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frances_payne 's review for:
Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight
by Travis Langley
Apart from being enthralled by The Dark Knight when I went to see it at the cinema in 2008, the Arkham video games are probably what got me most interested in Batman and the rich criminological world he lives in. There is a part in one of the games when Mad Hatter is running around looking for 'Alice', which got me really intrigued by the psychology behind Gotham's villains. It seemed to be there is so much to explore here that I briefly considered dedicating my Criminology degree dissertation to the topic. I found this book instead and I've finally got around to reading it.
Initially, I was hoping for exploration of individual villains, and that is in here, but mostly as relatively short sections at the end of each themed chapter. I was kind of disappointed by this at first, but actually I really appreciate it now. This book starts with psychological themes we can recognise in the Batman stories first and then applies these in an investigative and illuminating way to the world of Batman and Gotham's villains. The exploration is very much grounded in real life clinical psychology and criminality. While offering a richer understanding of Gotham, it also offers an entirely fascinating insight into real life criminality and criminal justice systems. I think this book is exactly the way to approach the idea of exploring ideas like crime and psychology through fiction.
I also got more than I asked for. As well as this investigation into Gotham's villains, Trevor Langley explores, in great detail, Bruce Wayne's character, through developmental psychology, and his relationships, through the theories of attachment styles - as well as more. I found that this book would work really well as an engaging introduction to psychology.
I was slightly disappointed that 'The women' chapter turned out to just be about female characters in terms of their relationships to Batman as girlfriends, but throughout the book there is a hint of deeper investigation into female characters like Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. And in general, Trevor Langley's tone is relatable, inclusive and down to earth.
Initially, I was hoping for exploration of individual villains, and that is in here, but mostly as relatively short sections at the end of each themed chapter. I was kind of disappointed by this at first, but actually I really appreciate it now. This book starts with psychological themes we can recognise in the Batman stories first and then applies these in an investigative and illuminating way to the world of Batman and Gotham's villains. The exploration is very much grounded in real life clinical psychology and criminality. While offering a richer understanding of Gotham, it also offers an entirely fascinating insight into real life criminality and criminal justice systems. I think this book is exactly the way to approach the idea of exploring ideas like crime and psychology through fiction.
I also got more than I asked for. As well as this investigation into Gotham's villains, Trevor Langley explores, in great detail, Bruce Wayne's character, through developmental psychology, and his relationships, through the theories of attachment styles - as well as more. I found that this book would work really well as an engaging introduction to psychology.
I was slightly disappointed that 'The women' chapter turned out to just be about female characters in terms of their relationships to Batman as girlfriends, but throughout the book there is a hint of deeper investigation into female characters like Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. And in general, Trevor Langley's tone is relatable, inclusive and down to earth.