Introduction: The Reinvention of the Ancient Hero

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Series Editors’ Preface vii
4. Editors’ Acknowledgments ix
5. Contributors x
6. List of Illustrations xiv
7. Introduction: The Reinvention of the Ancient Hero 1
8. PART I Hercules
9. 1 Hercules and the Millennial Generation 11
10. 2 Hercules: The Mythopoetics of New Heroism 28
11. 3 Hercules, Putin, and the Heroic Body on Screen in 2014 43
12. 4 Heroes and Companions in Hercules (2014) 60
13. 5 Sacrifice and Salvific Heroism in Supernatural (2005–) 74
14. PART II Epic Heroes
15. 6 Russell Crowe and Maximal Projections in Noah (2014) 91
16. 7 The Immortality of Theseus and His Myth 111
17. 8 The Changing Faces of Heroism in Atlantis (2013–15) 125
18. 9 Xena: Warrior, Heroine, Tramp 141
19. 10 Divergent Heroism in Centurion (2010) 156
20. PART III Antiheroes
21. 11 The Hero in a Thousand Pieces: Antiheroes in Recent Epic Cinema 171
22. 12 Trouble in the Tehran Multiplex: Xerxes, 300, and 300: Rise of an Empire in Iran 191
23. 13 Ancient (Anti)Heroes on Screen and Ancient Greece Post-9/11 206
24. 14 Making Modern (Anti) Heroes, the Ancient Way 222
25. Filmography 238
26. Bibliography 244
27. Index 264