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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... relationship . Few superheroes enjoy uncomplicated relationships with parents who are regularly present in the narrative.36 As a millionaire – always useful in the crime fighting business - the Batman is able to devote himself to the ...
... relationship - characterised by the reduction of difference and otherness to the same , while the second he calls the metaphysical relationship Conclusion 127.
Mike Alsford. same , while the second he calls the metaphysical relationship . It is this later relationship that prioritises the other and abandons the notions of power and possession as modes of encounter with the world . This for ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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