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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... produced by Sandie Boccacci Phototypeset in 11 / 12pt Bembo Cover design by Judy Linard Library of Congress Cataloging - in - Publication Data Alsford , Mike Heroes and villains / Mike Alsford . p . cm . Includes bibliographical ...
... produced by religious people nor are they aimed at the religious . Heavenly choirs , crosses , people in robes , clouds , disembodied voices and gothic buildings make frequent appearances in films , advertisements , computer games and ...
... produced such tales . That stories were a legitimate and valuable way of engag- ing with fundamental existential and cosmological issues was taken for granted . It was the period known as the Enlightenment which cast the greatest doubt ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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