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A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV
Is heroism possible for everyone? Should it be? What kinds of stories do we tell when we talk about heroes and what do these stories reveal about how we view ourselves? This book takes up these questions and more by reflecting on twenty-first century American television shows. Among the shows examined are Only Murders in the Building, Game of Thrones, The Good Lord Bird, The Boys, and Severance. What we find is an entertainment landscape unsure about what a hero is or even what qualifies as heroic. In a nation uncertain about heroism, we see a dramatic rise in the popularity of the anti-hero and even in worlds without heroes. This fragmented variety highlights how the American political mind is similarly fragmented in what it believes are its highest aspirations—and its deepest anxieties. It is this fragmentation that may help us understand why twenty-first century entertainment has elevated the heroic to the supernatural while simultaneously democratizing heroism to the point where anyone may become one. A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV explores this multifaceted landscape to better understand how Americans view their heroes and themselves.

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A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV
Is heroism possible for everyone? Should it be? What kinds of stories do we tell when we talk about heroes and what do these stories reveal about how we view ourselves? This book takes up these questions and more by reflecting on twenty-first century American television shows. Among the shows examined are Only Murders in the Building, Game of Thrones, The Good Lord Bird, The Boys, and Severance. What we find is an entertainment landscape unsure about what a hero is or even what qualifies as heroic. In a nation uncertain about heroism, we see a dramatic rise in the popularity of the anti-hero and even in worlds without heroes. This fragmented variety highlights how the American political mind is similarly fragmented in what it believes are its highest aspirations—and its deepest anxieties. It is this fragmentation that may help us understand why twenty-first century entertainment has elevated the heroic to the supernatural while simultaneously democratizing heroism to the point where anyone may become one. A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV explores this multifaceted landscape to better understand how Americans view their heroes and themselves.

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A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV

A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV

A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV

A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV

Overview

Is heroism possible for everyone? Should it be? What kinds of stories do we tell when we talk about heroes and what do these stories reveal about how we view ourselves? This book takes up these questions and more by reflecting on twenty-first century American television shows. Among the shows examined are Only Murders in the Building, Game of Thrones, The Good Lord Bird, The Boys, and Severance. What we find is an entertainment landscape unsure about what a hero is or even what qualifies as heroic. In a nation uncertain about heroism, we see a dramatic rise in the popularity of the anti-hero and even in worlds without heroes. This fragmented variety highlights how the American political mind is similarly fragmented in what it believes are its highest aspirations—and its deepest anxieties. It is this fragmentation that may help us understand why twenty-first century entertainment has elevated the heroic to the supernatural while simultaneously democratizing heroism to the point where anyone may become one. A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV explores this multifaceted landscape to better understand how Americans view their heroes and themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781666951622
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication date: 09/15/2024
Series: Politics and Contemporary Television
Pages: 214
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen Clouse is assistant professor of political science and McMaster professor of constitutional studies at Defiance College.

Aaron Kushner is teaching assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies at the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Nature of a Republican Hero By Stephen Clouse and Aaron Kushner

Part I: Heroes

Chapter 1: Letting the Devil Out: Anger, Mercy, and Justice in Marvel’s Daredevil By Martin Claar

Chapter 2: John Brown: American Hero By S. Adam Seagrave

Chapter 3: Heroes for a Democratic Age: Friendship in Only Murders in the Building By Catherine Craig

Part II: Anti-Heroes

Chapter 4: We Ain’t The Walking Dead By Aaron Kushner

Chapter 5: Defiant Jazz By Jacob Boros

Chapter 6: The (Larry) Davidic Anti-Hero: The Problem of Heroism in Sitcoms By Benjamin Slomski

Part III: Tyrants

Chapter 7: Five (un)Heroic Days at Memorial: Desire, Crisis, and Dubious Democratic Heroism By Trevor Shelley

Chapter 8: Madmen in a Boring World: The Boys and a World Without Heroes By Aaron Kushner

Chapter 9: There is No Justice Unless We Make It: Game of Thrones and Tyranny By Stephen Clouse

Conclusion By Stephen Clouse and Aaron Kushner

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