Potter versus Voldemort: Examining Evil, Power, and Affective Responses in the Harry Potter Film Series
Book Title
A History of Evil in Popular Culture: What Hannibal Lecter, Stephen King, and Vampires Reveal about America, 1st Edition
Document Type
Book Chapter
ISBN
0313397716
Publication Date
2014
Editors
Sharon Packer, Jody Pennington
Description
Evil has been with us since the Garden of Eden, when Eve unleashed evil by biting the apple. Outside of theology, evil remains a highly relevant concept in contemporary times: evil villains in films and literature make these stories entertaining; our criminal justice system decides the fate of convicted criminals based on the determination of their status as "evil" or "insane." This book examines the many manifestations of "evil" in modern media, making it clear how this idea pervades nearly all aspects of life and helping us to reconsider some of the notions about evil that pop culture perpetuates and promotes.
Covering screen media such as film, television, and video games; print media that include novels and poetry; visual media like art and comics; music; and political polemics, the essays in this book address an eclectic range of topics. The diverse authors include Americans who left the United States during the Vietnam War era, conservative Christian political pundits, rock musicians, classical linguists, Disney fans, scholars of American slavery, and experts on Holocaust literature and films. From portrayals of evil in the television shows The Wire and 24 to the violent lyrics of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse to the storylines of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books, readers will find themselves rethinking what evil is—and how they came to hold their beliefs.
Publisher
Praeger
City
Santa Barbara, CA
First Page
59
Last Page
72
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
NSUWorks Citation
Finley, Laura L. and Kelly A. Mannise. (2014). Potter versus Voldemort: Examining Evil, Power, and Affective Responses in the Harry Potter Film Series. In Sharon Packer, Jody Pennington (Eds.), A History of Evil in Popular Culture: What Hannibal Lecter, Stephen King, and Vampires Reveal about America, 1st Edition .