The Hero and the Anti-hero as Literary Terms


Abstract in English

This paper aims at shedding critical light upon the character of the "anti-hero" in English literature; therefore, it first offers a critical definition of the hero and the qualities which he has such as virtue, bravery, magnanimity and goodness. Then it moves to compare the hero with anti-hero who is characterized by cowardice, deceit and evil. It also traces the incidences of the anti-hero in several literary works which center upon him which will help us formulate a clear vision of this character.

References used

Abrams, M. H.A Glossary of Literary Terms. Fort Worth: Harcourt B. College Publishers, 1999
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans.N. Kalayc. Ankara: BilimveSanat, 2005. Auden, W. H. "Ironic Hero: Some Reflections on Don Quixote,"Horizon1949
Baldick, C. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001
Brombert, Victor. In Praise of Antiheroes: Figures and Themes in Modern EuropeanLiterature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New JerseyPrinceton,2004

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