Research Catalog

Title

Villainy in western culture : historical archetypes of danger, disorder and death / M. Gregory Kendrick.

Author

Kendrick, M. Gregory, 1953-

Publication

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2016]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

vii, 261 pages; 23 cm

Summary

"This book explores how western societies have used villains to sort insiders from outsiders and establish behavioral norms to support harmony and well-being. The author also discusses two related phenomena: the dramatic paring down of what is considered villainous in the West, and the proliferation of over-the-top villains in pop culture and mass media"--

Subject

• Villains in mass media
• Villains in popular culture
• West (U.S.) > In popular culture

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Drawing lines in the sand: the villain as "other" -- "Red in tooth and claw": the villain as nature -- Sybarites and savages : the villain as barbarian -- Tyrants, traitors and tramps : the villain as agent of discord and disorder -- "One who rules without law" : the villain as tyrant -- "Et tu, brute?" : the villain as traitor -- "Her arms are wicked and her legs are long" : the villain as femme fatale -- The bad seed : the villain as pathology -- Gangsters and grifters : the villain as sociopath -- Rippers and rapists : the villain as psychopathic murderer -- Epilogue: Marplots and madmen : the villain as metaphor.

ISBN

• 9780786498680
• 0786498684

LCCN

^^2016004073

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library