The hero with a thousand faces
by Joseph Campbell · first published 1949
39% recommend56% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Catalogs recurring patterns across world mythologies into the monomyth, or hero's journey. Useful for writers, storytellers and game or film fans who want to see the structure beneath stories like Star Wars.
Common criticism: Some find the monomyth template vague and the prose dry or hard to read
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Originally written by Campbell in the '40s-- in his pre-Bill Moyers days -- and famous as George Lucas' inspiration for "Star Wars," this book will likewise inspire any writer or reader in its well considered assertion that while all stories have already been told, this is not a bad thing, since the retelling is still necessary. And while our own life's journey must always be ended alone, the travel is undertaken in the company not only of immediate loved ones and primal passion, but of the heroes and heroines -- and myth-cycles -- that have preceded us. ([Amazon.com review][1].) [1
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2010–2019The writer's journey
Christopher Vogler
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2012–2021Screw It, Let's Do It
Richard Branson
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
2008–2012When bad things happen to good people
Harold S. Kushner
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2014–2026The anatomy of story
John Truby
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
Into the Woods
John Yorke
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2013–2026Save the cat!
Blake Snyder
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 4113 recommend · 41 mention13 recommend · 4113 recommend
2010–2018L'Etranger. Albert Camus
Michel Mougenot
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2007–2023Firestar
Michael Flynn
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
…many-worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics, metafiction, the nature of art, or even probabilistic sequence modeling should read Borges’ short stories. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. 1: Hero With A Thousand Faces A classic book collating world mythologies and psychoanalytical thought to investigate an individual’s core struggle for meaning and purpose. I find that it has informed my appreciation of literature,…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗> 1: Hero With A Thousand Faces Unusual. The first time, I - happily - see someone on HN mentioning Joseph Campbell and this book. As a following up lecture, I'd recommend: The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life & Work. [0]…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗…fall down." How is 'stuff' strong/hard? - Steve Grand: "Creation" & "Growing up with Lucy" The programmer behind the game 'Creatures' and his adventures in artificial life. - Joseph Campbell: "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" Never look at Star Wars in the same way again. - David Deutch: "The Fabric of Reality" Many worlds or mad as a box of frogs? - Richard Leakey & Roger Lewin: "The Sixth Extinction" We're doomed -…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…towards a concrete goal, even if changes must be made along the way. It also clarified my thoughts about the nature of competition and non-conformity. Courage is in even shorter supply than genius. 3. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell—While it's not a business book, this book is a deep look at mythology and psychology. I find it helpful both for understanding people and for understanding myself.
on “Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?” ↗I recommend reading George Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces". This is about comparative mythology, aka comparative story telling. He works out the core elements and common concepts that appear in story telling across cultures and time. It opened my mind to be…
on “Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?” ↗A great book on this subject is Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. His theory of the archetypal hero and the theory of the monomyth is a great influence on anlyses like this one (and also on some artistic works - including a small film series known as Star Wars). It's…
on “Researchers analysed 1700 novels to reveal six story types” ↗…novel, it is his fantastic delivery of lectures and connecting different phenomena in a network to explain/support a concept is what draws me to his stuff. As a counterpoint, I really like Campbell's a Hero with a Thousand Faces, but darn if his book isn't hard to read. I think it's a fair argument against him, but it is not Campbell or Evola who managed to get into the spotlight and spread those ideas to millions, but Peterson.…
Political instability, the decline of post-war culture, and the ascendency of the Global South is going to define your lifetime if you live long enough. The, "big ideas" are mostly bullshit. Read, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. You're not Luke Skywalker, Neo, Harry Potter, or Elizabeth Swan. Do what you want and be free. You're not the main character and if you can realize that at some sincere level without…
on “Ask HN: Thoughts on being “boring”” ↗…this story well into adulthood, and could never quite articulate why it struck such a chord in me (and clearly, many others). Later in life, after becoming familiar with the work of Joseph Campbell (Hero with a Thousand Faces) and Jordan Peterson (c.f. his lectures that unpack Pinnochio, The Lion King and his Biblical series), I began to understand the underlying elements in the story that make it reach so deep into our psyches.…
on “The Velveteen Rabbit was always more than a children’s book” ↗1984 The Silmarillion The Hero With A Thousand Faces Dune Walden (about half the chapters anyway)
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗"Hero With a Thousand Faces" (by Joseph Campbell). On Amazon.com: http://tr.im/hwatf
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…lock-in are powerful forces. Sometimes you have to pick, jobs, locations to live, significant others, etc., but try to always keep an eye towards keeping your options open. 3. All of that said, read "Hero With A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces Watch the movie "Vision Quest" Think about what you want your purpose, your quest, your defining goal to be. Pursue…
on “Quarter life crisis: Advice? ” ↗You should read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Monomyth is the basic pattern found in most narratives regardless of location or culture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
on “Why I Became an Entrepreneur (the Long Story)” ↗…swimming. Seriously, get this book, it is earth-shattering. I'm also going to recommend another book but I hope not to undermine my first recommendation. It was written by Joseph Campbell and it's called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I read it in January. In it Campbell writes of many mythological stories and then ties their common themes back to the journey the 'hero' must take. And from this journey the hero must take I got insights…
on “Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..” ↗The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell. It's a universal story, with the major features of every major world mythology catalogued and included within.
on “Ask HN: What are your non-technical non-fiction recommended reads?” ↗