32.3812, Review: Ling & Literature: López Gregoris, Macías Villalobos (2020)

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Subject: 32.3812, Review: Ling & Literature: López Gregoris, Macías Villalobos (2020)

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Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:22:04
From: Claudia Nazario [cnazario at email.arizona.edu]
Subject: The Hero Reloaded

 
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http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36638477


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-1456.html

EDITOR: Rosario  López Gregoris
EDITOR: Cristóbal  Macías Villalobos
TITLE: The Hero Reloaded
SUBTITLE: The reinvention of the classical hero in contemporary mass media
SERIES TITLE: IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 23
PUBLISHER: John Benjamins
YEAR: 2020

REVIEWER: Claudia Nazario, University of Arizona

The Hero Reloaded: The reinvention of the classical hero in contemporary mass
media is a collection of seven literary and cultural studies, edited by
Rosario López Gregoris and Cristóbal Macías Villalobos. The 160-page edited
volume is priced at €100 or USD $135, and is composed of an introduction by
the editors followed by seven sections by as many authors. Each section
focuses on iterations of mythical heroes as they appear in various
contemporary mass media including literature, film, music and electronic
games; the writers contribute to existing studies about classical Greco-Roman
heroes such as Hercules and Achilles. For students of media, storytelling
related disciplines, cultural studies and literature, the collection of essays
provides an entry into the transmediality of texts, or storytelling that
stretches across different media. Literary summaries and text analysis sans
theoretical frameworks make this collection easily accessible to students and
nonacademic readers.

SUMMARY

The first section, entitled “From hero to superhero: The update of an
archetype” by Luis Unceta Gómez discusses the transformation of Greco-Roman
gods into contemporary superheroes and the transmediality of their narratives
from myth to comic book. Gómez reviews literary and linguistic studies
focusing on classical myths as hypotext or basis for subsequent comic books,
followed by a list of superheroes and some intertextual elements. According to
Gómez, the contemporary comic book superhero, in the manner of Superman and
Captain America, is an updated classical hero. Unfortunately there are
multiple general statements and use of vague language without support;
specific dates, texts, specific examples and findings from scholarly studies
would have strengthened these statements. There are interesting connections
drawn between Jesus Christ and Superman that could have been expanded upon and
supported with detailed examples. A close reading and analysis focused on the
intertexual elements of other comic book heroes Gómez briefly mentions would
have done much to support his main argument. The chapter would have also
benefited from an analysis of four contemporary heroes only briefly included
in the chapter and relating them to the author’s main assumption. 

In the second section, “Metamorphosis of the mythical hero in Disney’s
Hercules,” Antonio María Martín Rodríguez discusses various contemporary
iterations of Hercules’ myth as presented in film and television series.
Additionally, Rodríguez notes intertextual elements and narrative similarities
between the animated film Hercules and various popular narratives including
other Disney films, biblical stories, and literary and film fantasy series. 
This chapter supports the conclusion drawn by other authors—cited in the
text—that contemporary mass media rewrites Greek mythological figures imbuing
latter versions of classical narratives and heroes with new cultural meaning.
There is a detailed seven-page summary of Hercules with some insights
regarding modifications and comparison to the Greek myth. This is followed by
what Rodríguez calls secondary and modern mythological sources with detailed
lists of common elements in Hercules and the superhero film Superman and
peplum or sword-and-sandal film Clash of the Titans. The assertion that
Hercules recycles multiple elements from other Disney films is supported by
various examples that are commonplace in popular culture narratives (e.g.
self-sacrifice and quests) not just myth and hero narratives. An exploration
of the new meanings produced by contemporary iterations of classical
narratives would set this discussion apart from the scholarly studies cited
throughout the text.   

The subsequent section “Κλέα ἀνδρῶν: Classical heroes in the heavy metal” by
Helena González Vaquerizo adds to existing scholarship that perceive a “close
connection [between] heavy metal’s ideological and aesthetic preferences” and
classical heroes (51). Vaquerizo identifies multiple heavy metal bands across
the U.S., Europe, and Latin America whose musical tracks include classical
hero motifs and values demonstrating their shared preferences regardless of
geography. This discussion of the values explores the importance of
masculinity, domination, and toughness that the musical genre has in common
with classical heroes and their epic tales about adventure, and triumphs.
Vaquerizo provides several examples illustrating connections between Classical
heroes and heavy metal music claimed by literary scholars. In the most
interesting part of the chapter, the author explores possible reasons for the
prevalence of classical heroes in heavy metal music. Vaquerizo states these
include a preference for non-Christian themes, an admiration of warriors’
characteristics, and nostalgia for a perceived superior past, as well as a
desire to elevate heavy metal music from the perception that it is part of
“low culture.” 

In “The video game hero in his labyrinth,” Cristóbal Macías Villalobos
explores the similarities between mythical and video game heroes, determining
that the latter is an update of the former ideal. The author notes that
previous scholarship states both hero types attempt to perform feats to
maintain the social status quo but Villalobos differentiates mythical and
video game heroes. The author explains that the mythical hero’s success is
made possible by innate unique and superior individual traits, and their
narrative is fixed. On the other hand, the video game hero who is represented
by an avatar depends on skills acquired over time and—in some video games—the
player can alter various elements of the game and/or work collectively with
one or thousands of other video game players online. Whether alone, as part of
a group, after a single attempt or over time, the video game player overcomes
obstacles, making them a hero through their avatar’s actions or survival.
These elements add to the unpredictable nature of the video game hero and
differentiate the video game player from mythical heroes. Although the author
states that video game heroes evolved from a single mythical ideal,
Villalobos’ arguments seem at the same time to support the idea that video
game heroes can take many forms. 

Jesús Bartolomé explores the meaning of reversing the glorious deaths of
heroes in “Horrible deaths, grotesque deaths: Inversion of the heroic model
and construction of the reader-viewer.” Bartolomé’s central conclusion is that
the focus on detailed and grotesque deaths of mythic heroes is reduced on
television shows. This practice affords heroes dignified and heroic deaths,
while grotesque and ridiculous deaths are reserved for villains, which
minimizes the viewer’s compassion for the latter and dignifies the former. The
organization of the text is unclear as it is divided into seven numbered but
not titled parts that do not begin with a main sentence indicating the
section’s focus. Parts titled “4,” “5” and “6” are dedicated to a discussion
of the differing narrative tendencies employed by epic poets Lucan and Sillius
Italicus; among other things, there is an interesting discussion about the
restraint shown by the latter and excess by the former when narrating
grotesque elements. Perhaps in an attempt to explain the title’s reference to
a reader-viewer, Bartolomé uses a “cinema metaphor” (112) unsuccessfully. The
paragraph-long explanation is confusing because the television audience is
referred to as a reader and the camera as a narrator without stating that the
author was attempting to draw a parallel between literary and televisual
audiences or their corresponding media. Unfortunately, the text does not
otherwise address or explain the significance of the reader-viewer mentioned
in the title. However, in the concluding portion titled “7,” the author’s
central arguments are well organized and comprehensively stated for both
students and the general public.     

Leonor Pérez Gómez discusses Woody Allen’s use of the Oedipus myth to frame
the relationship between an overbearing Jewish mother and her son, in the
section titled “Oedipus in Manhattan: From Sophocles to Woody Allen.”
Following a summary of the myth and Allen’s short “Oedipus Wrecks,” Pérez
Gómez highlights similarities between both narratives in the detailed summary
of the short. The author asserts that the protagonists of the myth and
short--Oedipus and Sheldon, respectively--are cursed by their origins. In the
abstract, Pérez Gómez’s claim that “The wicked Greek hero becomes another
wicked one: the Jew” (129). The religious aspect of this argument is
underexplored making it a bold but tenuous statement that is little discussed
and weakly supported in the twelve-page section. A comparison between the
protagonists could have been strengthened by focusing additional attention and
space on details related to the immoral act shared by Oedipus--having sexual
relations with his mother--and Sheldon--having sexual relations with a woman
who is similar to and possibly a substitute for his mother. Regardless of the
section’s shortcomings, the author establishes that film and audiovisual
cultural productions continue to (re)interpret Greek mythology demonstrating
its enduring cultural impact and legacy. 

Finishing off the collection is a discussion by Rosario López Gregoris about
the incorporation of Classical myth references in a comic-form autobiography.
The final section is titled “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Homer, Joyce and
Bechdel: Classical reception and comic hybridization. The heroine explores her
sexual identity.” The author highlights the comic’s visual and narrative
references to three Greek Classics--Daedalus and Icarus, Odyssey, and Ulysses
via James Joyce’s novel of the same name. However, the language used in the
discussion about these details is unclear and some examples lack sufficient
context to clearly support Gregoris’ reasoning or illustrate her argument. On
the other hand, Gregoris insists that “all Classical references must be
interpreted in terms of sexual identity” (151) which is an expectation that is
also established by the title. Nonetheless, only two of three examples that
are mentioned and related to sexuality are written about, mostly as they
relate to the narrative action and not as a close analysis of the
protagonist’s sexuality. An explanation of why Gregoris perceives the comic’s
protagonist as being a heroine akin to those found in Greek mythology at the
onset of the text would have helped the reader follow the author’s analysis.
The connection is explained a few paragraphs before and in the conclusion, the
author explains that the comic’s protagonist is a heroine because she
completes a journey to learn about her father and along the way discovers her
homosexuality. An elaborate analysis of the examples provided could have
supported the author’s assertions if their circumstances were sufficiently
explained. In some instances, this could have been achieved by including
relevant text in the body of the section instead of the footnotes. Lastly, the
text could have greatly benefited from careful editing as there are multiple
grammatical errors and inaccurate uses of vocabulary which slows down and
confuses the reader. 

EVALUATION

Overall, each author succeeds in demonstrating that Classical literature
continues to impact hero narratives in contemporary media, not just in
literature. Each section highlights how one or more current popular media
utilize or re-imagine Greco-Roman mythology. For these reasons, the book is a
good point of entry for students into the study of contemporary Classical
reiterations. 
Alternately, the text can benefit from some improvements. Common shortcomings
found throughout the book, particularly in the introduction, are related to
some instances of ineffective use of the English language, and the
argumentation style. The author of each section employs inductive reasoning,
which is difficult for a North American audience to understand. The section
abstracts are vital to orient the reader as they contain a description of the
section’s focus and the author’s main argument. This is important because the
main argument(s) are located within a paragraph in the body of the text and
the thesis is often located in the concluding paragraphs along with some
additional analysis. However, some sections fall short of addressing all
issues or fulfilling the plan laid out in the abstract. In the body of each
section, there is a predominance of summary and lists of observations with
limited analysis. Each section’s argumentation proceeds without any
theoretical framework to guide the discussion, denying authors the opportunity
to contribute to existing academic discussions on the relevant topics. There
is space for authors to expand their work, in particular to identify the
significance of their lengthy observations, explain the practical applications
of their findings and reveal how these may be applied in other fields.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Claudia Nazario teaches Spanish, Portuguese, Literature, and Cultural Studies
courses at the University of Arizona where she is completing her doctorate
this year. She completed her Spanish master's and two bachelor's degrees,
majoring in Spanish and double majoring in Political Science and Women
Studies, in her native state of California. Nazario draws from her diverse
education in her interdisciplinary research to 1) analyze the ways critical
storytelling deconstructs prejudicial social logic, 2) highlight ethnic,
gender and sexuality-based power inequalities woven into dominant culture, and
3) look toward new imaginaries and those of marginalized groups as viable
alternatives to mass media.





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