Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths

Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths
Author :
Publisher : Problematic Press
Total Pages :
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780986902703
ISBN-13 : 0986902705
Rating : 4/5 (705 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths by : David Reynolds

Download or read book Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths written by David Reynolds and published by Problematic Press. This book was released on 2011-04-06 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, provides insight into how media’s messages influence the culture’s ethical values. Since emerging in the late 1930s, the superhero has become a pervasive figure in North American popular culture. As an extension of ideas presented by Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, and Umberto Eco, this dissertation argues that superhero tales must be regarded as modern mythology. It follows that people observe and learn social norms of justice from such narratives, since these ideals are intrinsic to the tales. In investigating the superhero’s role as a contemporary figure of myth, this project focuses primarily on three areas: an account of the history of the superhero from 1938 to present; an examination of the cultural functions of contemporary superhero narratives; and, an interrogation of vigilantism, responsibility, and justice in these narratives and how those concerns further relate to ideologies and practices in North American culture.


Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths Related Books

Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern Myths
Language: en
Pages:
Authors: David Reynolds
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-04-06 - Publisher: Problematic Press

GET EBOOK

A semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, provide
Super Heroes
Language: en
Pages: 140
Authors: Richard Reynolds
Categories: Humor
Type: BOOK - Published: 1994 - Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

GET EBOOK

A study of one of popular culture's superstars whose enchanting mystique pervades the modern world
The Gospel According to Superheroes
Language: en
Pages: 316
Authors: B. J. Oropeza
Categories: Art
Type: BOOK - Published: 2005 - Publisher: Peter Lang

GET EBOOK

And 1970s, and the dark and violent creatures who embody the pre- and post-millennial crises of faith. Lavishly illustrated, the articles come to startling conc
The Myth of the American Superhero
Language: en
Pages: 429
Authors: John Shelton Lawrence
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2002 - Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

GET EBOOK

As the nation seems to yearn for redemption from the evils that threaten its tranquility, the authors maintain that Joseph Campbell's monomythic hero is alive a
Superman in Myth and Folklore
Language: en
Pages: 297
Authors: Daniel Peretti
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-10-05 - Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

GET EBOOK

Superman rose from popular culture—comic books, newspaper strips, radio, television, novels, and movies—but people have so embraced the character that he ha