Mapping Smallville
Critical Essays on the Series and Its Characters
Published on 16. July 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-7864-9464-4 (ISBN)
Description
One of the first full-length academic projects on the television series Smallville, this collection of new essays explains why the WB/CW series is important to understanding contemporary popular culture. The essays are presented in four sections covering broad categories: Clark's metamorphosis to Superman and the influence of his parents and the home; the role of the series' noteworthy female characters; the series' representations of the Other, explorations of identity, and the ways in which characters speak to Clark's own struggles; and audience reception of the series and its position within the Superman narrative universe.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
371 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-9464-4 (9780786494644)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Cory Barker is a staff writer for TV.com. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Chris Ryan is an editor and social media researcher in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Myc Wiatrowski is an analyst of business and culture and associate instructor in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Chris Ryan is an editor and social media researcher in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Myc Wiatrowski is an analyst of business and culture and associate instructor in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Content
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction-Cory Barker, Chris Ryan and Myc Wiatrowski
Part One: Smallville's Decade-Long Mythical Journey
Mythicizing Clark Kent: Archetypes and Mythic Structures of Smallville-Daniel P. Compora
The Smallville Destiny: The Superhero's Shaping by His Archetypal Fathers-James F. Iaccino
"Always hold on to Smallville": Domesticity and the Male Hero-Bridget Kies
Part Two: Powerful Women
Sidekicks or Heroines? The Feminist Successes and Failures of Smallville's Leading Ladies-Valerie Estelle Frankel
Another Way: Tess Mercer as Ethical Hero-Peter Melville
Girl Friday Power: Chloe Sullivan and the Hacker Sidekicks of Twenty-First Century Teen Television-Tara K. Parmiter
Part Three: Bodies, Identities and Politics
Rummaging Through the Closet: (Un)Masking the Signified Other in Smallville's First Four Seasons-Jonathan A. Austad
Kryptonian Encounters: Model Immigration and Superman's Impossible Dream-Roger Almendarez
Bodies as Unreliable Signifiers: The Inconsistency of Smallville's Character Construction-Daniel Kulle
Part Four: Reception
Finding Clark Kent: Sites of Nostalgia and Affect-Gregory Bray and John Patrick Bray
"Chlark" Versus "Clois": Shippers, Anti-Fans and Anti-Fan Fans-Cory Barker
Selected Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction-Cory Barker, Chris Ryan and Myc Wiatrowski
Part One: Smallville's Decade-Long Mythical Journey
Mythicizing Clark Kent: Archetypes and Mythic Structures of Smallville-Daniel P. Compora
The Smallville Destiny: The Superhero's Shaping by His Archetypal Fathers-James F. Iaccino
"Always hold on to Smallville": Domesticity and the Male Hero-Bridget Kies
Part Two: Powerful Women
Sidekicks or Heroines? The Feminist Successes and Failures of Smallville's Leading Ladies-Valerie Estelle Frankel
Another Way: Tess Mercer as Ethical Hero-Peter Melville
Girl Friday Power: Chloe Sullivan and the Hacker Sidekicks of Twenty-First Century Teen Television-Tara K. Parmiter
Part Three: Bodies, Identities and Politics
Rummaging Through the Closet: (Un)Masking the Signified Other in Smallville's First Four Seasons-Jonathan A. Austad
Kryptonian Encounters: Model Immigration and Superman's Impossible Dream-Roger Almendarez
Bodies as Unreliable Signifiers: The Inconsistency of Smallville's Character Construction-Daniel Kulle
Part Four: Reception
Finding Clark Kent: Sites of Nostalgia and Affect-Gregory Bray and John Patrick Bray
"Chlark" Versus "Clois": Shippers, Anti-Fans and Anti-Fan Fans-Cory Barker
Selected Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index