I found this article on Wikipedia regarding this question - a question I'll be delving into more and more in my further research.
"Ernst Robert Curtius expanded this concept in studying topoi as commonplaces: reworkings of traditional material, particularly the descriptions of standardised settings, but extended to almost any literary meme. Critics have traced the use and re-use of such topoi from the literature of classical antiquity to the 18th century and beyond into postmodern literature. This is illustrated in the study of archetypal heroes and in the theory of "The Hero With A Thousand Faces," also the name of a book written by modern theorist Joseph Campbell.
For example, oral histories passed down from pre-historic societies contain literary aspects, characters, or settings which appear again and again in stories from ancient civilizations, religious texts, and even more modern stories. The biblical creation myths and of "the flood" are two examples, as they are repeated in other civilizations' earliest texts (see Epic of Gilgamesh or Deluge (mythology)) and are seen again and again in historical texts and references."
The work of Joseph Campbell, though provocative, is not finished. Much of what he says is impelled, thanks to the research of postmodern philosophy, by his own agenda to some degree. This is true of us all and should inform how we hear, read and understand people like Joseph Campbell among other. Here is a video of his talk that takes us into his world.
Both the creators of the Matrix and Star Wars based a lot of their philosophy upon what Joseph Campbell was writing on. Paradoxically, many people watching the matrix thought they were watching a movie inspired by the story of Christ, but what Joseph Campbell illustrates, is that the story of Christ is inspired by pre-existing myths that are shared by cultures and communities all over the world.
Here's one more!
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