Joseph campbell foundation

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. 

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EARLY LIFE

Joseph Campbell was born in New York City in 1904 and became interested in mythology in his childhood. 

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He loved to read books about Indigenous American 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. 

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EDUCATION

Joseph Campbell majored in biology his freshman year at Dartmouth, then transferred to Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature.

After earning a master’s degree, he continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. 

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INFLUENCES

While in Europe, Campbell 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. 

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These encounters led to Campb The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell - TYK