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 provides 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
Databases
Bloom's Literary Reference Online from
Facts on File
Cambridge Collection
Gale Virtual
Reference Library from Thomson/Gale
History Reference
Center from ABC-CLIO
Literature Resource Center from Thomson/Gale
Literary Reference Center from Ebsco
Oxford
Reference Online from Oxford University Press
World Folklore and
Folklife from Greenwood
E Books - Locate e books on your archetype by searching Gale's Virtual Reference Library and History Reference Center
L
Locate e books by searching Gale's Virtual Reference Library
History Reference Online from ABC-Clio - includes eBooks on folklore and mythology: American Regional Folklore, Encyclopedia of Folk Heroes, Handbook of Native American Myths, Mysterious Creatures, Popular Tales and Fictions, Encyclopedia of Folklore and Literature and Medieval Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs and Customs.
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:
Book Sources - Click here for a Print List of Books on this Topic
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 Bat Batman from the 30s to the 70s
741.5 Ros Mythology: the DC Comics Art of Alex Ross
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
| Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature | 398 Arc EB 398 Arc | |
| The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines : Sixteen Master Archetypes | 808.3 Cow | |
| Encyclopedia of folk heroes | 398.03 SEA & EB 398 SEA | |
| Encyclopedia of folklore and literature | EB 803 ENC | |
| Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and other Monsters | R 133.4 Gui | |
| Four Archetypes: Mother, Rebirth and Trickster | 150.19 Jun | |
| The hero with a thousand faces | 291.13 Cam | |
| Gothic Literature | EB 820.9 Got 809.30876 Got | |
| Grimm's Fairy Tales | ||
| Mysterious Creatures | EB 001 EBE | |
| Myths and motifs in literature | 808.8 MYT | |
| Popular tales and fictions their migrations and transformations | EB 398 CLO | |
| Psychological Reflections on Cinematic Terror: Jungian Archetypes in Horror Films | 791.43 Lac | |
| Shadow and evil in fairy tales | 398.042 VON | |
| The uses of enchantment : the meaning and importance of fairy tales. | 398.45 BET | |
| Women who run with the wolves : myths and stories of the wild woman archetype | 398 EST | |
| Superman: the Complete History | 700.457 | |

Magazines and Newspapers
MasterFile
Premier from Ebsco (for magazine articles and pictures- Contains Rolling
Stone and People, among others)
Websites
American Film
Institute -
100 Movie Heroes and Villains
International Movie
Database - use this to look up the archetype on television or the movies
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
Timeline - animated
timelines - good source for events