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. |
From inside the book
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... to imagine what it would feel like ... to be the most powerful creature on the face of the planet ... .. and to be answerable to no - one . You could do ... anything , John , you'd never need to turn The Outsider : Heroes and Otherness 37.
... creature comes ever closer , breaking down all barriers before it in its desire to punish Morbius's daughter for ... creatures of instinct and ego , particularly so in Victorian times - and in our attitude to animals - particularly as ...
... creature , that's all it needs . VAN STATTEN : But why would it do that !? THE DOCTOR : Because it honestly believes they should die . Human beings are different and anything different is wrong . It's the ultimate in racial cleansing.6 ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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