Maureen Murdock is an author, educator, Jungian-oriented psychotherapist and photographer. Maureen teaches memoir writing, which she loves, through the Memoir Certificate at Pacifica Graduate Institute, for IWWG (International Women's Writing Guild) and in workshops throughout the US. She was Chair and Core faculty of the MA Counseling Psychology Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and adjunct faculty in the Depth Psychology Department at Sonoma State University. Murdock blogs about mental illness, addiction and incarceration on her website and participates in Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) as a volunteer at Lompoc Federal Prison.
This book is DATED. Which is interesting because it was published 18 years ago. It's kind of wild that a book like this can seem so old because it indicates to me that quite a lot has happened in the last 18 years. This book came out when I was beginning my most radical feminist years and if I'd read it then, I'd probably have loved it. But the issues in it now seem like they are of another time, in a way. This is not to say that women don't still struggle with the balance of having it all or how to negotiate the masculine and the feminine but it seems like those issues are a lot more complex than this book makes them out to be. This may be generational as well. The women in generations before mine had to fight their way into the workplace at all. My generation takes that for granted. This book makes a case for wounded femininity and a need for returning to the Great Mother. It's full of dreams that the author had and narratives of women's dreams about encountering images like the "dark woman" (a concept I found disturbingly racist.) Maybe I've leaned a little too far toward the masculine drive or something but this kind of stuff kind of gets on my nerves. Maybe it's just because I'm hungry for someone to REALLY lay out a heroine's journey, to really take on the feminine experience of the mythic structure and not just some "let's remember to honor our mother, Gaia" song. Maybe that's my book to write! And maybe I will. And 18 years from now some snarky contemporary feminist will find it strangely dated.
This book was not what I expected. I've been looking into the Hero's Journey as a construct for story, and had heard a couple references to this book, and so thought I'd pick it up. I thought it would talk about principles of story that resonate more with the female experience.
That being said, I adjusted quickly to what the book actually was. For the first 30-40 pages I thought that the book had some resonance with my experience, but that it also seemed to talk a lot about ideas that came from the time it was published (1990), and that there were aspects that felt less relevant 30 years on, being the daughter of a mother who had gone out to slay her own dragons.
But as I got into the book more, that feeling of disconnection faded away. It's a very intuitively written book - going from myth to dreams to prose and back, all without preamble or apology. There was something very satisfying about the honor to the feminine power in the book, and in ways of being that I feel I've likely suppressed as a "daughter of the father" as she would say.
It's not a book that I think would be ruined by "spoilers", but if you want to leave your experience of the book's nuggets for reading it, I'd suggest stopping here.
There were two ideas that have really resonated and stuck with me from the book. The first was the idea of the feminine cycle: death, decay, gestation, rebirth. When I first read her talk about that - it resonated so strongly with me, and felt like it poured acceptance into me about where I am currently in my life - I was able to identify myself as in a state of decay. But it allowed me to see that without needing to change it, and see that as part of a cycle, it is an important part of breaking down nutrients so that they can be reused in the next phase. (The descent was another concept along this lines which really resonated with me, but at a different time in life).
The second idea that I loved was the concept of a feminine life not following a linear path, but a spiral. I was expecting her to say a circle, but the spiral - something about it just sang to me. I could feel it in my current state, how I feel this connection to earlier parts in my life (similar parts of the spiral?), and it was a really powerful metaphor to me of how to conceptualise my life.
It was a transformative read, and I enjoyed the experience.
I was initially excited to read this book. It is supposed to be the female companion to Joseph Campbell鈥檚 The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Being a great fan of that book and Joseph Campbell, but finding lack of the feminine in that book, this is what first drew me in. However, I am even hurt by this comparison because Campbell鈥檚 masterpiece, with its faults, is still genius. This book, besides being racist, or at the very least fetishizing race, and being backwards in its feminine politics is just bad and a book with no value. Always being a reader of fantasy/myth/goddess studies, this does not belong in this category. It is a self-help book with backwards feminist politics. Its psychology is based in mommy and daddy issues, rather than anything completely substantial. It does try to through in tales of goddesses, but it seems wholy unconnected when the writer is throwing in her own life struggles, stories of her patient鈥檚 lives that we are somehow supposed to care about, and her dated feminist politics. It really doesn鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 supposed to be. Towards the end of the book, however, it tries to wrap up in a similar fashion of Campbell鈥檚 work by saying that the hero/heroine goes back to society to teach them something and make it better. Her book doesn鈥檛 even take us on a journey that warrants this conclusion. Another thing that bothered me is that she only thinks that a traumatic event allows us to get in touch with 鈥榦ur feminine nature,鈥� which just seems a little insulting. This whole book reeked of very bad psychology.
I believe her aims were good. If I was writing this book, I would do a few things differently. First of all, I would base this book completely in myth/folklore/fairy tales and I would choose tales that were written by women, or featured heroines as the main actor in their own fate. She used ones that went against her supposed aims. They are not as popular as the tales by the Brothers Grimm, but they are out there. I would use this to illustrate a woman鈥檚 journey and even throw in (better) feminist politics through them.
This book doesn鈥檛 succeed in making its point, if it really does have one. No matter how the author wants it to be a feminine masterpiece to Campbell鈥檚 masculine one, the material used does not warrant it and it isn鈥檛 helped by a faulty ideal of what a contemporary heroine is.
Very insightful read about spiritual and feminist liberation. However, there was a chapter on the continuation on the stereotype that women of color being the bearers of the great mysteries and great healers of the world. I don't see this as being much different than the black mammy stereotype. There was also a story in which she pointed out that the woman was black but which had nothing to do with the story. I think I am going to write her a letter.
This book was strongly recommended by several speakers at Geek Girl Con who were disappointed that Joseph Campbell鈥檚 worth on the monomyth excluded the female mythic adventure. Campbell鈥檚 comment that women don鈥檛 need to make the journey pains me deeply.* Like the author, I found it deeply unsatisfying.
I like the idea of expanding on The Hero鈥檚 Journey; of moving from a monomyth to a multiplicity of mythic paths. Murdock proposes a different, 10 step mythic adventure for women:
1. Separation from the feminine 2. Identification with the masculine and gathering of allies 3. Road of trials: meeting ogres and dragons 4. Finding the boon of success 5. Awakening to feelings of spiritual aridity: death 6. Initiation and descent to the Goddess 7. Urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine 8. Healing the mother/daughter split 9. Healing the wounded masculine 10. Integration of masculine and feminine.
. . . and I just don鈥檛 buy it. That seems more like a family therapy journey, not a mythic one. The steps that resonate with me are the steps that were in Campbell鈥檚 original. Also, it seems even more gender essentialist than Campbell鈥檚 original.
Murdock might have been able to persuade me if she tried. But she really didn鈥檛. Instead, she offers variants on myths and a lot of ahistorical woo-woo. Some that really made me cringe: 鈥淔inding out about being instead of doing is the sacred task of the feminine.鈥� (128). That鈥檚 just what Campbell said that you rejected. 鈥淎s women have taken more of a role in the outer world, the hearth of the family has been left unattended, and the spirit of nurturing connection has deteriorated.鈥� (140). That鈥檚 utter claptrap. 鈥淐hrist鈥檚 message that every human being 鈥� woman, man, and child 鈥� was made in the image of God was very radical for the culture in which he lived. In the Roman Empire, three-fourths of the people were slaves or descended from slaves, and he preached that these people, not solely the emperor, were one with God. This union of divinity and humanity had far-reaching political ramifications, and that is why Christ was put to death.鈥� (172). Don鈥檛 even know where to begin on that.
A valiant experiment but I鈥檇 rather watch Buffy again.
*The book reports Campbell telling the author that 鈥溾€業n the whole mythological tradition the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she鈥檚 the place that people are trying to get to. When a woman realizes what her wonderful character is, she鈥檚 not going to get messed up with the notion of being a pseudo-male.鈥欌€� 2 (quoting a September 15, 1981 New York inteview with the author. Not sure I ever would have read Campbell if I鈥檇 known he鈥檇 said that.)
Maureen Murdock, bu kitab谋 annesiyle aras谋ndaki kopuklu臒un yaratt谋臒谋 yaralar谋 sarma iste臒i 眉zerine yazm谋艧. Di臒er motivasyonu da Joseph Campbell鈥櫮眓 Kahraman谋n Sonsuz Yolculu臒u鈥檔daki kahraman谋n erkek olmas谋 ve yoldaki kad谋nlar谋n 莽o臒unlukla yard谋mc谋 ve/veya bir bariyer konumunda b谋rak谋lmas谋. T眉m bunlar kad谋n deneyimlerine dair fikir vermek konusunda kitab谋 tamamlanmam谋艧 hissettirmi艧. Bu kitab谋 okuyana kadar KSY鈥檡e 莽eviriye dair ta艧谋d谋臒谋m endi艧e nedeniyle mesafeliydim. Ancak art谋k en az谋ndan bir g枚z ataca臒谋m.
Kitap epeyce ya艧 alm谋艧 oldu臒u i莽in anlat谋lanlar g眉ncel de臒il ve hatta baz谋 b枚l眉mler mistisizm nedeniyle s谋k谋c谋. 脺stelik b枚ylesine geni艧 spektrumlu bir cinsiyet (biyolojik cinsiyet-toplumsal cinsiyet farklar谋?) olan 鈥渒ad谋n鈥� hakk谋nda bir ser眉ven 艧ablonu yaratmak epey iddial谋. Do臒rusu bana bir kad谋n谋n 鈥渄i艧ilden ayr谋ld谋ktan sonra eril ve di艧il tamamlanmayla sona eren bir d枚ng眉鈥漝e oldu臒u fikri 枚nce fena gelmemi艧ti. Ancak bir noktadan sonra anlat谋lanlar 枚zc眉l眉kten 枚teye gitmedi ve tekrarlarla dolu 莽枚z眉ms眉z bir metne d枚n眉艧t眉. Yaln谋zca kad谋n谋n i艧 hayat谋nda erkek kahramanlar谋n yolculuklar谋n谋 benimserken kendi do臒as谋n谋 koruyup kucaklamay谋 unutmas谋, kendisine de臒er vermeyi ihmal etmesi gibi k谋s谋mlar i莽in okunabilir.
In Patriarchal Relationships, there is always a Dominate and Submissive-Excerpt from Heroine's Journey - Maureen Murdock touches upon the enormous task of going into the abyss and transforming into wholeness.
"My mother deemed worthy that I should be the rejected, quiet, martyr, powerless/ full of shame and doubt, insignificant Co-dependent-caretaker. However, I have to identify with the other side of my personality. I have to accept and regard myself worthy of being different and to stand up for myself, entitled to abundance and fulfillment, become autonomous/confident, interdependent, communicator/assertive and significant in order to make a whole me. This may sound like it is very easy to do. However, once the personality is used to knowing itself in such a way, it is extremely hard to break the mold."-Excerpt from The Auto-Bond by Serena Jade
My mother was the dominate and I was broken into submission at a very young age.
The Heroine and Hero's journey is about transforming one's self into a whole person, linking together the personality with the intangible soul, creating; The Self.
The message in The Heroine's Journey is NOT dated but so overlooked in our society.
This is one of only 2 books I have ever read that changed the way that I view my life as a woman. I loved this book and could hardly put it down. It is a beautiful way to add to the work of Joseph Campbell by answering to the way that women experience the journey. It is different and that should be acknowledged. Maureen Murdock did a wonderful job and illuminated some mythology that I see in a whole new light now. Her analysis of the myth of Demeter and Persephone as well as Inana and Erishkigal was jut eye opening. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves the hero's journey and would like to get a more complete picture.
I started quoting this book before I finished reading it. That's pretty much an indication that it's an important one for me. If you write women's fiction and you haven't read this book, read it. If you write about women and you haven't read this book, read it. I'm having a reaction that I've heard others have when they "discover" Joseph Campbell's work for the first time: how did I not know about this book sooner? It's especially strange for me that I wrote a master's thesis in the 90's about the mother role in british lit and somehow I never came across this text. Ah well, I've read it now, and I'll be going back to it. In fact, I have a feeling that as I complete re-writes on my current project I'll be revisiting this text a lot.
The only complaint I have about The Heroine's Journey is that it's dated. Just like the thesis I wrote in 1995 is not what I would have to say, now, about the mother role in our society, I wish we could have an updated edition of The Heroine's Journey. We have a beautiful updated version of Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey (which is were I read about Murdock's work), so how about a similar edition for The Heroine? I'm just saying....
Bir kad谋n olarak 莽ocuklu臒umdan beri sorup durdu臒um pek 莽ok sorunun yan谋t谋n谋 derli toplu buldu臒um ve kesinlikle beni art谋k eskisi gibi olamayacak kadar 鈥榙枚n眉艧t眉ren鈥� bir kitap. 脟ok etkilendim. 陌莽inde debelenip durdu臒um sanc谋lar谋n bana a艧谋lanan eril motivasyonlar ve ama莽lar nedeniyle olu艧tu臒unu fark ettim. 脟izgisel bir rota izlemem gerekti臒ine dair yarg谋m谋n, m眉kemmeliyet莽ili臒imin ve i莽imde b眉y眉y眉p kabaran 枚fkelerimin k枚keniyle y眉zle艧tim. Ve sanki hep bildi臒im 艧eylerdi gibi鈥� B眉t眉nl眉k, iyile艧me ve denge aray谋艧谋m谋n 鈥樏mber鈥� imgesinde oldu臒unu da g枚rd眉m. Dili, sistematik olmayan yap谋s谋 (ki belki bu da do臒al) okumam谋 biraz zorla艧t谋rd谋ysa da bu metinle kar艧谋la艧谋p onu okudu臒um i莽in 莽ok ama 莽ok mutluyum. Terapiden ala terapi gibiydi 鈽猴笍
Feminism can be better than this. Psychoanalysis can be better than this. Mythological studies can be better than this. If you're looking for a companion philosophy to Campbell's Hero's Journey... keep looking.
The Heroine's Journey - the counterpart to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey - does its job well. This is a hard and uncomfortable read, because it will hit a nerve. It will make you examine your personal history as a woman (or feminine identifying person) and women's history at large. It is effectively a sort of roadmap of/for personal development. It took me around eight months to get through. It is closely related to your own personal, lived experience as a woman and the extent to which you have worked with that material. I had to let the new insights settle in. I wasn't able to start the second part of the book until I was ready, which beautifully and funnily correlated with the events unfolding in my personal life. The last chapters for me were especially revelatory. One remark: the trials of the soul are of a timeless nature and by extension this book will be too. Yet it is shocking that a book written in 1990 that criticized its zeitgeist can be read today virtually unchanged and still be so relevant and accurate. I suppose the revolutions of society's forward march are rather slow.
The only thing I could reproached Murdock of, is sometimes writing in a floaty manner. The link between different paragraphs is not always clear and merits to be made more visible, as to create a more logical coherence. (I imagine she would laugh and say this is an affliction of the masculine, which is more left-brained).
Characteristics of people who would benefit from reading this book: spiritual, father's daughter, want to reconnect with the feminine, not looking for an academic text but to categorize and process their lived experience.
It was good, but not what I expected it to be. I would have preferred less of the author鈥檚 dreams and more analysis of female archetypes in myth and how we could create our own myths, or what feminine mean the were like before the patriarchy. Still, a good read.
Forse il problema pi霉 grosso che ho avuto con questo libro 猫 stata l'aspettativa. L'avevo sentito decantare e sono rimasta molto sorpresa di trovare un testo colmo di spunti interessantissimi e schiaffoni sonori all'autocoscienza (il concetto di 'figlia del padre', la ricerca della madre etc), ma con riferimenti culturali purtroppo comprensibilmente datati (a parte la psicologia junghiana che si pu贸 condividere o meno, la netta divisione evidentemente culturale ma spacciata per naturale tra maschile e femminile, il sottointendere che 'le figlie del padre', proprio perch猫 erroneamente nel maschile, siano comunque votate al successo, anche se infelice, e il serpeggiante inneggiare a una rinascita un po' wicca e un po' new age che non si 猫 mai realizzata), e soprattutto una struttura estremamente confusa. Forse la traduzione italiana non ha aiutato.
Avevo sperato in un testo pi煤 accademico, o almeno meno dispersivo e 'superficiale'.
脡 stata comunque una lettura densa, e mi ha messo voglia di approfondire il tema.
Phenomenal & life-changing. Softened my heart to my own maternal relationship and helped me identify the unconscious masculine that I鈥檝e let overpower me for too long. While this book is 30 years old, it provides a refreshing feminist take that I think has been overlooked by the new-wave feminist movement, which is: femininity is not the antithesis of power and strength. Women do not have to prove they are worthy of equality by striving for achievements and success defined by men. Femininity and masculinity are symbiotic characteristics in all of humankind 鈥� true equality is the ability for both men and women to freely express their inner feminine and masculine traits. You are free to climb the corporate ladder, but you are also free to say no, to cry, to garden, to craft, to isolate, to nurture, and to feel; both can, and should, exists at the same time to remain balanced.
This book helped me see areas in my life where I am denying myself of femininity in substitution for productivity and independence, which ultimately provide no joy. I am reminded of my natural instinct for connection and emotional/creative expression, and I am motivated to pursue those activities again. I would recommend this book to any and all woman, but especially those who have experienced identity loss, parental conflict, and burnout. After reading this book, I guarantee you will be kinder to yourself/your experiences.
Murdock wrote this book to be therapeutic, to not just share the "essence of the female journey," but to guide women through a journey of self-actualization, of self-discovery, as she grows up, comes of age, as she becomes her self, as she becomes an adult woman.
The heroine's journey template used is akin to the Hero's Journey or the Monomyth made so familiar by Joseph Campbell, and the book takes the reader through each stage, from Separation from the Feminine to Integration of the Feminine and the Masculine, to wholeness. There are many examples or stories given of women at each stage, and I think this could be a very useful book.
What I missed was any acknowledgment of women who were not straight, who were not seeking a "man with a heart." I wanted to read more of the mythic at work here, but that is not what Murdock is about--for that, read Frankel, From Girl to Goddess. I would recommend reading both books together.
I felt that I connected with the intent and spirit of the book. Being a fan of Joseph Campbell, this went right along with that only from a feminine point of view; the heroine vs. the hero. Some of the modern content/stories did seem a bit dated, at least compared to my own small social community. There were quite a few phrases, stories and quotes that really did stick with me though. I believe it would be a good book to start off with to jump start research and exploration into the development of feminine mythos and matriarchal archetypes for healing women's spirits as oppose to those which are patriarchally oriented.
Any woman familiar with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey will resonate with this book. It addresses the journey from a uniquely feminine perspective. Although Campbell himself told the author that the female does not need to make the journey because she is the Goal of the hero's journey, Maureen felt that women have their own journey to make. We follow Maureen's journey loosely through each chapter as well as face the many challenges that women deal with and have been dealing with for centuries. I LOVED this book - it was very healing for me.
Questo testo ci permette di rivalutare i canoni del viaggio dell'Eroe, traslandoli sulla figura femminile che, per motivi socioculturali e storici, percorre cammini diversi. Non 猫 un testo di narratologia ma pi霉 di analisi della psiche femminile, un ottimo approccio per valutare anche i comportamenti delle personagge. (In alcuni passaggi mi sono sentita tremendamente esposta)