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Mackie, Chris. "Men of Darkness." Super/Heroes. From Hercules to Superman. Eds. Wendy Haslem, Angela Ndalianis and Chris Mackie. Washington: New Academia Publishing, 2007. 83–95. Added by: joachim (7/20/09, 1:28 AM) Last edited by: joachim (3/26/20, 1:11 AM) |
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| Resource type: Book Chapter Language: en: English BibTeX citation key: Mackie2007a Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: "Batman", "Odyssey", "Superman", Classical antiquity, Homer, Literature, Myth, Superhero, USA Creators: Haslem, Mackie, Ndalianis Publisher: New Academia Publishing (Washington) Collection: Super/Heroes. From Hercules to Superman |
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This paper deals with notions of darkness in heroic and superheroic conduct. It deals particularly with Odysseus and Batman as examples of individuals who have no ‘superhuman’ qualities through birth, of the type that we might associate with Heracles or Achilles or Superman. Odysseus in Greek myth is a kind of ‘new man’ for a new era, and he acquires his renown through the inspired use of his intellect (metis). He invariably does so however in dark and confined spaces – like Polyphemus’ cave or the wooden horse or in the Trojan army at night. He is ‘divine’ in so far as his kind of heroism really comes to the fore at the ‘divine time’ (that is, at night). This contrasts him with the likes of Homer’s Achilles who is associated with the brilliance of Olympian fire and the ferocious battle in the bright light of day. This paper explores some of the parallels with the figure of Batman, who has a day persona, Bruce Wayne, a man who is a pillar of society, and a night role where he transforms himself into a smart and effective fighting machine against the various forces of evil.
Added by: joachim Last edited by: joachim |