Thomas' mind was full of ideas, and he used the awe and beauty of nature around him as inspiration, as a way to build on and further master problems some of which he had thought of years before; some of which he had no answer to. On sabbatical from his teaching career at the university, Thomas, a professor of mathematics, searches for answers to the greatest modern and ancient problems vexing humanity. Calling upon the ideals laid forth by the great idealist thinkers of the past, he analyzes these dilemmas, as well as himself, and continually asks himself the question, "What is truly my purpose as an infinitesimal being residing in an infinitely large universe?" Without a unifying societal goal to guide him, our modern hero becomes lost in his thoughts only to find he must ultimately define himself, as well as his own personal purpose. In relinquishing his inner turmoil, he finally decides he must champion the cause for solving the "sustainability problem," one of the most pressing issues of modern civilization-can humans sustain themselves on Earth? Having found a purpose, Thomas exhibits newfound energy in attempting to bring the word to the public-at-large. But will tragedy destroy him in the end?

"A Modern Hero: Rethinking the Role of Heroism through Films and Video Games" is a thought-provoking book that delves into the concept of heroism in the contemporary media landscape, particularly focusing on the influence of films and video games. This summary highlights the key themes explored in the book and discusses notable examples from popular culture, such as "The Lord of the Rings" film series and the "Metal Gear Solid" video game franchise. In this engaging work, the author challenges traditional notions of heroism and examines how modern media platforms have reshaped our understanding of heroic figures. The book argues that films and video games offer a fertile ground for reimagining heroism, presenting a more nuanced and complex portrayal of hero characters. Drawing upon the epic fantasy world of "The Lord of the Rings" films, the book analyzes the character of Frodo Baggins, who exemplifies a different kind of hero. Rather than relying solely on physical strength and bravery, Frodo embodies moral courage, resilience, and the ability to withstand immense challenges. By exploring Frodo's journey and the conflicts he faces, the author emphasizes the importance of internal struggles, personal growth, and sacrifice as essential components of heroism. Similarly, the book examines the acclaimed video game series "Metal Gear Solid," known for its intricate narratives and multifaceted characters. The protagonist, Solid Snake, represents a departure from traditional hero archetypes. He is burdened with moral ambiguity and confronted with complex choices that blur the line between right and wrong. The book explores how video games, as an interactive medium, allow players to experience the complexities of heroism firsthand, as they navigate moral dilemmas and grapple with the consequences of their actions. Throughout "A Modern Hero," the author challenges readers to reconsider their preconceived notions of heroism and to recognize the evolving nature of the concept in contemporary media. By analyzing films like "The Lord of the Rings" and video games like "Metal Gear Solid," the book demonstrates how these narratives prompt us to explore deeper layers of heroism beyond traditional tropes, inviting us to reflect on the complexities of morality, personal growth, and the power of human resilience. "A Modern Hero: Rethinking the Role of Heroism through Films and Video Games" provides an insightful exploration of how films and video games have redefined our understanding of heroism. By analyzing examples from popular culture, such as "The Lord of the Rings" films and the "Metal Gear Solid" games, the book encourages readers to contemplate the multifaceted nature of hero characters and to embrace a more nuanced and inclusive perspective on heroism in the modern age.

This is the first study considering the reception of Greek tragedy and the transformation of the tragic idea in Hellenistic poetry. The focus is on third-century Alexandria, where the Ptolemies fostered tragedy as a theatrical form for public entertainment and as an official genre cultivated by the Pleiad, whereas the scholars of the Museum were commissioned to edit and comment on the classical tragic texts. More importantly, the notion of the tragic was adapted to the literary trends of the era. Released from the strict rules established by Aristotle about what makes a good tragedy, the major poets of the Alexandrian avant-garde struggled to transform the tragic idea and integrate it into non-dramatic genres. Tragic Failures traces the incorporation of the tragic idea in the poetry of Callimachus and Theocritus, in Apollonius’ epic Argonautica, in the iambic Alexandra, in late Hellenistic poetry and in Parthenius’ Erotika Pathemata. It offers a fascinating insight into the new conception of the tragic dilemmas in the context of Alexandrian aesthetics.

This wide-ranging and unique collection of documents on one of the most enduring of literary genres, Tragedy, offers a radical revaluation of its significance in the light of the critical attention that it has received during the past one-hundred and fifty years. The foundations of much contemporary thinking about Tragedy are to be found in the writings of Hegel, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard; in addition, the dialectical tradition emanating from Marxism, and the psycho-analytical writings of Freud, have extended significantly the horizons of the subject. With the explosion of interest in the areas of post-structuralism, sociology of culture, social anthropology, feminism, deconstruction, and the study of ritual, new questions are being asked about this persistent artistic exploration of human experience. This book seeks to represent a full selection of these divergent interests, in a series of substantial extracts which display the continuing richness of the debate about a genre which has provoked, and challenged categorical discussion since the appearance of Aristotle's Poetics.

Events in the world today appear to be increasingly uncontrollable and unknowable. Climate change, refugee crises, and global pandemics seem to demonstrate the limits of human reason, science, and technology. In light of this, the terms "tragedy" and "tragic" have come into greater use. What does the register of the tragic do? What does its deployment in the contemporary context and other times of crisis mean? In addressing such questions, this book also argues for a "tragic vision" embedded in the history of social thought, demonstrating the relevance of the ancient tragedians and Aristotle as well as Shakespeare and modern dramatists to the most pressing questions of agency and collectivity in the social sciences. Developing a theory of "tragic social science," which is applied to topics including global inequality, celebrity culture, pandemics, and climate change, The Concept of Tragedy aims to restore "tragedy" as a productive analytic in the social sciences. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology, social theory, media and communications, and literary criticism with interests in tragedy, suffering, and modernity.

Walter Benjamin (1896-1940) has been called by Hannah Arendt the "greatest critic of the century." While an increasing number of Anglo-American literary critics draw upon Benjamin's writings in their own works, their colleagues in the philosophical community remain relatively unacquainted with his legacy. In the European intellectual world, by contrast, Benjamin's critical epistemological program, his philosophies of history and language, and his aesthetics have long since become part of philosophical discourse. The present collection of articles, many of which were contained in earlier versions in the Winter 1983 special issue of the journal The Philosophical Forum, initiates the project of establishing Benjamin's importance to philosophy. A balance of original work by Benjamin and important commentary on his works, this volume includes the crucial chapter from Benjamin's magnum opus The Arcades Project, his "Program of the Coming Philosophy," and "Central Park," as well as essays by leading scholars (including Theodor W. Adorno, Leo Lowenthal, and Rolf Tiedemann) that treat single philosophical themes and relate his ideas to those of other thinkers such as Gadamer, Goodmann, and Rosenzweig. Gary Smith's introduction to the volume provides an extremely useful and sophisticated entrée for readers unaccustomed to the breadth of Benjamin's philosophical allusions, as well as an informative summation of the contents of the volume. This book will be of interest to philosophers, literary theorists, art historians, anthropologists, and other social scientists.

"Was Ibsen influenced by Greek culture? Were allusions to the Greeks configured in the Norwegian playwright's works? According to author Norman Rhodes, whether consciously or unconsciously, many of Ibsen's plays are encoded with veiled references to ancient Greek culture. Rhodes also postulates that Ibsen's perception of the importance of the Greeks was most likely mediated to him through German Romanticism and Scandinavian culture." "According to Rhodes, numerous echoes of Greek literature resonate in such early Ibsen plays as Catiline, The Warrior's Barrow, Olaf Liljerkrans, and Love's Comedy. Ibsen's Brand and Peer Gynt are a dialectic pair which in key ways are suggestive of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, A Doll House has important parallels with Sophocles' Antigone, and An Enemy of the People correlates with both Plato's Apology and Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannos. Moreover, a Euripidean sense of fatal irrationality seems inscribed in Ibsen's final plays: the protagonists John Rosmer, Hedda Gabler, Master Builder Solness, John Gabriel Borkman, and the sculptor Rubek all destroy themselves."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Here laying more stress on modern tragic vision, it is generally democratized, but comparatively speaking this is more true of Arthur Miller than Eugene O'Neill's. O'Neill takes a much more perspicacious, psychological approach that renders the psyche bare and illustrates his view that science and its brainchild of materialism, offers no psychic balm or emotional solace to mankind. O'Neill's tragic vision thus doesn't man but, rather, lays bare the spiritual wasteland that he is in the contemporary materialist world. By contrast, Miller in Death of a Salesman attempts to affirm and reaffirm man within the confines of materialism - a concomitant of capitalism. Other canons of Aristotle, Sri Aurobindo, C.G. Jung, Joseph Campbell, George A. Kelly, Rollo May and Tony Wolfe have also been applied to make the critical study more effective and encompassing .

Despite the theories about the “death of tragedy”, this book explores fragments and reflections of tragedy in postmodern film. Tragedy has changed and evolved with human society, and its continuous chain from Ancient Greece to modern times has been broken by postmodernism. However, certain aspects of tragedy have continued to be used by literature and film: in particular, films with themes of chaos, violence, popular culture, paranoia, virtual reality and alienation often use aspects of tragedy. The focus of this study is on these facets adopted by postmodern film.