Villains, Monsters & Heroes
From Early British Literature to Modern Day
The archetypes of the hero, villain and monster have enjoyed a lengthy history of development. This webpage will provide resources for the study of these popular characters from their ancient beginnings to the heroes, villains and monsters of today.
Overview of Archetypes
Archetypes Chart
Book Sources
R 133.03 MAN Man, Myth & Magic (21 vols.)
R 133.4 GUI The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and
Other Monsters
R 803.21 QUI A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms
R 809.933 DIC Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs (2
vols.)
R 809.30876 GRE The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and
Fantasy (3 vols.
)
R 820.9 GOT Gothic Literature
291.13 CAM The Hero with a Thousand Faces
292 SWI Greek Myths: Gods, Heroes and Monsters
398 ARC Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and
Literature
398.2 HAZ Hero Tales from Many Lands
398.21 NAR Monsters
741.5 ROV Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from
Odysseus to James Bond
741.5 SUP The Supervillain Book
741.5 Sup The Superhero Book
808.8 MYT Myths & Motifs in Literature
820.8 EVI The Evil Image: Two Centuries of Gothic Short
Fiction and Poetry
Use a Power Search in the online catalog, Web Collection Plus,
to look for books on your specific archetype. For example, a power search
for comics will retrieve the following:
741.5 Bat Batman from the 30s to the 70s
741.5 Ros Mythology: the DC Comics Art of Alex Ross
Databases
Bloom's Literary Reference Online from
Facts on File
Cambridge Collection
Gale Virtual
Reference Library from Thomson/Gale
Literature Resource Center from Thomson/Gale
Literary Reference Center from Ebsco
Oxford
Reference Online from Oxford University Press
World Folklore and
Folklife from Greenwood

Websites
Examples of
Archetypes - this is a list of web pages of archetypes
American Film
Institute -
100 Movie Heroes and Villains
International Movie
Database
Super Heroes
- use the Warner Bros. site to locate heroes and villains from the Superman and
Batman series
DC Comics - use this site to learn about
the comic book heroes and villains
Disney characters - heroes and villains
Heroic Archetype - learn
about the origins of this archetype