Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the philosophical appropriation of Euripides' Herakles by the Modernist writers George Cabot Lodge, W. B. Yeats, and Frank Wedekind. It shows how dramatic interest in the tragic ...
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This chapter examines the philosophical appropriation of Euripides' Herakles by the Modernist writers George Cabot Lodge, W. B. Yeats, and Frank Wedekind. It shows how dramatic interest in the tragic Herakles shifted from his latent psychosis to his latent divinity, his uniquely ambivalent status as theios aner. As a consequence, the madness and filicide gathered significance not as manifestations of the Heraklean psychology, but because they anticipated and affirmed a superhuman destiny. Lodge, Yeats and Wedekindconceived of Herakles as the archetypal Nietzschean Superman, reasoning the madness and murders as an inescapable precondition of self-divinity.Less
This chapter examines the philosophical appropriation of Euripides' Herakles by the Modernist writers George Cabot Lodge, W. B. Yeats, and Frank Wedekind. It shows how dramatic interest in the tragic Herakles shifted from his latent psychosis to his latent divinity, his uniquely ambivalent status as theios aner. As a consequence, the madness and filicide gathered significance not as manifestations of the Heraklean psychology, but because they anticipated and affirmed a superhuman destiny. Lodge, Yeats and Wedekindconceived of Herakles as the archetypal Nietzschean Superman, reasoning the madness and murders as an inescapable precondition of self-divinity.
Ryan Litsey
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462388
- eISBN:
- 9781626746831
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462388.003.0012
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
Meanwhile, Ryan Litsey suggests a reading of the Joker as a “Nietzschean Superman.” Applying Nietzsche to his reading of the video game Batman: Arkham City, Litsey argues that the “will to power” – a ...
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Meanwhile, Ryan Litsey suggests a reading of the Joker as a “Nietzschean Superman.” Applying Nietzsche to his reading of the video game Batman: Arkham City, Litsey argues that the “will to power” – a key feature of Nietzsche’s notion of the Superman – “is evident in all things the Joker does.” Suggesting by extension that Batman represents Nietzsche’s “man of ressentiment” – the slave morality to the Joker’s master morality – Litsey offers a careful exploration of the Batman/Joker duality, the applicability of which extends well beyond a single ludic narrative. “Understanding the Joker in this way,” Litsey suggests, “can give us new insight into the appeal and power the Joker has traditionally held for audiences – the attraction of the Superman, latent in all of us, is made manifest in him.”Less
Meanwhile, Ryan Litsey suggests a reading of the Joker as a “Nietzschean Superman.” Applying Nietzsche to his reading of the video game Batman: Arkham City, Litsey argues that the “will to power” – a key feature of Nietzsche’s notion of the Superman – “is evident in all things the Joker does.” Suggesting by extension that Batman represents Nietzsche’s “man of ressentiment” – the slave morality to the Joker’s master morality – Litsey offers a careful exploration of the Batman/Joker duality, the applicability of which extends well beyond a single ludic narrative. “Understanding the Joker in this way,” Litsey suggests, “can give us new insight into the appeal and power the Joker has traditionally held for audiences – the attraction of the Superman, latent in all of us, is made manifest in him.”
Patrick Sims‐Williams
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199588657
- eISBN:
- 9780191595431
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588657.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter discusses a narrative technique, the so‐called Slavic Antithesis', found in Irish and Welsh, but also elsewhere which casts doubt on there being a connection between the Celtic examples. ...
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This chapter discusses a narrative technique, the so‐called Slavic Antithesis', found in Irish and Welsh, but also elsewhere which casts doubt on there being a connection between the Celtic examples. Illustrations are given not only from Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Mesca Ulad, Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Cynddylan englynion, and Taliesin, but also the Finnsburg fragment and Eiríksmál, ballads from Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Finland, Ossetia, and even from Superman.Less
This chapter discusses a narrative technique, the so‐called Slavic Antithesis', found in Irish and Welsh, but also elsewhere which casts doubt on there being a connection between the Celtic examples. Illustrations are given not only from Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Mesca Ulad, Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Cynddylan englynion, and Taliesin, but also the Finnsburg fragment and Eiríksmál, ballads from Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Finland, Ossetia, and even from Superman.
Aldo J. Regalado
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781628462210
- eISBN:
- 9781626746183
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462210.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This book examines the historical origins and cultural significance of Superman and his fellow American crusaders. It asserts that the superhero seems a direct response to modernity, often fighting ...
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This book examines the historical origins and cultural significance of Superman and his fellow American crusaders. It asserts that the superhero seems a direct response to modernity, often fighting the interrelated processes of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and capitalism that transformed the United States from the early nineteenth century to the present. Reeling from the destabilizing forces, Americans turned to heroic fiction as a means of explaining national and personal identities to themselves and to the world. In so doing, they created characters and stories that sometimes affirmed, but other times subverted conventional notions of race, class, gender, and nationalism. The cultural conversation articulated through the nation's early heroic fiction eventually led to a new heroic type—the brightly clad, super-powered, pro-social action heroes that first appeared in American comic books starting in the late 1930s. Although indelibly shaped by the Great Depression and World War II sensibilities of the second-generation immigrants most responsible for their creation, comic book superheroes remain a mainstay of American popular culture. Tracing superhero fiction all the way back to the nineteenth century, the book firmly bases analysis of dime novels, pulp fiction, and comics in historical, biographical, and reader response sources. It explores the roles played by creators, producers, and consumers in crafting superhero fiction, ultimately concluding that these narratives are essential for understanding vital trajectories in American culture.Less
This book examines the historical origins and cultural significance of Superman and his fellow American crusaders. It asserts that the superhero seems a direct response to modernity, often fighting the interrelated processes of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and capitalism that transformed the United States from the early nineteenth century to the present. Reeling from the destabilizing forces, Americans turned to heroic fiction as a means of explaining national and personal identities to themselves and to the world. In so doing, they created characters and stories that sometimes affirmed, but other times subverted conventional notions of race, class, gender, and nationalism. The cultural conversation articulated through the nation's early heroic fiction eventually led to a new heroic type—the brightly clad, super-powered, pro-social action heroes that first appeared in American comic books starting in the late 1930s. Although indelibly shaped by the Great Depression and World War II sensibilities of the second-generation immigrants most responsible for their creation, comic book superheroes remain a mainstay of American popular culture. Tracing superhero fiction all the way back to the nineteenth century, the book firmly bases analysis of dime novels, pulp fiction, and comics in historical, biographical, and reader response sources. It explores the roles played by creators, producers, and consumers in crafting superhero fiction, ultimately concluding that these narratives are essential for understanding vital trajectories in American culture.
Daniel Kremer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813165967
- eISBN:
- 9780813166742
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813165967.003.0012
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Furie, setting out to make a Saturday matinee serial style of adventure film, surfaces with the script for Iron Eagle (1986). Funded by the fledgling Tri-Star Pictures, Furie shoots the film in ...
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Furie, setting out to make a Saturday matinee serial style of adventure film, surfaces with the script for Iron Eagle (1986). Funded by the fledgling Tri-Star Pictures, Furie shoots the film in Israel with recent Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. Although critically ripped to shreds, the film succeeds at the box office and also makes money through video sales and rentals. Furie then agrees to direct Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) for Cannon Films. As a result of dire budget constraints and a script he was not allowed to alter without the permission of a difficult Christopher Reeve, the film becomes a disaster of the first order, going down in the books as one of the most notoriously bad sequels in movie history.Less
Furie, setting out to make a Saturday matinee serial style of adventure film, surfaces with the script for Iron Eagle (1986). Funded by the fledgling Tri-Star Pictures, Furie shoots the film in Israel with recent Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. Although critically ripped to shreds, the film succeeds at the box office and also makes money through video sales and rentals. Furie then agrees to direct Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) for Cannon Films. As a result of dire budget constraints and a script he was not allowed to alter without the permission of a difficult Christopher Reeve, the film becomes a disaster of the first order, going down in the books as one of the most notoriously bad sequels in movie history.
Neal Curtis
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719085048
- eISBN:
- 9781526104434
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719085048.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
Contrary to the usual connection of Superman to Nietzsche’s Übermensch, this chapter offers a reading of Superman in relation to Plato’s conception of the Good. The connection is made via Superman’s ...
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Contrary to the usual connection of Superman to Nietzsche’s Übermensch, this chapter offers a reading of Superman in relation to Plato’s conception of the Good. The connection is made via Superman’s association with the sun, which Plato describes as the ‘child of goodness’. This is done with a view to addressing the first problem in the theory of sovereignty, namely the legitimacy that seems to appear, as Schmitt argued, out of ‘nothingness’. Sovereign legitimacy has traditionally been attributed to the divine and hence miraculous, a source that persists even in the immanence of democratic rule. In this chapter I link this transcendent moment to Plato’s analysis of the Good to show who Superman is a character that always pushes us towards something better, and in this he is an avatar of social change and an alternative future.Less
Contrary to the usual connection of Superman to Nietzsche’s Übermensch, this chapter offers a reading of Superman in relation to Plato’s conception of the Good. The connection is made via Superman’s association with the sun, which Plato describes as the ‘child of goodness’. This is done with a view to addressing the first problem in the theory of sovereignty, namely the legitimacy that seems to appear, as Schmitt argued, out of ‘nothingness’. Sovereign legitimacy has traditionally been attributed to the divine and hence miraculous, a source that persists even in the immanence of democratic rule. In this chapter I link this transcendent moment to Plato’s analysis of the Good to show who Superman is a character that always pushes us towards something better, and in this he is an avatar of social change and an alternative future.
Tom Mankiewicz and Robert Crane
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780813136059
- eISBN:
- 9780813141169
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813136059.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This book details writer-director Tom Mankiewicz's fascinating journey through the ups and downs of being a member of an iconic Hollywood family, the pressures of following in the footsteps of his ...
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This book details writer-director Tom Mankiewicz's fascinating journey through the ups and downs of being a member of an iconic Hollywood family, the pressures of following in the footsteps of his Oscar-winning writer-director father, Joe Mankiewicz and his Oscar-winning writer uncle Herman Mankiewicz, and the expectations of a family and the film community. Mankiewicz carves out his own niche by writing scripts that his dad and uncle never would have worked on because the subject material didn't lie in their comfort zones. Mankiewicz became a script doctor first, rewriting Legal Eagles, War Games, and Superman among others. Then he turned his eye to directing (Dragnet, Hart to Hart) and producing (Mother, Jugs and Speed). His easy-going writing style and lifestyle helped create a unique personality in Hollywood. Studio heads called him Dr. Mankiewicz. He was an integral part of two legendary film heroes - James Bond and Superman. He travelled the world to write and supervise film productions. Mankiewicz worked with, partied with, and dated some of the biggest stars in the business. He tells a funny, sad, inside tale of survival in a rough trade.Less
This book details writer-director Tom Mankiewicz's fascinating journey through the ups and downs of being a member of an iconic Hollywood family, the pressures of following in the footsteps of his Oscar-winning writer-director father, Joe Mankiewicz and his Oscar-winning writer uncle Herman Mankiewicz, and the expectations of a family and the film community. Mankiewicz carves out his own niche by writing scripts that his dad and uncle never would have worked on because the subject material didn't lie in their comfort zones. Mankiewicz became a script doctor first, rewriting Legal Eagles, War Games, and Superman among others. Then he turned his eye to directing (Dragnet, Hart to Hart) and producing (Mother, Jugs and Speed). His easy-going writing style and lifestyle helped create a unique personality in Hollywood. Studio heads called him Dr. Mankiewicz. He was an integral part of two legendary film heroes - James Bond and Superman. He travelled the world to write and supervise film productions. Mankiewicz worked with, partied with, and dated some of the biggest stars in the business. He tells a funny, sad, inside tale of survival in a rough trade.
Tom Mankiewicz
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780813136059
- eISBN:
- 9780813141169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813136059.003.0007
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Mankiewicz writes his only Broadway show, Georgy!, meets Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and writes or rewrites five James Bond films including Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever. He doctors ...
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Mankiewicz writes his only Broadway show, Georgy!, meets Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and writes or rewrites five James Bond films including Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever. He doctors three big features including The Eagle Has Landed and Mother, Jugs and Speed. Mankiewicz lands the opportunity to rewrite two Superman scripts. He becomes a director as he helms Hart to Hart and ushers it onto a major network. His dad, Joe, retires from the film industry.Less
Mankiewicz writes his only Broadway show, Georgy!, meets Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and writes or rewrites five James Bond films including Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever. He doctors three big features including The Eagle Has Landed and Mother, Jugs and Speed. Mankiewicz lands the opportunity to rewrite two Superman scripts. He becomes a director as he helms Hart to Hart and ushers it onto a major network. His dad, Joe, retires from the film industry.
April D. DeConick
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231170765
- eISBN:
- 9780231542043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170765.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Engages the super hero movies and comics, including Superman; Spiderman; and Doctor Strange.
Engages the super hero movies and comics, including Superman; Spiderman; and Doctor Strange.
Alaniz José
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781628461176
- eISBN:
- 9781626740655
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628461176.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter assesses the 1992–93 “Death of Superman” storyline—the best known example of superhero mortality and its repercussions in the genre—which serves as a valuable case study in how a ...
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This chapter assesses the 1992–93 “Death of Superman” storyline—the best known example of superhero mortality and its repercussions in the genre—which serves as a valuable case study in how a supposedly death-averse society like late twentieth-century America addressed mortality and bereavement through its popular culture. The storyline offers a compelling snapshot of America's attitudes to grief and the “celebrity funeral” at the dawn of the 1990s—a period when those attitudes were in flux, due in part to the Death Awareness and Death with Dignity movements; the AIDS epidemic, and reassessments of the Vietnam conflict. The deaths of public figures, whom most people have never met in person, have the potential to touch more lives. But whether anonymous or famous, death is experienced as a trauma in a community.Less
This chapter assesses the 1992–93 “Death of Superman” storyline—the best known example of superhero mortality and its repercussions in the genre—which serves as a valuable case study in how a supposedly death-averse society like late twentieth-century America addressed mortality and bereavement through its popular culture. The storyline offers a compelling snapshot of America's attitudes to grief and the “celebrity funeral” at the dawn of the 1990s—a period when those attitudes were in flux, due in part to the Death Awareness and Death with Dignity movements; the AIDS epidemic, and reassessments of the Vietnam conflict. The deaths of public figures, whom most people have never met in person, have the potential to touch more lives. But whether anonymous or famous, death is experienced as a trauma in a community.
