Sublime origins: the spectacle and power of early American superheroes

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Title Sublime origins: the spectacle and power of early American superheroes
Publication Type dissertation
School or College College of Humanities
Department English
Author Borup, Whitney Elizabeth
Date 2017
Description With the introduction of Superman in Action Comics #1 (published June 1938), Americans became fascinated with superheroes. Following the immediate success of Superman, the comic book industry created hundreds of characters that defied and surpassed all human capabilities. Radio, television, advertising, traditional publishing, and the film industry recognized the monetary potential of superheroes and these characters very quickly began proliferating across American popular culture. The economic success of this genre might be unprecedented, but American interest in strong, charismatic, extraordinary figures prefigures the birth of the superhero. In both the political and social arenas of the 1930s and 1940s, not only in the U.S. but also globally, citizens were curious about the human potential to control and transcend physical limitations. As a response to the fascism that threatened to overtake European countries, the United States produced their own strong leaders in mythic, fantastical, serial narratives. Embodying and evoking the sublime, superheroes astounded and terrified. They interact with a sublime aesthetic and paradoxically represent the appeal and irrevocable danger of absolute power. Through close readings of narratives about Superman, Batman, the Lone Ranger, Captain America, and Wonder Woman, I explore the contradictory nature of the sublime superhero, detailing how each character's origin story creates a figure who both celebrates and challenges the moral and political virtues of American society.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject American Studies; Literature; Language, Literature and Linguistics
Dissertation Name Doctor of Philosophy
Language eng
Rights Management ©Whitney Elizabeth Borup
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
ARK ark:/87278/s6v16fqp
Setname ir_etd
ID 1382830
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6v16fqp
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