About to embark on Occidental Mythology, the third in Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God series. Much as I've enjoyed the first two volumes I get a sense the enterprise is somewhat dated. This volume was first published in 1964, and the terminology employed at times sounds that of an earlier age - most notably of course in the broad 'Oriental-Occidental' contrast. I'm particularly interested to see how the good professor treats Islam since a later chunk of the text deals with the faith. I noticed, on glancing at the references for that segment, that it looks like he's drawing almost exclusively on the work of what we'd now regard as scholars of an Orientalist cast. Mustn't pre-judge though.
To be honest the sheer imaginative sweep of the series, with Campbell's obvious enthusiasm for all of the thought-worlds he deals with, means it's difficult to take major exception to the work. I love the sense of the unfolding of the human story as a genuinely shared experience. covering vast sweeps of time. Just wish it wasn't quite so brutal at times - and so brutally stupid, so often. But, hey, nobody said history wasn't a nightmare from which we're striving to wake (or something along those lines.)
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