This book is basically a transcribed series of lectures given by Campbell over a period of several years. They're quite interesting, focusing as they do on how myths can be re-interpreted for the modern world, but because they're general lectures there is sometimes a bit of repetition and over-explanation here - Campbell, for me, is one of those writers who must explain everything, which can border on irritating levels of wordiness in every book of his I've read so far. This is especially apparent in the central third of this book, which can sometimes be a bit of a slog.

His thesis is generally well-supported, but because it is so anti-religion (as indeed am I) I may be looking at it with a somewhat reduced level of scepticism, lol. But the schism he describes between European/Middle Eastern and Indian/Chinese/Japanese mythology, in that the former tends more to individualism and the latter to community values, thus making the former more appropriate for an increasingly individualised world, is making me scrunch up my nose a bit. I mean yes, the growing prioritisation of the individual is a clear and present trend, no argument there. But also, the more we learn about science and ecology the more our role as ecological organism - and thus the essential interconnection of our existence - becomes clear also, and there's not a lot of time spent on that. There is also absolutely no time spent on the mythologies of Africa (bar that of ancient Egypt) which seems a glaring omission.