Literature—my favorite field. Heroism—my favorite topic. What I love most about literature is that it provides a writer the opportunity to create an indomitable hero in intense conflict against powerful antagonists. Conflict is the essence of a great story. The stories analyzed here all have it.
Who are the greatest heroes of world literature? What are the criteria of judging them? This talk analyzes and answers these questions.
This talk was given in California at ARI’s summer conference in 2018. My good friend, Anu Seppala, introduced me by saying I was “the most fun speaker ever”. In all modesty, I agree. Thank you, Anu—and enjoy the talk everyone! There cannot be a more fascinating or important topic.
Tough Guy Detectives as Exemplars of Rugged Individualism
Individualism is the moral code recognizing that a human being is first, foremost, and always an autonomous being, a bodily and spiritual individual, not a nameless, faceless, fungible, easily replicable member of a tribe or collective.
