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.
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
