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
Results 1-3 of 81
... human being and humanity as a whole . Whether or not one takes a naturalistic , a metaphysical or religious perspective on human identity , whether or not one favours an essentialist or existential stance on the nature of human ...
... human being and humanity as a whole . Whether or not one takes a naturalistic , a metaphysical or religious perspective on human identity , whether or not one favours an essentialist or existential stance on the nature of human ...
... humanity might be put at risk ? We commonly speak of inhuman behaviour and crimes against humanity and infringements of human rights , and yet without some clear notion of what we are as human beings these terms would appear to lose a ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
2 other sections not shown