Psychopath?
Why We Are Charmed by the Anti-hero
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Ever wondered why your spine tingles when Hannibal Lecter escapes from custody? Or why a narcissistic, womanising assassin for Her Majesty’s Secret Service is revered worldwide as a fictional hero? Or why you feel a thrill when Frank Underwood manipulates a naïve senator? Or why you root for Tom Ripley to avoid the clutches of the Italian police?
Psychopath? takes you on a journey through the world of fictional villains and anti-heroes – the lying, the cheating and the murder. But are they psychopaths in the true sense? Guided by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, this book examines whether a psychologist might come to that conclusion. More importantly, it asks why you long for the anti-hero to succeed. How, with each nefarious deed, your sympathy and loyalty are garnered, pulling you in deeper with every scene or turn of the page until finally, irresistibly, you find yourself utterly charmed by the psychopath.
The perfect read to go with fava beans and a nice Chianti.
- Dr Maurice Gueret
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A glorious compendium of raffish, seductive, destructive characters who charm their way into our hearts and then destroy us from the inside out ... essential reading.
- Prof Brendan Kelly
