Superman In Myth And Folklore

Author : Daniel Peretti
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2017-10-05
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781496814593

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Superman in Myth and Folklore by Daniel Peretti Pdf

Superman rose from popular culture--comic books, newspaper strips, radio, television, novels, and movies" but people have so embraced the character that he has now become part of folklore. This transition from popular to folk culture signals the importance of Superman to fans and to a larger American populace. Superman's story has become a myth dramatizing identity, morality, and politics. Many studies have examined the ways in which folklore has provided inspiration for other forms of culture, especially literature and cinema. In Superman in Myth and Folklore, Daniel Peretti explores the meaning of folklore inspired by popular culture, focusing not on the Man of Steel's origins but on the culture he has helped create. Superman provides a way to approach fundamental questions of human nature, a means of exploring humanity's relationship with divinity, an exemplar for debate about the type of hero society needs, and an articulation of the tension between the individual and the community. Through examinations of tattoos, humor, costuming, and festivals, Peretti portrays Superman as a corporate-owned intellectual property and a model for behavior, a means for expression and performance of individual identity, and the focal point for disparate members of fan communities. As fans apply Superman stories to their lives, they elevate him to a mythical status. Peretti focuses on the way these fans have internalized various aspects of the character. In doing so, he delves into the meaning of Superman and his place in American culture and demonstrates the character's staying power.

Author : Brian Cronin
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2009-04-28
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0452295327

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Was Superman a Spy? by Brian Cronin Pdf

Fascinating and often bizarre true stories behind more than 130 urban legends about comic book culture. Was Superman a Spy? demystifies all of the interesting stories, unbelievable anecdotes, wacky rumors, and persistent myths that have piled up like priceless back issues in the seventy-plus years of the comic book industry, including: • Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle was based on a comic book character (True) • Stan Lee featured a gay character in one of Marvel's 1960s war comics (False) • Wolverine of the X-Men was originally meant to be an actual wolverine! (True) • What would have been DC's first black superhero was changed at the last moment to a white hero (True) • A Dutch inventor was blocked from getting a patent on a process because it had been used previously in a Donald Duck comic book (True) With many more legends resolved, Was Superman a Spy? is a must-have for the legions of comic book fans and all seekers of “truth, justice, and the American way.”

Author : Richard Reynolds
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Humor
ISBN : 0878056947

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Super Heroes by Richard Reynolds Pdf

A study of one of popular culture's superstars whose enchanting mystique pervades the modern world

Author : Roy Schwartz
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2021-05-19
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781476644417

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Is Superman Circumcised? by Roy Schwartz Pdf

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!

Author : Danny Fingeroth
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2004-01-01
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN : 0826415393

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Superman on the Couch by Danny Fingeroth Pdf

Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures "good" and others "evil"? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries? And how might the myths be changing? Why is it that the key superhero archetypes - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the X-Men - touch primal needs and experiences in everyone? Why has the superhero moved beyond the pages of comics into other media? All these topics, and more, are covered in this lively and original exploration of the reasons why the superhero - in comic books, films, and TV - is such a potent myth for our times and culture.>

Author : John Darowski
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2021-05-29
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781476642390

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Adapting Superman by John Darowski Pdf

Almost immediately after his first appearance in comic books in June 1938, Superman began to be adapted to other media. The subsequent decades have brought even more adaptations of the Man of Steel, his friends, family, and enemies in film, television, comic strip, radio, novels, video games, and even a musical. The rapid adaptation of the Man of Steel occurred before the character and storyworld were fully developed on the comic book page, allowing the adaptations an unprecedented level of freedom and adaptability. The essays in this collection provide specific insight into the practice of adapting Superman from comic books to other media and cultural contexts through a variety of methods, including social, economic, and political contexts. Authors touch on subjects such as the different international receptions to the characters, the evolution of both Clark Kent's character and Superman's powers, the importance of the radio, how the adaptations interact with issues such as racism and Cold War paranoia, and the role of fan fiction in the franchise. By applying a wide range of critical approaches to adaption and Superman, this collection offers new insights into our popular entertainment and our cultural history.

Author : Arthur Cotterell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 1979
Category : Mythology
ISBN : 9780192177476

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A Dictionary of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell Pdf

Author : Dan Hassler-Forest
Publisher : John Hunt Publishing
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781780991801

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Capitalist Superheroes by Dan Hassler-Forest Pdf

In the same way that Stallone and Schwarzenegger played film heroes who came to embody the values of Ronald Reagans aggressive conservative agenda in the 1980s, the 21st-century film narratives of Batman, Spider-Man and Superman reflect the policies of the Bush Doctrine after 9/11. This book offers a groundbreaking study of the relationship that exists between post-9/11 American politics and the contemporary superhero movie phenomenon. No other Hollywood subgenre was as consistently popular during the George W. Bush presidency, as films such as Spider-Man, Superman Returns, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight embodied the key contradictions that inform the cultural and political life of the post-9/11 years. By combining in-depth analyses of numerous major superhero films from this era with astute readings of contemporary critical theory, this book offers accessible and academically potent insight into the complex interplay between politics, ideology, and entertainment in the 21st century. ,

Author : Marco Arnaudo
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2013-05
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN : 9781421409535

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The Myth of the Superhero by Marco Arnaudo Pdf

Translated for the first time into English, The Myth of the Superhero looks beyond the cape, the mask, and the superpowers, presenting a serious study of the genre and its place in a broader cultural context.

Author : Jeffrey J. Kripal
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2011-11-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226453835

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Mutants and Mystics by Jeffrey J. Kripal Pdf

"Account of how comic book heroes have helped their creators and fans alike explore and express a wealth of paranormal experiences ignored by mainstream science. Delving deeply into the work of major figures in the field - from Jack Kirby's cosmic superhero sagas and Philip K. Dick's futuristic head-trips to Alan Moore's sex magic and Whitley Strieber's communion with visitors - Kripal shows how creators turned to science fiction to convey the reality of the inexplicable and the paranormal they experienced in their lives. Expanded consciousness found its language in the metaphors of sci-fi - incredible powers, unprecedented mutations, time-loops and vast intergalactic intelligences - and the deeper influences of mythology and religion that these in turn drew from ; the wildly creative work that followed caught the imaginations of millions. Moving deftly from Cold War science and Fredric Wertham's anticomics crusade to gnostic revelation and alien abduction, Kripal spins out a hidden history of American culture, rich with mythical themes and shot through with an awareness that there are other realities far beyond our everyday understanding."--Jacket.

Author : Andrew R. Bahlmann
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2016-04-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781476662480

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The Mythology of the Superhero by Andrew R. Bahlmann Pdf

Superheroes have been an integral part of popular society for decades and have given rise to a collective mythology familiar in popular culture worldwide. Though scholars and fans have recognized and commented on this mythology, its structure has gone largely unexplored. This book provides a model and lexicon for identifying the superhero mythos. The author examines the myth in several narratives--including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Green Arrow and Beowulf--and discusses such diverse characters as Batman, Wolverine, Invincible and John Constantine.

Author : Neil Gaiman,P. Craig Russell
Publisher : Dark Horse Comics
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2021-03-23
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN : 9781506718743

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Norse Mythology Volume 1 (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman,P. Craig Russell Pdf

V. 1: "Collects issues 1-6 of the Dark Horse comic adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology"--

Author : Chris Gavaler
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2015-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781609383817

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On the Origin of Superheroes by Chris Gavaler Pdf

Most readers think that superheroes began with Superman’s appearance in Action Comics No. 1, but that Kryptonian rocket didn’t just drop out of the sky. By the time Superman’s creators were born, the superhero’s most defining elements—secret identities, aliases, disguises, signature symbols, traumatic origin stories, extraordinary powers, self-sacrificing altruism—were already well-rehearsed standards. Superheroes have a sprawling, action-packed history that predates the Man of Steel by decades and even centuries. On the Origin of Superheroes is a quirky, personal tour of the mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and grand swirl of ideas that have permeated western culture in the centuries leading up to the first appearance of superheroes (as we know them today) in 1938. From the creation of the universe, through mythological heroes and gods, to folklore, ancient philosophy, revolutionary manifestos, discarded scientific theories, and gothic monsters, the sweep and scale of the superhero’s origin story is truly epic. We will travel from Jane Austen’s Bath to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars to Owen Wister’s Wyoming, with some surprising stops along the way. We’ll meet mad scientists, Napoleonic dictators, costumed murderers, diabolical madmen, blackmailers, pirates, Wild West outlaws, eugenicists, the KKK, Victorian do-gooders, detectives, aliens, vampires, and pulp vigilantes (to name just a few). Chris Gavaler is your tour guide through this fascinating, sometimes dark, often funny, but always surprising prehistory of the most popular figure in pop culture today. In a way, superheroes have always been with us: they are a fossil record of our greatest aspirations and our worst fears and failings.

Author : Grant Morrison
Publisher : Random House
Page : 477 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Science fiction comic books, strips, etc
ISBN : 9780099546672

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Supergods by Grant Morrison Pdf

Beginning with Schuster and Seigel's adolescent creation of Superman in 1938, Grant Morrison charts the history of the superheroes to their modern, multiplex incarnations.

Author : Ben Saunders
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2011-08-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780826441980

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Do The Gods Wear Capes? by Ben Saunders Pdf

graphic novels.