Full metadata
Title
Holding Out for a Hero: The Evolution of the Superhero Genre in Post-9/11 America
Description
This thesis aims to analyze and explain the resurgence of the superhero genre, particularly in recent cinema, directly following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It will also deconstruct the current American political landscape and define how popular culture has historically reflected real-world issues. The study draws heavily on the political ideology of neoliberalism and Henry Jenkins' media theory of convergence culture. I ultimately argue in the course of the analysis that viewers of these superhero films, regardless of their interest in comic books, cathartically release their fears and post-9/11 anxiety through cinematic escapism. It will also relay the evolution of the superhero in the last seventy years as a way to show the effects current events have on popular culture and history, using Captain America and Iron Man as examples of shifting American values.
Date Created
2014-05
Contributors
- Walker, Lindsay Anne (Author)
- Facinelli, Diane (Thesis director)
- Himberg, Julia (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
- Department of English (Contributor)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
33 pages
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Series
Academic Year 2013-2014
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.23374
Level of coding
minimal
Cataloging Standards
System Created
- 2017-10-30 02:50:57
System Modified
- 2021-08-11 04:09:57
- 2 years 8 months ago
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