Deconstructing the Hero

<p>This book sets out to explore the structure and meanings within the most popular of all literary genres - the adventure story. <em>Deconstructing the Hero</em> offers analytical readings of some of the most widely read adventure stories such as <em>Treasure Island</em> , the <em>James Bond</em> stories and <em>Star Wars</em>. The book describes how adventure stories are influential in shaping children's perception and establishing values. <br> When many of these stories define non-white, non-European people as inferior, and women as marginal or incapable, we should be worried about what they are teaching our children to think. <strong>Margery Hourihan</strong> shows how teaching children to read books critically can help to prevent the establishment of negative attitudes, discourage aggression and promote values of emotion and creativity.</p> 1. The Story 2. The Hero 3. The Wild Things 4. The Women 5. Rewriting the Story