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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... never for himself . His powers are always and only at the disposal of others . ' There's no time ' he thinks to himself as he flies off at super- speed to avert some disaster on the other side of the world ' There's never any time ...
... never grew up to be a fighter pilot during the Second World War , and thus was never in a position to save a troop carrier , thousands perished . A young woman who should have been saved from a life of prostitution by George is now seen ...
... never ... ANGEL : We never win . BUFFY : Not completely . ANGEL : We never will . That's not why we fight . We do it ' cause there's things worth fighting for.14 The old adage ' all that is required for evil to flourish is for good ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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