Heroes And Villains
Hercules, 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...
Search in google:
Hercules, 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 are given a space in which to explore contemporary concerns over notions of right and wrong, good and bad.
Preface ixMyth and Imagination 1The Outsider: Heroes and Otherness 23With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility 63Villains, Monsters and Evil Masterminds 95Conclusion 123Notes 141Further Reading and Viewing 151Index of Selected Thinkers and Authors 155Index of Selected Heroes and Villains 157Index of Selected Themes and Subjects 159
