Description: During the 21st century, the collective hero has emerged as the defining archetype in media, reflecting shifts in global society and the necessity of cultural evolution.
Brief description: Priscilla Hobbs is Senior Associate Dean at Southern New Hampshire University, USA. She is the author of Harry Potter and the Myth of Millennials: Identity, Reception, and Politics(Bloomsbury 2022) and Walt's Utopia: Disneyland and American Mythmaking (2024) and is the editor of the Studies in Disney and Culture series for Bloomsbury.
Review Quotes:
"This ground-breaking work traces the evolution of heroic storytelling from folklore and fairytales to blockbuster contemporary franchises, highlighting where Campbell's model falters in capturing the spirit of twenty-first-century narratives. Through an insightful exploration of ensemble protagonists, gender-expansive characters, and the pursuit of balance over conquest, the book introduces a new framework for understanding the heroes shaping our contemporary cultural landscape.
From the reclamation of witches to the rise of communities as protagonists, this study reveals how popular culture is rewriting the mythic script, and what this means for our shared future. Both a deconstruction of old paradigms and a vision for new ones, this is an updated guide for readers, creators, and scholars seeking to understand the collective heroes who are transforming the stories we tell." --Lucía Bausela Buccianti, Lecturer of English, University of Salamanca, Spain