Author: Jeffrey K. Johnson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786490357
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Super-History
Author: Jeffrey K. Johnson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786490357
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786490357
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Internet Children's Television Series, 1997-2015
Author: Vincent Terrace
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476664625
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 199
Book Description
Created around the world and available only on the web, internet "television" series are independently produced, mostly low budget shows that often feature talented but unknown performers. Typically financed through crowd-funding, they are filmed with borrowed equipment and volunteer casts and crews, and viewers find them through word of mouth or by chance. The fifth in a series focusing on the largely undocumented world of internet TV, this book covers 573 children's series created for viewers 3 to 14. The genre includes a broad range of cartoons, CGI, live-action comedies and puppetry. Alphabetical entries provide websites, dates, casts, credits, episode lists and storylines.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476664625
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 199
Book Description
Created around the world and available only on the web, internet "television" series are independently produced, mostly low budget shows that often feature talented but unknown performers. Typically financed through crowd-funding, they are filmed with borrowed equipment and volunteer casts and crews, and viewers find them through word of mouth or by chance. The fifth in a series focusing on the largely undocumented world of internet TV, this book covers 573 children's series created for viewers 3 to 14. The genre includes a broad range of cartoons, CGI, live-action comedies and puppetry. Alphabetical entries provide websites, dates, casts, credits, episode lists and storylines.
Girl of Steel
Author: Melissa Wehler
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476672016
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
The CW's hit adaptation of Supergirl is a new take on the classic DC character for a new audience. With diverse female characters, it explores different versions of the female experience. No single character embodies a feminist ideal but together they represent attributes of the contemporary feminist conversation. This collection of new essays uses a similar approach, inviting a diverse group of scholars to address the many questions about gender roles and female agency in the series. Essays analyze how the series engages with feminism, Supergirl's impact on queer audiences, and how families craft the show's feminist narratives. In the ever-growing superhero television genre, Supergirl remains unique as viewers watch a female hero with almost godlike powers face the same struggles as ordinary women in the series.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476672016
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
The CW's hit adaptation of Supergirl is a new take on the classic DC character for a new audience. With diverse female characters, it explores different versions of the female experience. No single character embodies a feminist ideal but together they represent attributes of the contemporary feminist conversation. This collection of new essays uses a similar approach, inviting a diverse group of scholars to address the many questions about gender roles and female agency in the series. Essays analyze how the series engages with feminism, Supergirl's impact on queer audiences, and how families craft the show's feminist narratives. In the ever-growing superhero television genre, Supergirl remains unique as viewers watch a female hero with almost godlike powers face the same struggles as ordinary women in the series.
Is Superman Circumcised?
Author: Roy Schwartz
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476644411
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 375
Book Description
Superman is the original superhero, an American icon, and arguably the most famous character in the world--and he's Jewish! Introduced in June 1938, the Man of Steel was created by two Jewish teens, Jerry Siegel, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe, and Joe Shuster, an immigrant. They based their hero's origin story on Moses, his strength on Samson, his mission on the golem, and his nebbish secret identity on themselves. They made him a refugee fleeing catastrophe on the eve of World War II and sent him to tear Nazi tanks apart nearly two years before the US joined the war. In the following decades, Superman's mostly Jewish writers, artists, and editors continued to borrow Jewish motifs for their stories, basing Krypton's past on Genesis and Exodus, its society on Jewish culture, the trial of Lex Luthor on Adolf Eichmann's, and a future holiday celebrating Superman on Passover. A fascinating journey through comic book lore, American history, and Jewish tradition, this book examines the entirety of Superman's career from 1938 to date, and is sure to give readers a newfound appreciation for the Mensch of Steel!
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476644411
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 375
Book Description
Superman is the original superhero, an American icon, and arguably the most famous character in the world--and he's Jewish! Introduced in June 1938, the Man of Steel was created by two Jewish teens, Jerry Siegel, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe, and Joe Shuster, an immigrant. They based their hero's origin story on Moses, his strength on Samson, his mission on the golem, and his nebbish secret identity on themselves. They made him a refugee fleeing catastrophe on the eve of World War II and sent him to tear Nazi tanks apart nearly two years before the US joined the war. In the following decades, Superman's mostly Jewish writers, artists, and editors continued to borrow Jewish motifs for their stories, basing Krypton's past on Genesis and Exodus, its society on Jewish culture, the trial of Lex Luthor on Adolf Eichmann's, and a future holiday celebrating Superman on Passover. A fascinating journey through comic book lore, American history, and Jewish tradition, this book examines the entirety of Superman's career from 1938 to date, and is sure to give readers a newfound appreciation for the Mensch of Steel!
Super Skills, Super Reading
Author: Perry Dantzler
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476641579
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
What comes to mind when you think about superheroes? Strength, bravery, and heroism are common answers. However, superheroes do not only have physical strength, but they also have mental strengths and skills. Superheroes tend to have intelligence and detection skills which allow them to develop other skills. In this analysis of superhero literacy aimed at students, the connection between superhero media and larger theories of literacy are explored. The author uses six superhero television shows to show how literacy is portrayed in superhero media and how it reflects and shapes cultural ideas of literacy. The shows covered are Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476641579
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
What comes to mind when you think about superheroes? Strength, bravery, and heroism are common answers. However, superheroes do not only have physical strength, but they also have mental strengths and skills. Superheroes tend to have intelligence and detection skills which allow them to develop other skills. In this analysis of superhero literacy aimed at students, the connection between superhero media and larger theories of literacy are explored. The author uses six superhero television shows to show how literacy is portrayed in superhero media and how it reflects and shapes cultural ideas of literacy. The shows covered are Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil.
There She Goes Again
Author: Aviva Dove-Viebahn
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 1978836139
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 153
Book Description
There She Goes Again interrogates the representation of ostensibly powerful women in transmedia franchises, examining how presumed feminine traits—love, empathy, altruism, diplomacy—are alternately lauded and repudiated as possibilities for effecting long-lasting social change. By questioning how these franchises reimagine their protagonists over time, the book reflects on the role that gendered exceptionalism plays in social and political action, as well as what forms of knowledge and power are presumed distinctly feminine. The franchises explored in this book illustrate the ambivalent (post)feminist representation of women protagonists as uniquely gifted in ways both gendered and seemingly ungendered, and yet inherently bound to expressions of their femininity. At heart,There She Goes Again asks under what terms and in what contexts women protagonists are imagined, envisioned, embodied, and replicated in media. Especially now, in a period of gradually increasing representation, women protagonists demonstrate the importance of considering how we should define—and whether we need—feminine forms of knowledge and power.
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 1978836139
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 153
Book Description
There She Goes Again interrogates the representation of ostensibly powerful women in transmedia franchises, examining how presumed feminine traits—love, empathy, altruism, diplomacy—are alternately lauded and repudiated as possibilities for effecting long-lasting social change. By questioning how these franchises reimagine their protagonists over time, the book reflects on the role that gendered exceptionalism plays in social and political action, as well as what forms of knowledge and power are presumed distinctly feminine. The franchises explored in this book illustrate the ambivalent (post)feminist representation of women protagonists as uniquely gifted in ways both gendered and seemingly ungendered, and yet inherently bound to expressions of their femininity. At heart,There She Goes Again asks under what terms and in what contexts women protagonists are imagined, envisioned, embodied, and replicated in media. Especially now, in a period of gradually increasing representation, women protagonists demonstrate the importance of considering how we should define—and whether we need—feminine forms of knowledge and power.
Superheroes and Masculinity
Author: Sean Parson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1498591507
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 154
Book Description
Superheroes and Masculinity: Unmasking the Gender Performance of Heroism explores how heteropatriarchal representations of gender are portrayed within superhero comics, film, and television. The contributors examine how hegemonic masculinity has been continually perpetuated and reinforced within the superhero genre and unpack concise critiques of specific superhero representations, the industry, and the fan base at large. However, Superheroes and Masculinity also argues that possibilities of resistance and change are embedded within these problematic portrayals. To this end, several chapters explore alternative portrayals of queerness within superhero representations and read the hegemonic masculinity of various characters against the grain to produce queer possibilities. Ultimately, this collection argues that the quest to unmask how gender operates within superheroes is a crucial one.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1498591507
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 154
Book Description
Superheroes and Masculinity: Unmasking the Gender Performance of Heroism explores how heteropatriarchal representations of gender are portrayed within superhero comics, film, and television. The contributors examine how hegemonic masculinity has been continually perpetuated and reinforced within the superhero genre and unpack concise critiques of specific superhero representations, the industry, and the fan base at large. However, Superheroes and Masculinity also argues that possibilities of resistance and change are embedded within these problematic portrayals. To this end, several chapters explore alternative portrayals of queerness within superhero representations and read the hegemonic masculinity of various characters against the grain to produce queer possibilities. Ultimately, this collection argues that the quest to unmask how gender operates within superheroes is a crucial one.
The Modern Superhero in Film and Television
Author: Jeffrey A. Brown
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317484517
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 190
Book Description
Hollywood’s live-action superhero films currently dominate the worldwide box-office, with the characters enjoying more notoriety through their feature film and television depictions than they have ever before. This book argues that this immense popularity reveals deep cultural concerns about politics, gender, ethnicity, patriotism and consumerism after the events of 9/11. Superheroes have long been agents of hegemony, fighting for abstract ideals of justice while overall perpetuating the American status quo. Yet at the same time, the book explores how the genre has also been utilized to question and critique these dominant cultural assumptions.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317484517
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 190
Book Description
Hollywood’s live-action superhero films currently dominate the worldwide box-office, with the characters enjoying more notoriety through their feature film and television depictions than they have ever before. This book argues that this immense popularity reveals deep cultural concerns about politics, gender, ethnicity, patriotism and consumerism after the events of 9/11. Superheroes have long been agents of hegemony, fighting for abstract ideals of justice while overall perpetuating the American status quo. Yet at the same time, the book explores how the genre has also been utilized to question and critique these dominant cultural assumptions.
Rethinking Society in the 21st Century, Fourth Edition
Author: Kate Bezanson
Publisher: Canadian Scholars’ Press
ISBN: 155130936X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 586
Book Description
Rethinking Society in the 21st Century is a critical collection of readings that provides students with a foundational knowledge base in sociology. The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to include significant Canadian content, with a greater focus on indigeneity, gender, and sexuality and a new section dedicated to social movements, social change, and emerging fields. This anthology introduces students to the fundamental elements of sociology with a balance of classical theory—Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Mills—and more contemporary approaches found in the works of Michel Foucault and Dorothy Smith. Building on this theoretical grounding, the text outlines core concepts in sociology as well as major social institutions such as families, the economy and labour, education, health care, and media. Covering a wide breadth of topics, including chapters on animals, the environment, crime, trans issues, class, ethnicity, and race, this new edition explores critical debates in Canadian society with an emphasis on intersectional approaches to social inequalities. This volume is rich with pedagogical features that promote critical understanding, including detailed introductions that speak to the contextual history of the source material and discussion questions for each section. Uniquely designed for introductory courses, Rethinking Society in the 21st Century is the ideal reader for Canadian students of sociology.
Publisher: Canadian Scholars’ Press
ISBN: 155130936X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 586
Book Description
Rethinking Society in the 21st Century is a critical collection of readings that provides students with a foundational knowledge base in sociology. The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to include significant Canadian content, with a greater focus on indigeneity, gender, and sexuality and a new section dedicated to social movements, social change, and emerging fields. This anthology introduces students to the fundamental elements of sociology with a balance of classical theory—Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Mills—and more contemporary approaches found in the works of Michel Foucault and Dorothy Smith. Building on this theoretical grounding, the text outlines core concepts in sociology as well as major social institutions such as families, the economy and labour, education, health care, and media. Covering a wide breadth of topics, including chapters on animals, the environment, crime, trans issues, class, ethnicity, and race, this new edition explores critical debates in Canadian society with an emphasis on intersectional approaches to social inequalities. This volume is rich with pedagogical features that promote critical understanding, including detailed introductions that speak to the contextual history of the source material and discussion questions for each section. Uniquely designed for introductory courses, Rethinking Society in the 21st Century is the ideal reader for Canadian students of sociology.
Superheroines and the Epic Journey
Author: Valerie Estelle Frankel
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476628017
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
The heroine's journey echoes throughout ancient legend. Each young woman combats her dark side and emerges stronger. This quest is also a staple of American comic books. Wonder Woman with semi-divine powers gives us a new female-centered creation story. Batgirl, Batwoman and Black Widow discover their enemy is the dark mother or shadow twin, with the savagery they've rejected in themselves. Supergirl similarly struggles but keeps harmony with her sister. From Jessica Jones and Catwoman to the new superwomen of cutting-edge webcomics, each heroine must go into the dark, to become not a warrior but a savior. Women like Captain Marvel and Storm sacrifice all to join the ranks of superheroes, while their feminine powers and dazzling costumes reflect the most ancient tales.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476628017
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
The heroine's journey echoes throughout ancient legend. Each young woman combats her dark side and emerges stronger. This quest is also a staple of American comic books. Wonder Woman with semi-divine powers gives us a new female-centered creation story. Batgirl, Batwoman and Black Widow discover their enemy is the dark mother or shadow twin, with the savagery they've rejected in themselves. Supergirl similarly struggles but keeps harmony with her sister. From Jessica Jones and Catwoman to the new superwomen of cutting-edge webcomics, each heroine must go into the dark, to become not a warrior but a savior. Women like Captain Marvel and Storm sacrifice all to join the ranks of superheroes, while their feminine powers and dazzling costumes reflect the most ancient tales.