Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As a fan of Tolkein, Star Wars, and Harry Potter and one who has appreciated a number of analytic treatments of their themes in relation to culture and society, I was expecting something a little different. Perhaps a more accurate title might have been "Defending the Heroes: Debating Critics of Tolkein and Star Wars, with a Little Harry Potter Thrown in."
The larger portion of the book consists of the author cataloging an extensive list of negative criticisms and in turn criticizing the critics for their method and mood. Granted, his arguments make a lot of sense. But there is much less positive treatment of heroic themes and their potential validity and usefulness in modern society, and much repetitive groaning about how mistaken the critics are.
Not only that, the subtitle suggests that three different series will be treated in the book. In fact, Harry Potter is mentioned only briefly, a few times, almost as if his inclusion were meant to capitalize on his current popularity. For the amount of space devoted to Harry Potter themes, he could just as easily (and more accurately) have been excluded from the title. I found this to be misleading.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Social Conflict
Why have The Lord of The Rings, Star Wars, the Harry Potter stories, and other tales of heroic fantasy, been so phenomenally successful in the present apparently cynical and disillusioned age? Colebatch argues that the popularity of these works shows the real health of our culture to be more robust than we sometimes believe, and confirms the centrality of "traditional" values which "progressive" thinkers have often disparaged or overlooked. In advancing this argument, the author also seeks to entertain the many readers who love these works, and to open to them new vistas of understanding.
