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 12
... space should be an interdisciplinary one , one in which the issues are raised by familiar cultural images but may be commented on from a variety of viewpoints . While trying to introduce the subject of otherness or power , for example ...
... space and time , are not to be found in the external world but are actually categories of thought , part of our reason- ing tool kit . In essence the world appears ordered because we as rational beings order it . Our reason sorts ...
... space ship , set to self - destruct in minutes , to save the cat . There is an existential immediacy about the way in which the hero engages with the world . While concerns about humanity and the fate of nations and worlds as a whole ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
2 other sections not shown