelists with a strong sense of honor and devotion to their duty. Their traditional clothing even resembles kimonos.

• Prior to writing the script for Star Wars, George Lucas originally wanted to make a film of Flash Gordon. The rights for Flash Gordon, however, were held by Dino De Laurentiis, and Lucas decided to work on his own science fiction project instead.

• Another influence in Lucas's creation of Star Wars were the writings of Joseph Campbell. Campbell's work explored the common meanings, structures, and purposes of the world's mythologies. Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a modern mythology based on Campbell's work. The original Star Wars film, for example, closely followed the archetypal "hero's journey", as described in Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

• It is also thought that the setting for the Star Wars universe came from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, published in the early 1950s. This saga also involves a galaxy teeming with inhabited worlds held together by a collapsing galactic empire using hyperdrives (for long-distance transportation). It also features the planet Trantor, which is entirely covered by the galaxy's capital, similar to Coruscant, and the protagonist of Foundation and Empire is Lathan Devers, a character resembling Han Solo. Even lightsabers have precursors in the The Foundation Trilogy as force field penknives.

• It is also often argued that Star Wars was greatly influenced by Frank Herbert's classic science fiction book Dune. Many elements of Star Wars are often also evident in Dune. There are so many similarities, in fact, some Dune devotees consider Star Wars little more than a campy film adaptation of Herbert's work. While this is likely an exaggeration, many of the similarities are striking. For example, both Dune and Star Wars are set on desert planets. Both stories feature a mystical knighthood of sorts--the Jedi in Star Wars and the Bene Gesserit of Dune. In both stories the hero uses mystical powers, exhibits mind control (Jedi mind trick/the Voice), and duels opponents with sword-like weapons. Finally, both stories describe a corrupt empire and the hero's efforts to overcome it.

• An excellent comparison of the most often cited similarities between Star Wars and Dune can be found at the official Dune website: http://www.jitterbug.com/origins/dune.html.

• Some comic book fans have also drawn parallels between Star Wars and Jack Kirby’s epic Fourth World series, published by DC Comics. The cosmos-spanning series of titles was never completed: DC canceled it, ostensibly due to low sales. At the heart of the series was the battle between Orion of the New Gods and his villainous father, Darkseid (pronounced “dark side.”) Orion called upon the mystical force known as “the source” to aid him in this struggle. The Death Star is somewhat reminiscent of Apokolips, Darkseid’s home planet. It is also worth noting that Darth Vader shares some visual similarities with Kirby’s armored uber-villain Dr. Doom, co-created with editor/scripter Stan Lee at Marvel Comics.

Why are heroic journeys so appealing?

• Simple, stark contrasts easy to comprehend, powerful and compelling– Simple dialogue– Personalization/individuation

• Echo deeply-held feelings and beliefs that may not be conscious– Good and evil– Spirituality

• Exciting action, often violence• Emotion rather than reason drives the action