“Luna Men Shine in Food Forest”
The Third Conversation with Stephen Gerringer, Community Relations, Joseph Campbell Foundation and Willi Paul, Mythologist, Planetshifter.com
http://planetshifter.com/node/2373
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Willi - I have been using Google Alerts for mythology news for many years; one gets a lot of corporate push for movies and video games. Hollywood “owns” mythology, it seems: X-files, Star Wars.... “Myth” is seen as a powerful capitalist branding force for big profit. Reactions?
Stephen - I share your concerns, and believe Campbell would have a problem with Hollywood’s formulaic approach. When he first identified the Hero’s Journey schema in myth, Joe didn’t have blockbuster mega-profit films in mind; he was just detailing what he observed.
J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t have to pull out his pocket-Campbell guide to make sure he was following the Hero’s Journey trajectory when writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; this pattern just naturally emerges from a tale well told.
But today, it often feels like Hollywood works backwards – starting with the Hero’s Journey, and then slapping together a story to fit the formula.
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