ROOTING FOR THE ANTIHERO THE EVOLUTI

How exhausting is it, really, always rooting for the antihero? Not very, our cultural and social landscape would suggest. From films to novels, popstars to political figures, contemporary culture marvels more and more at the misfits, the flawed, the scheming, the petty, the brats. Traditional heroic qualities are no longer necessary to appeal to audiences fascinated with the likes of Tony Soprano or Olivia Pope, the Punisher or Hannah Horvath. But is the antihero a product of the golden age of television? A result of our modern, revisionist impulse to reconsider the villains of our childhood? 

This course will explore the complex and evolving figure of the antihero from its origins in the literary canon—in, for instance, Greek tragedy and the picaresque novel—to its prominence in modern fiction, film, and television. In parallel, we will explore how the antihero functions within broader socio-political contexts—whether as a critique of institutional power, a commentary on individualism and alienation, or a reflection of our anxieties about a world in which morality is no longer absolute.

Key questions will include: What does it mean to be anti-heroic in the modern world? How does the antihero challenge the distinction between protagonist and antagonist? How do marginalized voices shape and redefine antiheroic figures? What is it about figures who live on the boundary between law and lawlessness—the cowboy, the vigilante, the rebel—that so appeals to us?