Editing Joseph Campbell (section)

==Influences==

===Art, literature, philosophy===

Campbell often referred to the work of modern writers [[James Joyce]] and [[Thomas Mann]] in his lectures and writings, as well as to the art of [[Pablo Picasso]]. He was introduced to their work during his stay as a graduate student in Paris. Campbell eventually corresponded with Mann.<ref>Joseph Campbell Collection and at the OPUS Archive.</ref>

The works of [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] had a profound effect on Campbell's thinking; he quoted their writing frequently.<ref>Campbell, J. (2003). The hero's journey (3rd ed.). Novato, CA: New World Library.  p. 16</ref>

The "follow your bliss" philosophy attributed to Campbell following the original broadcast of ''The Power of Myth'' (see below) derives from the [[Hindu]] [[Upanishads]]; however, Campbell was possibly also influenced by the 1922 [[Sinclair Lewis]] novel ''[[Babbitt (novel)|Babbitt]]''. In ''[[The Power of Myth]],'' Campbell quotes from the novel:

{{poemquote|
Campbell: Have you ever read [[Sinclair Lewis]]' ''[[Babbitt (novel)|Babbitt]]''?
Moyers: Not in a long time.
Campbell: Remember the last line? "I've never done a thing I wanted to do in all my life." That's the man who never followed his bliss.<ref>''The Power of Myth'', Doubleday and Co., 1988, p. 117</ref>
}}

===Psychology and anthropology===

The anthropologist [[Leo Frobenius]] and his disciple [[Adolf Ellegard Jensen]] were important to Campbell's view of cultural history. Campbell was also influenced by the psychological work of [[Abraham Maslow]] and [[Stanislav Grof]].

Campbell's ideas regarding myth and its relation to the [[human psyche]] are dependent in part on the pioneering work of [[Sigmund Freud]], but in particular on the work of Jung, whose studies of [[human psychology]] greatly influenced Campbell. Campbell's conception of myth is closely related to the [[Jungian]] method of [[dream interpretation]], which is heavily reliant on [[symbol]]ic interpretation. Jung's insights into [[archetype]]s were heavily influenced by the ''[[Bardo Thodol]]'' (also known as ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead''). In his book ''The [[Myth]]ic [[Image]]'', Campbell quotes Jung's statement about the ''Bardo Thodol'', that it

{{blockquote|belongs to that class of writings which not only are of interest to specialists in [[Mahayana Buddhism]], but also, because of their deep humanity and still deeper [[insight]] into the secrets of the [[human psyche]], make an especial appeal to the [[layman]] seeking to broaden his knowledge of life&nbsp;... For years, ever since it was first published, the ''Bardo Thodol'' has been my constant companion, and to it I owe not only many stimulating ideas and discoveries, but also many fundamental insights.{{sfn|Campbell|1974|p=392}}}}