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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... face , a sword in one hand and maid Marion tucked neatly under one arm , or Luke Skywalker invading the Death Star with a smile on his face , a light saber in one hand and Princess Leia tucked neatly under one arm , or Spiderman ...
... face of aggression and abuse . Compare the attitude and behaviour of Peter Parker in the above quote with that of the super villain Kid Marvelman . In spite of his rather disarming name , the character of Kid Marvelman is a chilling ...
... face [ the initial way in which we encounter the other for Levinas ] is to put my ontological right to exist into question . In ethics , the other's right to exist has primacy over my own , a primacy epitomised in the ethical edict ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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