Cowboys, Angels, and Demons: American Exceptionalism and the Frontier Myth in the CW's<i>Supernatural</i>

Valenzano, Joseph M.; Engstrom, Erika

doi:10.1080/01463373.2014.949388

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Lykissas also cites Faludi in linking the general prevalence of 'weakened wom[e]n' who need rescuing by 'hyper-strengthened m[e]n' in Supernatural to 9/11(Lykissas 2016, p. 20).24 SeeValenzano and Engstrom (2014) for an example of such a reading.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender in Post-9/11 American Apocalyptic TV Representations of Masculinity and Femininity at the End of the World

Bennett¹

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A major explosion hits the middle of an American city. Afterwards, a survivor, a white man in a suit (Jack Coleman), wakes up amid the rubble and wanders around dazedly. As he does so, we hear snatches of radio or television broadcasts commenting on the incident, most recommending violent retaliation against the perpetrators: 'We have got to go and attack the enemy' , 'tyrant and terrorist with strength not weakness' , ' A serious threat to our way of life' , 'We will hunt down and punish those responsible' , 'Kill them, kill them all' ('Brave New World' , 1.1). Later, a video appears in which the apparent leader of a group of 'terrorists' , as the media calls them, a non-Western man (Sendhil Ramamurthy), claims responsibility for the attack, which he says was a suicide bombing carried out by his 'brothers and sisters' ('June 13th-Part Two' , 1.8).The scenes I have just described are from Heroes Reborn, a 2015 miniseries sequel to the NBC series Heroes (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010). Although I began the research for this book in 2011, and it focuses on programmes that debuted between 2002 and 2012 -including the original Heroes -Heroes Reborn shows that American television has not yet entirely got over its preoccupation with the horrific events of September the 11th, 2001. This preoccupation forms part of a wider interest in catastrophic destruction or apocalypse that has been manifest since roughly the turn of the millennium. While world destruction and the annihilation of the human race have habitually existed as threats in the science fiction and fantasy genres, on television as well as in other media, in the past they typically remained as such: threats, posed by villains whose plans would be thwarted by the heroes at the end of the episode or season. In the early twenty-first-century wave of American apocalyptic programmes, however, the threat is far more concrete. In many the apocalypse actually occurs, often in the first episode

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender in Post-9/11 American Apocalyptic TV Representations of Masculinity and Femininity at the End of the World

Bennett¹

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As mentioned previously, Valenzano & Engstrom (2014) outline the ways in which Supernatural is a Western. Specifically, they look at how the series "reifies core aspects of the myth of American exceptionalism and the frontier myth" (p. 554).…”

Section: Shows That Are Narratively Westernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One set of obvious Western heroes are the Winchester brothers from Supernatural (2005-present). Valenzano and Engstrom (2014) specifically outline the ways in which Supernatural is a Western, and throughout this analysis I will revisit these observations. But for now, I want to elaborate upon the ways in which Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are Western heroes.…”

Section: Non-western Heroes With Western Heroic Attributesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A thousand TV shows : applying a rhizomatic lens to television genres

Brock¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One frequent technique for studying television is through genre. However, with the complex television environment of the 21st century, many genre studies do not adequately account for how generic television programs intersect other generic traits. This study probes how genre works within complex television narratives and proposes a new way of thinking about genre. Through Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) theory of the rhizome, I will suggest an interconnected understanding of genre characteristics. The television landscape is a complex, dynamic structure; the assortment of programs and the traits of those programs differ greatly from one moment to the next. Therefore, this study will propose a meta-theory that enables studying this landscape. The theory of the generic rhizome challenges simplistic readings of television texts; opens texts up to endless possible interpretations and insights; and it flattens cultural hierarchies. In two studies, which look at sitcoms and Westerns, I tease out this theory and study television shows in a way that mines, rather than flattens, the complexity of the medium.

show abstract

Heroes Never Sweat the Small Stuff: Fortuna in The CW’sSupernatural

Rea

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cowboys, Angels, and Demons: American Exceptionalism and the Frontier Myth in the CW'sSupernatural

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Gender in Post-9/11 American Apocalyptic TV Representations of Masculinity and Femininity at the End of the World

Gender in Post-9/11 American Apocalyptic TV Representations of Masculinity and Femininity at the End of the World

A thousand TV shows : applying a rhizomatic lens to television genres

Heroes Never Sweat the Small Stuff: Fortuna in The CW’sSupernatural

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About