[this article is still in the “thinking aloud” stage.]
Firstly, let’s get one thing clear: it’s the influence that is pernicious– not Joseph Campbell, the author.
Campbell argued that all stories are essentially variations of the same basic archetype, the hero sets out on a journey, undergoes some arduous trials, is challenged and almost fails, encounters a mentor or inspiration, re-engages the challenge, succeeds, and lives happily ever after, or dies like Jesus Christ.
All right– I’m playing with that a bit.
Which not to say that I am particularly dazzled by Campbell’s work. Some people write about him as if no one before him had ever written thoughtfully about the essential elements of tragedy. In fact, the Greeks did, long before Campbell came along, and Shakespeare himself seemed to have the formula down pat.
No, no– my problem is that I don’t like the concept of a “hero”, and even if I did like it, I don’t believe that there is any real-life correspondence to the idea– it’s all fantasy. It’s all usually male fantasy. It’s all sometimes a bit fascist, as in “300”.
It would be more interesting– but far less popular– to identify the delusions the general public demands from hero-worshipping tales. Firstly, that all other characters must defer to the hero; secondly, that his acts of violence are palatable because it is established that his enemies are unworthy or have sex. Thirdly, that people worship heroes even though the actions of the “heroes” in real life highlight the deficiencies in the rest of us.
Think about a mother who neglectfully allows her baby in a stroller to roll into the street. The “hero” sees the baby and rescues it and returns it to the mother. In the Campbell story, the mother is eternally grateful and worships the hero for his timely act. In real life, the hero’s action is a rebuke to the mother for her carelessness, something she will not want to highlight or be reminded of.
Real life is far more complex than Campbell’s mythic delusions.
And “Star Wars” is a crappy “B” movie that accidentally became the object of millions of people’s fetishistic enjoyment. They are happy they get it. Unlike “A Space Odyssey” and “Blade Runner”, it is immediately comprehensible, and just as immediately ridiculous.
More on “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”.