h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am so glad to see Joseph Campbell and all the myth-tellers before him finally getting some credit for the Star Wars success. The Force is fascinating, captivating, and the sort of thing we are missing in this world; it hits a universal primal chord. Kudos to Lucas, but he was not the Force himself............

Mr Campbells hero book has been used as the impetus for loads of other tales. Indeed one George Effinger gives him considerable credit at the start of many of his works (or at least one that I own). And I know a multitude of people that had to study that damn tome as part of their literature and/or cultural university/college courses.
Hurrah for Campbell and his ilk I say! Hurrah!

I like da force theory...........it appeals to all at varying levels. A master stroke.

I have heard Martial artists express that they feel a deep internal force sometimes............yes, I must practice more and sense tis too. To da Dojo.

Wattaray da Dog

Yes, my first encounter with Campbell's work was in a Freshman Survey of World Literature course. I think I need to do more studying and see if I can apply it; it seems to be a successful formula.

Wattaray here

I hope there is an almighty force binding us all together.........would be nice to control it too.

Wattaray da dog

Good luck to you Isle! Writting is not as easy as I had hoped it would be.....even using pre-made formats; I have been a writter for 15 years and have yet to finish a novel; I have had some luck with poetry and local contests, but anytime I start a novel I get bored; and if I get bored, imagine a reader! But I think my standards are too high; I mean, I was reading a TOR sci-fi the other day and it s****d! I write better than that! If I lower my standards maybe I'll actually finish.....sigh!

I say make da book shorter........then u will finish. Or just do short stories.

Hope that helps

Wattaray Out

Oh please someone come back and talk about Joseph Campbell with me!

I had a series of his tapes with Bill Moyers but lost them in my divorce (!). Such an inspiring man.

I used to take issue with some of his views about women but then I realised that they were about the feminine and then it all made sense.

Anyone there?

I will talk about that man and how reading hero with thousand faces made me cry. More than once.

Yes. I can believe that. Haven't read that book in a few years.

He was such a gentle but strong man I thought. And at first I took exception to what I thought was his attitude towards women but as I grew older and I hope a bit wiser I realised that I don't have to be the hunter or competitor. I can be the inspiration.

That might make my husband a bit but I'm working on it

Totally sexist to follow but what the hell, I've had my rum and ginger; women are not meant to be the hunter; the sooner we realize that, the calmer the world will be; at the risk of forfeiting future sales for a novel I have finsihed in my head but not on paper, read the REAL Medussa myth; written in a novel "Heroines" by a woman who studied under Joseph Campbell and became a colleague/contemporary. Medussa was not a horrible monster, but am African Queen/Goddess until Apollo; sun God, male, Roman, fell in love with her; she rebuffed his love; HE and only HE is responsible for the horrible wrath of the Gods that transformed her visage; a European Male God tranforming the African Goddess. To contemporize, I saw Tristan and Isole (Hollywood movie and awesome) the other night and commented how I could not save my life with archery; I have taken archery; God help me, but by the time I have inserted arrow I would be done for! My friend, a biologist, commented that women's musceles were not meant for archery, but for lugging the laundry to the stream; and this is not some romantic, airy-fairy girlie girl but a woman,unmarried and very "masculine" saying this; isn't there something to following your path; we as women would be better to accept and know this. I think people like Joseph Campbell, who studied myths,stories, hence the communication and essence of cultures know this. We should all have mandatory studies in this; alas, some of the world is too poor, too war stricken; it all needs to change so much. God help us all.

I have a talent for archery bizarrely...
But anyway yes, the trouble with making accurate myth study mandatory is the problem with any story and creative work. Being that unless it is in utterly specific technicia the work will be open to interpretation along the lines of whatever the studier thinks at the time.
What I feel is the problem, (and this could easily be construed as being deeply sexist, for which I apologise) is that SOMEBODY has to do tasks viewed as 'feminine' whether it be cleaning or child rearing or being able to disinguish colour of poisonous berries. And the trouble is, men are disinclined to do the tasks, and women are told they dont have to do them if they dont want to, so it ends up that nobody does them and we get the charming entity known as disaffected youth.
Hmm, I may have wandered in the point there, but hey.

Male + female roles are being blurred all the time I feel, although it has to be said that some roles suit some sexes more appropriately.

V. soon I fear men will not be needed + women will have babies by cloned sperm usage......scary, but probably possible. Women are stronger as neonates anyway-----the Y chromosome must code for some bad things.

wattaray out

Dont cloned sperms cDNA degrade with each sucessive generation created? Im sure there was some fertility paper in the news about it. Sorry, wrong type of discussion

True - but I reckon they would only use 1 -2 generations. The whole thing might lead to designer babies. Anyways, who cares - it's a way off + I do like the idea of separate male + female roles.

WAttaray

Friends actually came up with something useful with this question:
"What job can men do that women can't?"
To which Joey replied "Penis model".
Never a truer word...
Actually I think Ill put that in AskH2G2 just to see what happens

As Sarah Jessica Parker sings in her commercial "I love being a girl"
I really do; my husband has recently jointed the Armed Forces and I have never been more turned on; he is strong, in uniform, carrying a sword and able to defend me. Do I want to have to endure what he did in basic training? Not on your life! I want him to earn enough so I can stay home, keep the home fires burning. Is this biology or personality? I know I could not physically endure what he just did...but, there were 4 women in his graduating class....
I like wearing high heels, and being coy, and pretty. Is that wrong? Am I not modern or liberal? Isn't "liberal" supposed to be about choice? It does not feel that way; women have to want to wear the pants to be a woman....and that is wrong if they really want to wear a skirt!
I think it is a shame how we have wandered from traditional values; I have 3 boys who I want to raise as gentleman; when they act like gentleman they are either called "wimps", teased for being in love with whichever girl they were polite to(at 13 years old)or, most often, called "gay". It is absurd that the only polite people in society are Gay! What have we brought on ourselves?

Gentelemenliness is not the same as effeminincy. Of course little boys get teased by other little boys for being nice to little girls, especially at the age of 13 because they are somewhat jealous that that the nice little boys get all the attention, but they arent quite sure why, so they resort to the default stereotype of 'gay' cos they know its something they are not, so therefore thats what being nice to girls must be.
Strangely, while I currently have a nice girlfriend, the lad at my old school who insisted on calling me gay most days a week is now a geniune homosexual hairdresser. True story.

You go for it Snow.........

Hmmmmmmm I think Society is all screwed up in this country......I get a load of grief occasionally working for the NHS, but at the end of the day I'm out to do good to the public (as are all the services, + armed services)

They'll get their reward in heaven + the rest will get ASBOs. I've got a place resrved in hell for me........he he he...

Wattaray

I finally got post 20
Its all very well saying that society is screwed up, but that is somewhat of an umbrella judgement. Society in this country is about 20 odd different types of society if not more, so naturally people get confused. And people complaining about the NHS are usually more bitter that they have to partake in the service rather than what it entails. Nobody wants to get hurt. Except those that do