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 Luther, Dr Doom, the Daleks, the Borg.Almost anybody living within the developed West would be able to group these individuals into two camps: the heroes and the villains. However, what criteria they might use to do this is less clear.Mike Alsford introduces us to a whole 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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Page 2
... heroic and the villainous throughout its pages , but in what ways and why ? I have been a fan of heroic fiction in a variety of forms for as long as I can remember , whether it was Robin Hood storming Nottingham castle with a smile on ...
... heroic and the villainous throughout its pages , but in what ways and why ? I have been a fan of heroic fiction in a variety of forms for as long as I can remember , whether it was Robin Hood storming Nottingham castle with a smile on ...
Page 26
... heroic , many less heroic figures possess similar abilities within the series . What marks Buffy out is her sense of moral responsibility coupled with clear recognition of the ethical demands made on the self by the other . This sense ...
... heroic , many less heroic figures possess similar abilities within the series . What marks Buffy out is her sense of moral responsibility coupled with clear recognition of the ethical demands made on the self by the other . This sense ...
Page 30
... heroic as suggested in our opening chapter . It is being in the world in a particular way that truly establishes an heroic mode of existence . How we choose to live in a world which assails us constantly with choic- es and options and ...
... heroic as suggested in our opening chapter . It is being in the world in a particular way that truly establishes an heroic mode of existence . How we choose to live in a world which assails us constantly with choic- es and options and ...
Contents
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Villains Monsters and Evil Masterminds | 95 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
ability absolute alien Anakin Skywalker argues armour Batman beast become behaviour Boromir Buffy Summers Buffy the Vampire Campbell Chapter character Christian Clark Kent classic concerning confronts consider course culture Daleks dark side DAVROS DC Comics death DELENN Doctor Doctor Doom dominate encounter Enlightenment ethical evil example existence existential experience explored face Fantastic Four fear feel Fichte fight film force freedom friends Galactus George Hegel heroes and villains heroic Hyde ibid imagination individual issue Kant Kid Marvelman kill knowledge lives Lord Luke Skywalker Marvel Comics Matrix means moral nature never Nietzsche notion ourselves parents person philosopher Plato portrayed possess rational reason recognised responsibility Ring Saruman Sauron seen sense simply Skywalker social soul Spiderman Spike Stan Lee story stranger super hero super powered Superheroes Superman theme things thinkers transcendence truth Vampire Slayer