1C Lesson for Superhero Worship (351), Creating the Myth (356), and Movie Fantasy vs. Classroom Reality (402)

 

One. Lexicon

1.  glamour: the dramatic creation of longing, transcendence, admiration, mystery, and aspiration that balances the spectacular with the attainable. See page 352.

2.  verisimilitude: the illusion of believability or of something being “real”, such as we believe Superman can fly. See page 352.

3.   Glamour’s enemy: irony, because irony “punctures glamour and makes the audience feel foolish for its suspension of disbelief” (352)

4.  The glue between the superhero and glamour: fashion

5.  Search story; we embark on a quest for a chimera or a Holy Grail or adventure, or to find our higher self, or lost love, etc. See page 356

6.  Hero story: protagonist overcomes adversity. See page 357

7.  Myth story: larger than life story that explains something universal about the human condition.

8.  Hero Myth: nonhero in ordinary world gets transported by a crisis like Luke Skywalker

9.  Hero’s sidekick, a helper or assistant. This character could be a dwarf, a witch, a wizard, a tag-along. See page 358

10.                   Hero’s transformation: from ordinary to extraordinary

11.                   Hero’s obstacle course: hero must pass a series of grueling tests or obstacles.

12.                   Hero’s “death experience”; he must hit rock bottom

13.                   Hero’s resilience or resurrection; he bounces back for climatic final act.

14.                   Broken Hero; he is wounded spiritually and must be healed. See page 360

 

Two. Essay Options

Number One: Reading the Signs #4 on page 355 in which you contrast a cinematic hero ("The Thematic Paradigm," page 342, not officially assigned) with the superhero as defined by Postrel. You can use any films you want to make your distinction.

Number Two: Evaluate a character in a movie that fits with Linda Seger’s definition of a hero. In your first page, summarize Seger’s major points. Then begin your thesis: Character X conforms to Linda Seger’s heroic paradigm evidenced by _______________________, ___________________________, _________________________, ______________________________, and __________________________. Some film recommendations: Gladiator and Sin City

 

Number Three. Evaluate how the Linda Seger myth and hero qualities are poorly and I daresay egregiously translated in the film Freedom Writers.