I find Campbell's "follow your bliss" theme is the part of his work I encountered the most in the wild for years and years--at least until the screenwriting world "discovered" the journey of the hero.
I wonder if it hasn't been so popular because it *seems* to tap into so many 20th century trends: self-help/self-improvement, the cult of positivity, and prosperity theology.
You wrote:
> "...if the story is a positive transformation, lands in a place where they were supposed to be, achieving not only their conscious goal, but also connecting to key aspects of their Self and infusing their life with new meaning."
I think you have nailed what Campbell's really getting at (and so many people miss): bliss isn't a state of transient distraction, it's about deep-rooted meaning and psychological integration, the latter being similiar to (although not exactly the same as) Abraham Maslow's
self-actualization.
The way you describe Campbell's bliss in terms of a protagonist's story arc seems relevant to how a story can have a
satisfying ending without a
happy one: if a character connects to key aspects of their Self and pursues important goals, their is meaning and reward in that pursuit, regardless of the outcome, and the audience can see that, too, if we let them in.
You wrote:
> "However if writing truly is part of our bliss, the experience of writing itself is its own reward."
Hear, hear! I've always felt badly for the people who claim writing is a great agony--and then make themselves write anyway. (I've never been clear on why they do.)
The people I have known personally who lead the most rewarding and satisfying lives were people who pursued goals where they were committed to the *process*, not the *outcome*--whether that meant creative writing, community activism and social justice, acting, athletics, entepreneurship, parenting, or other spheres. (Coincidentally, most of those people were intrinsically, not extrinsically, motivated.)
I'm really enjoying the Campbell Quotes series, Scott. Thank you for reposting it. (And great timing, too!)