Table of Contents

Introduction: Culture of Longing--The Supernatural in American CultureChapter One: Not Just a Job: The Longing for Adventure in American History and American Culture  Voyages of Discovery: American Adventure from Columbus to Jean-Luc Picard  The British Invasion: Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Make It Big in America  Cool Magic: The American Postmodern Epic FantasyChapter Two: Heroism in America: The Longing for Heroes in American History and American Culture  American Heroes and Antiheroes: Kings of the Wild Frontier  Hard-boiled Magic: The Vampire Detective  Girls Kick Butt: The Female Action Hero  Buffy Keeps It Cool  Teenagers from Outer Space: Teen Angst and the Superhero Narrative  Our Others, Our Selves: The Mutant SuperheroChapter Three: U.S. vs. Them: American Paranoia and the Longing for Evil in American History and American Culture  Rosemary's Baby and the Horror Boom of the 1970s  The X-Files and the Postmodern Conspiracy Narrative: Mapping the Apocalypse  Apocalyptic Television at the Turn of the Millennium  Finding that Special Place: The Strange Enclave Narrative from Twin Peaks to LostConclusion: The Contradictory Compensations of Popular CultureNotesWorks CitedFilms CitedTelevision Series CitedIndex

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An examination of superhuman and supernatural myths and narratives and how they inform American culture and identity

About the Author

M. Keith Booker is the James E. and Ellen Wadley Roper Professor of English and the director of the program in comparative literature and cultural studies at the University of Arkansas. He is the author of several books, including Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture and From Box Office to Ballot Box: The American Political Film.