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In All Her Names: Explorations of the Feminine in Divinity
A quartet of harmonizing viewpoints on the value of the feminine in religion and society. Originally conceived by Charles Muscs and Joseph Campbell, this book consists of essays by the editors as well as Marija Gimbutas and eco-activist Riane Eisler.
177 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Joseph Campbell
426 books6,215 followersJoseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 17, 2020
Un adorabile librino di archeomitologia che cela un cuore femminista/ecofemminista che ti viene voglia di stamparlo e lanciarlo dagli elicotteri o impararlo a memoria e recitarlo per strada.
February 25, 2024
Ah-mazing ... I read in less than 24 hours which is rare for me. I think Campbell and Muses wrote a book that was not only respectful toward women... Er the divine feminine? They also wrote a book that was enlightening and educational. This is a must read!!! Bonus, I got a library copy filled with notes and drawings from a previous reader... Loved it!!
February 6, 2014
Most of it gobbledygook to me.
January 31, 2019
A little stained by the New Age movement, but still good.
May 28, 2019
A lot of it was unintelligible to me (particularly the maths parts) but there were fluid sections that I found rather interesting.
June 18, 2019
This is a compilation. As such, there are well-written sections (Eisler's especially) and others that are esoteric at best.
September 14, 2023
Libro composto da diversi studiosi. Sicuramente un testo che merita la consultazione almeno una volta, specie per gli appassionati di antropologia o di spiritualità antica.
January 8, 2025
could do with a reread down the line but i definitely preferred the first two essays
February 26, 2020
I primi saggi sono interessanti, gli ultimi un po’ datati e senza troppe prospettive. In generale comunque dato l’argomento direi sia un saggio assolutamente da leggere.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews