Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism | Campbell, Joseph - Chris Seeman (essay date autumn 1991)

Chris Seeman (essay date autumn 1991)

SOURCE: Seeman, Chris. “Tolkien and Campbell Compared.” Mythlore 18, no. 1 (autumn 1991): 43-8.

[In the following essay, Seeman finds parallels between Campbell's and J. R. R. Tolkien's treatment of mythology.]

I. COMPARING TOLKIEN AND CAMPBELL

The present occasion of a conference devoted to the discussion of archetypes in fantasy literature invites a broader comparison of the work of Joseph Campbell with that of the Mythopoeic Trinity of Tolkien, Lewis and Williams. What follows is an exploration of some key dimensions of Tolkien and Campbell's thinking about myth which might serve as a basis for further reflection on their commonalities and differences. Joseph Campbell and J. R. R. Tolkien share the ambiguous status of having exercised an immense popular appeal, both posthumously and during their own lifetimes, while often receiving only marginal recognition by the academic communities...

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