Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
It has perhaps never been more important than it is today to understand the world around us and the world's religions. It is now well understood that health, climate, and economic issues are truly global. On completing The Masks of God, Campbell wrote, "Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained: of the unity of man, not only in its biology, but also in its spiritual history, which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of a single symphony . . . irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax, out of which the next great movement will emerge." Upon the publication of this volume, in which Campbell delves into the fables and folklore of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism, Professor Robert Gorham Davis of Columbia University wrote, "It is impossible to read this startling and entertaining book without an enlarged sense of total human possibility." Oriental Mythology remains mesmerizing in its eloquence, its scope, and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge.
Synopsis
The second volume in Joseph Campbell's monumental four-volume Masks of God series explores Asian mythology and its evolution into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan. This Collected Works of Joseph Campbell edition has been revised with up-to-date science and new illustrations.
In this legendary exploration of Asian mythology, Joseph Campbell delves into the underlying myths and folkloric traditions that evolved into the great philosophies of the Egyptians and Sumerians, as well as the distinctive religions of India, China, and Japan, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism.
Oriental Mythology was originally published in 1962 as the second volume of Campbell's monumental four-volume series The Masks of God. On completing the series, Campbell wrote, "Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained: of the unity of man, not only in its biology, but also in its spiritual history, which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of a single symphony . . . irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax, out of which the next great movement will emerge."
Oriental Mythology remains mesmerizing in its eloquence, its scope, and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge. This new hardcover edition, which joins The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell, features up-to-date archaeological, anthropological, and psychological information, as well as forty new or improved illustrations.