Why read The Heroine with 1001 Faces?

Book cover of The Heroine with 1001 Faces

Book description

How do we explain our newfound cultural investment in empathy and social justice? For decades, Joseph Campbell had defined our cultural aspirations in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, emphasising the value of seeking glory and earning immortality. His work became the playbook for Hollywood, with its many male-centric quest…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Heroine with 1001 Faces as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Dale M. Kushner

Author

What is a heroine’s journey, and how does it differ from Joseph Campbell’s ubiquitous description of the archetypal and mythopoetic hero’s journey?

Maria Tatar’s book acts as a corrective and a complement to the common assumption that heroic deeds are accomplished only by men. The heroine’s journey, Tatar insists, is inspired not by a desire for glory and immortality involving physical brawn and combat, but rather by a call to restore and repair what has been dissembled.

Heroines are driven by care and social justice, essentials for the survival of individuals and society, and their means involve the domestic arts…

From Dale's list on books that translate harsh realities into stories that speak truth about our inner lives.