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, cocreated 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