American Popular Culture in the Era of Terror: Falling Skies, Dark Knights Rising, and Collapsing Cultures Falling Skies, Dark Knights Rising, and Collapsing Cultures

Bringing together the most popular genres of the 21st century, this book argues that Americans have entered a new era of narrative dominated by the fear—and wish fulfillment—of the breakdown of authority and terror itself. • Provides an interesting new framework in which to examine popular culture • Examines films, television shows, and primary texts such as novels for evidence of cultural anxiety and a preoccupation with terror • Offers insightful and original interpretations of primary texts • Suggests possible conclusions about cultural anxiety regarding breakdowns of tradition and authority