Patterns of American Popular Heroism

<p> The American popular hero has deeply bipolar origins: Depending on prevailing attitudes about the use or abuse of authority American heroes may be rooted in the traditions of the Roman conquerors of <I>The Aeneid</I> or of the biblical underdog warriors and prophets. </p><p> This book reviews the history of American popular culture and its heroes from the Revolutionary War and pre-Civil War women's literature to the dime novel tales of Jesse James and Buffalo Bill. Hinge-heroes like <I>The Virginian</I> and the <I>Rider's of the Purple Sage</I> paved the way for John Wayne's and Humphrey Bogart's champions of civilization while Jimmy Stewart's scrappy rebels fought soulless bankers and cynical politicians. The 1960s and 1970s saw a wave of new renegades--the doctors of <I>MASH</I> and the rebel alliance of <I>Star Wars</I>--but early 21st Century terrorism called for the grit of world weary cops and the super-heroism of Wonder Woman and Black Panther to make the world safe.</p>