The Hero and The Journey

These flashcards cover various types of heroes and key concepts related to the archetype of heroes as discussed in the lecture.

Superhero

A fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person.

Anti Hero

A central character who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes.

Romantic Hero

A character that rejects established norms and conventions, and often has himself or herself as the center of existence.

Byronic hero

A type of character named after Lord Byron, often a rebellious, brooding, and complex individual.

Culture hero

A mythological hero specific to a group who changes the world through invention or discovery.

Folk hero

A hero characterized by a strong presence in folk consciousness, celebrated in songs, tales, and other folklore.

Reluctant hero

An ordinary person pulled reluctantly into heroic acts, often doubting his or her capability.

Tragic hero

The protagonist of a tragedy; must evoke pity and fear and undergo a downfall due to a fatal flaw.

Youxia

A type of ancient Chinese warrior folk hero celebrated in literature, literally meaning 'wandering vigilante'.

Heroic fantasy

A subgenre of fiction that features action and adventure set in an imaginary world with magic.

Propp's Hero

A character with specific functions in a story, including villain, dispatcher, helper, and hero.

Monomyth

A common template in stories where a hero goes on an adventure, faces and overcomes a crisis, and returns transformed.