Dr Toula

Thankyou everyone for your comments. Yes there was a strong anti-religious undertone, and yes the movie was somewhat poor and flawed, but this was not the focus of my article. I simply used Pullman’s book as an example of how mental health, justice and conflict messages can be reframed and illuminated through a Young Adult fantasy fiction text, grounded in myth and legend – and that which articulates the hero’s journey. There are numerous other examples that could also be used, like the Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Narnia series etc. 😄

True Om. Cake – the movie was not an accurate representation of the complexity of the book trilogy. Thankyou everyone for your comments.

Well written and well researched article. A pleasure to read – particularly the comparison between Beowulf and Aragorn; as well as the dragon Smaug and the dragon in Beowulf. Well done!

The benefits of rereading, in my opinion, far outweigh the drawbacks. This is particularly in relation to using novels and other reading material for self-study and reflection

Like the happenings in Plato’s parable of the cave, in which shadows are the person’s ‘reality’, supernatural forces such as aliens or demons are grounded in a fantasy world that articulates the real world. As such, superhero films will continue to endure as they not only tell us something about the world in which we live, but more importantly, about our own place within it.

Congratulations on a well-written article. The hero’s main feat, whether it be Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins, is to overcome the monster of darkness: the long-hoped-for and expected triumph of the conscious over the unconscious. An unconscious drama seen in projection – with which we can all relate. Luke, Harry and Frodo lead the way.

The hero archetype will always continue. An archetypal motif based on overcoming obstacles and achieving goals, albeit however outlandish, continues to resonate in popular culture. Ultimately, what this means is that whether it is Barry Allen, Batman or any other heroic figure, the main feat: to overcome the monster of darkness, will always continue – regardless of the ‘silliness’ of the show. I for one love the exaggerated archetypes revealed in The Flash and so do countless new generations of fans. Besides, don’t we all need a little ‘boundless enthusiasm’ in our perhaps otherwise dreary lives?