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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... variety of viewpoints . While trying to introduce the subject of otherness or power , for example , is a sure fire way of getting one crossed off party lists and ignored in pubs , talking about the latest Spiderman or X - Men film or ...
... variety and difference . While at one level we desire change , surprise , excitement and all of those things which allow us to experience the world with renewed wonder , we also fear change . We are fiercely protective of our routines ...
... variety . The desire to impose order and control , to create an empire , is often the primary goal of the villainous mastermind . We see this in a variety of villains from Saruman to Vito Corleone from Darth Vader to Lex Luthor . The ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
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