The Anti-Hero in the American Novel rereads major texts of the 1960s to offer an innovative re-evaluation of a set of canonical novels that moves beyond entrenched post-modern and post-structural interpretations towards an appraisal which emphasizes the specifically humanist and idealist elements of these works.

What is the true nature of evil? Why is there evil? Does it serve a purpose? Are there deeds and crimes so heinous that one mustn't even discuss their existence? Malcolm X. "Mark" Moses is the prototypical post-modern anti-hero, born in the late Fifties, raised on Sixties iconoclasm, the end-of-the-century Alienated Man, a rebel to the bitter end, until he is confronted with an evil that is, in his words, "worse than the Holocaust" and realizes that his pamphlets and proclamations, his entire world-view, had left him unequipped to counter it. The ANTI-HERO chronicles Mark Moses's life from his free-thinking childhood to his radical teens and college years to the day he comes face to face with the specter that will change his destiny.

It is commonly believed that some approaches of structural semiotics, narratology and cognitive science have not yet succeeded in constructing a complete and coherent theory of literary character. The author argues that the primary explanation of the failure is the artificial separation between characters and their actions. One of the chief implications of such separation is treating characters in terms of structures, agents, actants, functions, roles, and signs, which obviously mean that actions can hardly be explained as intended, motivated, performed and experienced. Survival, as a motivation-based concept, is one of the key concepts making the separation between character and action something impossible. Humans in literary narratives search for survival as an aware process of knowing and meaning making. Meaning in literary narratives can be produced by heroizability, which treats literary characters as living anthroposemiotic entities aware of their natural motivation to achieve in order to survive and produce meanings of their survival. As such, characters in literary narratives have active cognitions, and their cognitive activities remain meaningless without a process of semiosis. Applying Anthroposemiotic theory with Modeling System Theory, heroizability provides methodical tools to explain how the narrative text is represented and, thus, how it is to be interpreted properly by the reader not only to find, but also to make meaning in narrative world.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Entertainment Computing, ICEC 2015, held in Trondheim, Norway, in September/October 2015. The 26 full papers, 6 short papers, 16 posters, 6 demos and 6 workshops/tutorial descriptions presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 106 submissions. The multidisciplinary nature of Entertainment Computing is reflected by the papers. They focus on computer games; serious games for learning; interactive games; design and evaluation methods for Entertainment Computing; digital storytelling; games for health and well-being; digital art and installations; artificial intelligence and machine learning for entertainment; interactive television and entertainment.

In a set of stories about 17 American heroes and heroines, this book analyzes the hero concept in the nation’s history. This book unmasks and reveals some of the United States’ most beloved historical figures, reflecting their strengths, values, and flaws as no conventional history textbook can. Each chapter provides a comprehensive and complex look at the heroes and heroines who helped to shape a national identity. This book also examines the history, mechanics, and proven benefits of storytelling, identifying the form as an effective strategy to teach about some of the nation’s most famous men and women. Each story concludes with a set of discussion questions that allow both educators and students to probe transcending values that are still relevant for young Americans today.

This latest installment in the Psychology of Popular Culture series turns its focus to superheroes. Superheroes have survived and fascinated for more than 70 years in no small part due to their psychological depth. In The Psychology of Superheroes, almost two dozen psychologists get into the heads of today's most popular and intriguing superheroes. Why do superheroes choose to be superheroes? Where does Spider-Man's altruism come from, and what does it mean? Why is there so much prejudice against the X-Men, and how could they have responded to it, other than the way they did? Why are super-villains so aggressive? The Psychology of Superheroes answers these questions, exploring the inner workings our heroes usually only share with their therapists.

In 1938, Superman debuted, jumping off the pages of Action Comics #1. In the cultural context of the Great Depression and World War II, the U.S. would see the rise of the superhero not only in comic books but in radio programs, animated cartoons and television shows. Superman forever changed one's concept of the hero and became permanently engrained in both American and worldwide culture. This study explores the Man of Steel's narrative as a fresh perspective on readings of the Bible--his character is reflected in such figures as Moses, Samson and Jesus. The author argues that if we read the Bible it can be said we are reading about Superman.

This book's 140 A-Z entries include synopses, film stills, and production photos.

The Enshrouded Lands ' an earth-like world where magic bubbles away beneath the surface, beyond the ken of the common folk ' may take so many forms that they really are a thousand worlds in one. This is the second rulebook for the Omnifray RPG. It continues on from the Basic Handbook, delving deeper into the mysterious fabric of the Enshrouded Lands, with detailed information on possible backgrounds for player characters and masses of material on an array of secretive cults. It presents the standard advanced rules for fantasy Omnifray in full. The complete Omnifray system awaits you. This book gives your PCs greater access to feats of physical energy and concentration as well as full access to feats of elder magic, unholy magic, holy magic, mystical power and destiny, downtime feats such as divination and herbalism and feats of combined physical energy and concentration. You must be familiar with the Basic Handbook to use this book. Omnifray is intended for a mature audience.

Your hero is not the most important character in your book. Your villain is. Are you fed up of drowning in two-dimensional villains? Frustrated with creating clichés? And failing to get your reader to root for your villain? In 13 Steps to Evil, you’ll discover: + How to develop a villain’s mindset + A step-by-step guide to creating your villain from the ground up + Why getting to the core of a villain’s personality is essential to make them credible + What pitfalls and clichés to avoid as well as the tropes your story needs Finally, there is a comprehensive writing guide to help you create superbad villains. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned writer, this book will help power up your bad guy and give them that extra edge. These lessons will help you master and control your villainous minions, navigate and gain the perfect balance of good and evil, as well as strengthening your villain to give your story the tension and punch it needs. If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.