Product Description

Campbell offers an explanation of Eastern mythology as it developed into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan. "The myth of eternal return, which is still basic to Oriental life, displays an order of fixed forms that appear and disappear through all time."--Joseph Campbell.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136977 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Customer Reviews

The Masks of God
Joseph Campbell was possibly the most erudite figure of the twentieth century. His ground-breaking studies in anthropology inspired a whole generation of readers - including George Lucas, who based his initial Star Wars movie upon Campbell's "The Hero of a Thousand Faces".


The four volumes of "The Masks of God" lead one through an oddysey of human interconnections.

"Tne Masks of God" is recommended to any who are willing to recognise our common heritage.

Valuable For Backround Knowledge
Good And Valuable Reading Material Of Further Studies For The Occult Student!

A Review For the Series Entire (& a Brief Review of This Volume)
A Myth is not a lie, but, like Art, a rendering of Truth. Subsequently, religion is the extension of myth through ritual. Despite the titles, these texts are as much about religion as myth, and the works are all the better for it. Campbell skillfully explores the Human experience, and what Man has made of it, over the course of these four seminal works. At times, one feels the influence of Toynbee, but Campbell has gone beyond the author of A Study of History and into a world all the more full of wonder.

Man is the most conscious participant in Nature, and, as the Image of God, the only creature capable of reshaping Nature according to his own interpretations of its meaning. These little shapings, which we call art, myth, religion, culture, and philosophy are the stuff a rich existence is made of.

Stated simply, this work dutifully charts the progress, derivations, and points of origin of these shapings. Campbell's prose is warm, friendly, compassionate, loving but stern, and creative. One could not ask for a better introduction to the Man's works.

Oriental Mythology is the second volume in the series, and probably the weakest. Campbell's familiarity with the subject is clear, but his ability to carefully balance his west-to-east/east-to-west thesis is a tad clumsy. The facts themselves are illuminating, as are his deductions, but the volume itself seems slightly awkward compared to the other three volumes. Don't start your reading of Campbell's work with this volume. (NOTE: You might also consider reading Volume Three: Occidental Myth BEFORE reading this volume. Such a reading might clue you into Campbell's style before delving into the depths of Oriental mythology.)

For those not familiar with some of the artistic themes discussed in this and other works, Campbell's Mythic Image (Illustrated Edition) makes a strong companion.