Heroes and VillainsHercules, Jesus, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Gandalf, Frodo, Harry Potter, Buffy Summers, Spiderman, Batman, Captain Kirk, Dr. Who, Darth Vader, Sauron, Voldemort, Lex Luthor, Dr. Doom, the Daleks, the Borg. Almost anybody living in the developed West would be able to group these individuals into two camps: the heroes and the villains. However, what criteria they may use to do this is less clear. Mike Alsford introduces us to a range of heroic and villainous archetypes on a journey through film, television, comic books, and literature. On the way, he addresses questions such as: What is a true hero? What is a true villain? Have we misunderstood these terms? What kind of societal values do our mythical heroes and villains represent? In trying to understand the extremes of hero and villain we are made more aware of our own ethical standards and given a space in which to explore contemporary concerns over notions of right and wrong, good and bad. |
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... machine in Europe and smash- ing his spy rings at home . However , in more complicated times where the enemy was less easy to spot and sometimes dwelt ' within ' , the mission of the hero was far less clear cut . It was during these ...
... machine the truth of the matter seems rather more chaotic . The Führer principle related to the demand for absolute obedience to the authority of one's superior - principally Adolf Hitler himself . One's duty to the Führer superceded ...
... machine that could never be shut down . The secret devil of every soul on the planet all set free at once to loot and maim and take revenge , Morbius ! And kill ! As the creature comes ever closer , breaking down all barriers before it ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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