Stephanie Garber, the author of Caraval, says, “Every good story needs a villain, but the best villains are the ones you secretly like.” So much of a narrative depends on a good villain: they bring the drama, elevate the hero, and present moral questions that help us make sense of the world. But what if the “villain” isn’t clearly defined? What if we root for the bad guy? What if the “villain” is also the hero?

In this course, we will explore the literary trope of villainy in novels by several authors, including J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Suzanne Collins. We will read some classic fairy tales and modern reimaginings, “canon” texts and commercial literature. We will investigate, we will illustrate, and we will conquer the monster under the bed. Something wicked this way comes!