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
The Aeneid
or of the biblical underdog warriors and prophets.
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
The Virginian
and the
Rider's of the Purple Sage
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
MASH
and the rebel alliance of
Star Wars
--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.