Hero in All of Us?

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

Sale price  $103.50 Regular price $115.00
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Hero in All of Us?

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

Sale price  $103.50 Regular price $115.00

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Politics and Contemporary Television

Hero in All of Us?

Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV

Jacob Boros | Martin Claar | Stephen Clouse | Catherine Craig | Aaron Kushner | S. Adam Seagrave | Trevor Shelley | Benjamin Slomski | Stephen Clouse | Aaron Kushner

Political Science / Comparative Politics

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.

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.


Publication Date: 22 August 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Imprint: Lexington Books
ISBN-13: 9781666951622
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 214
Weight (oz): 17.28

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