Superpower

Heroes, Ghosts, and the Paranormal in American Culture

By: M Keith Booker

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Paperback | 1 May 2010

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230 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 1.22

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Supernatural and superhuman elements have been prominent in American culture from the time of the New England Puritans' intense emphasis on religion. Superpower surveys the appearance of supernatural and superhuman elements in American culture, focusing on the American fascination with narratives involving supernatural adventure, superhuman heroes, and vast conspiracies driven by supernatural evil. In particular, M. Keith Booker suggests that the popularity of such themes indicates a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the rationalized world of contemporary American society. Booker details the development of the national myths underlying the characters of Superman, Batman, and Spiderman; television hits from Star Trek to Lost; and the franchises of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings. This culture-spanning investigation begins with a historical survey of supernatural and superhuman themes in American culture and concludes with the recent upsurge that began in the 1990s. It then turns to various works of recent popular culture with supernatural and superhuman themes such as Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, organized according to the desires to which these works respond. What do these fantasies reveal about what it means to be American today-and what we want it to mean?

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Society & Culture Media Studies Arts & Entertainment Film, TV & Radio Specific Films Cultural Studies Popular Culture Mind, Body, Spirit Unexplained Phenomena & the Paranormal

Introduction: Culture of Longing—The Supernatural in American Culture	p. ix
Not Just a Job: The Longing for Adventure in American History and American Culture	p. 1
Voyages of Discovery: American Adventure from Columbus to Jean-Luc Picard	p. 3
The British Invasion: Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Make It Big in America	p. 27
Cool Magic: The American Postmodern Epic Fantasy	p. 40
Heroism in America: The Longing for Heroes in American History and American Culture	p. 49
American Heroes and Antiheroes: Kings of the Wild Frontier	p. 50
Hard-boiled Magic: The Vampire Detective	p. 67
Girls Kick Butt: The Female Action Hero	p. 82
Buffy Keeps It Cool	p. 89
Teenagers from Outer Space: Teen Angst and the Superhero Narrative	p. 101
Our Others, Our Selves: The Mutant Superhero	p. 110
U.S. vs. Them: American Paranoia and the Longing for Evil in American History and American Culture	p. 129
Rosemary's Baby and the Horror Boom of the 1970s	p. 133
The X-Files and the Postmodern Conspiracy Narrative: Mapping the Apocalypse	p. 142
Apocalyptic Television at the Turn of the Millennium	p. 149
Finding that Special Place: The Strange Enclave Narrative from Twin Peaks to Lost	p. 161
Conclusion: The Contradictory Compensations of Popular Culture	p. 171
Notes	p. 177
Works Cited	p. 183
Films Cited	p. 189
Television Series Cited	p. 195
Index	p. 199
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Superpower

Heroes, Ghosts, and the Paranormal in American Culture

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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