National Galleries of Scotland – What Makes A Hero

I made a short video talk for the National Galleries of Scotland on What Makes a Hero.

This was originally meant to be a live talk at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery inspired by their exhibition Heroes and Heroines and referencing my novel, The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing.

But Covid-19 restrictions put paid to that, so instead I recorded it at home during lockdown.

The talk covers how our understanding of the term ‘hero’ has changed over the years. Also how the concept of ‘heroism’ all depends on the context in which it is applied.

The talk primarily references men in relation to these topics because my novel is mainly about men and boys. Also because it takes as its starting point the Great Man theory of history as expounded by historian Thomas Carlyle, the founder of the idea of a portrait gallery. There is a whole other talk to be done about women heroes.

Enjoy.