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ACTION_ADVENTURE_HERO

                                   June 19, 2004

The tropes of action adventure fiction...
   
Commonly recognized is  
"the reluctant hero":  
The main character has 
to be recruited/       
wooed/convinced to take
up the problem.        
                                                 Both elements    
Less commonly recognized:                        are present     
"The praise of one's enemies".                   in spades       
                                                 (whatever that  
And some point in the story, there               means) in         
will be a confrontation scene                    "The Glass Key".
between the hero and villain, and                                    
the villain will say:                               GLASS_KEY              
                                                     
  "Oh, you're *good*,                
  all right."                    
                                     
Or perhaps: 
                                                                  
  "I didn't realize I was                  I mentioned this               
  up against someone like                  thought to Dangerbaby,      
  *you*."                                  and she immediately   
                                           reeled off a number of      
Or:                                        Saturday Morning              
                                           Cartoon versions:            
  "I won't underestimate                                          
  you again."                                 "I didn't expect you to
                                               survive this long!"   
                                                                     

     So, at the core, the essence of 
     "men's" action adventure fiction 
     is fantasies of confirmation of       SUPERHERO   
     self-worth...

     Which is essentially the same as 
     the essence of "women's" fiction, 
     just in a different form.



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