Sally MacEwen's book compares the definitions and representations of heroism in Greek drama with contemporary American ones, especially as exemplified in film. MacEwen carefully locates the texts she discusses in their historical and cultural contexts, both ancient and modern. This book is a magnum opus-- magnum in several senses. Its length, scope, and ambition are epic. It is the work of a lifetime of reading and thinking about classical texts, history, culture and values as well as about American films, their historical context, and their meanings. It raises big questions-about mimesis, fantasy, identification, ideology, affect, and much more-and offers bold answers. It is a magnanimous book that reaches out to a broad audience, a most unusual undertaking in an era of specialized studies.

---Excerpt from the book's Foreword by Mary-Kay Gamel.

This is an ex-library book that is practically new. Except for library stamps on the text block, the rest of the pages are in impeccable condition.