Heroes and Legends - The Most Influential Characters of Literature

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Heroes and Legends
The Most Influential Characters of Literature

2014

Heroes hold a special place in our imagination. Names such as Odysseus, Beowulf, and Queen Guinevere summon up mythic legends, while Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and Huckleberry Finn are some of the most recognizable figures in...

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Features
Thomas Shippey Ph.D.
Supplier
The Great Courses

In This Series

Frodo Baggins--A Reluctant Hero
Episode 1
Frodo Baggins--A Reluctant Hero
Odysseus--The Trickster Hero
Episode 2
Odysseus--The Trickster Hero
Aeneas--The Straight Arrow
Episode 3
Aeneas--The Straight Arrow
Guinevere--A Heroine with Many Faces
Episode 4
Guinevere--A Heroine with Many Faces
The Wife of Bath--An Independent Woman
Episode 5
The Wife of Bath--An Independent Woman
Cressida--A Love Betrayed
Episode 6
Cressida--A Love Betrayed
Beowulf--A Hero with Hidden Depths
Episode 7
Beowulf--A Hero with Hidden Depths
Thor--A Very Human God
Episode 8
Thor--A Very Human God
Robin Hood--The Outlaw Hero
Episode 9
Robin Hood--The Outlaw Hero
Don Quixote--The First of the Wannabes
Episode 10
Don Quixote--The First of the Wannabes
Robinson Crusoe--A Lone Survivor
Episode 11
Robinson Crusoe--A Lone Survivor
Elizabeth Bennet--A Proper Pride
Episode 12
Elizabeth Bennet--A Proper Pride
Natty Bumppo and Woodrow Call--Frontier Heroes
Episode 13
Natty Bumppo and Woodrow Call--Frontier Heroes
Uncle Tom--The Hero as Martyr
Episode 14
Uncle Tom--The Hero as Martyr
Huckleberry Finn--Free Spirit of America
Episode 15
Huckleberry Finn--Free Spirit of America
Sherlock Holmes--The First Great Detective
Episode 16
Sherlock Holmes--The First Great Detective
Dracula--The Allure of the Monster
Episode 17
Dracula--The Allure of the Monster
Mowgli--The Wolf Child
Episode 18
Mowgli--The Wolf Child
Celie--A Woman Who Wins Through
Episode 19
Celie--A Woman Who Wins Through
Winston Smith--The Hero We Never Want to Be
Episode 20
Winston Smith--The Hero We Never Want to Be
James Bond--A Dangerous Protector
Episode 21
James Bond--A Dangerous Protector
Fairy-Tale Heroines--New-Style Princesses
Episode 22
Fairy-Tale Heroines--New-Style Princesses
Lisbeth Salander--Avenging Female Fury
Episode 23
Lisbeth Salander--Avenging Female Fury
Harry Potter--Whistle-Blower Hero
Episode 24
Harry Potter--Whistle-Blower Hero