{"id":131,"date":"2017-08-18T14:19:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T18:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/?page_id=131"},"modified":"2017-09-07T10:49:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-07T14:49:00","slug":"131-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/131-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Nov. 21 &#8211; Origins of Superheroes, Chris Gavaler"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This lecture traces the conceptual\u00a0etymology of &#8220;superman,&#8221; drawing connections to eugenics, Darwin, 19th century\u00a0hero philosophy,\u00a0the American revolution, and contemporary politics.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">Chris\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890SpellingError m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">Gavaler<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0is an\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">assistant professor of English at Wash<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">ington and Lee University<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">, where he teaches fiction, creative writing, and comics<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">He has published\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0two\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">non-fiction studies,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\"><em>On the Origin of Superheroes: from the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1<\/em><\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">(Iowa 2015) and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">Superhero Comics<\/span><\/span><\/em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0(Bloomsbury\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">2017), and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">two novels,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">Pretend I&#8217;m Not Here<\/span><\/span><\/em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0(HarperCollins 2002) and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">School for Tricksters<\/span><\/span><\/em><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">\u00a0(Southern Methodist 2011)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890TextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\" lang=\"EN-US\"><span class=\"m_-2618099675841510890NormalTextRun m_-2618099675841510890SCXW180634858\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"lcp_catlist\" id=\"lcp_instance_0\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/12\/13\/heroism-v-evil\/\">Heroism v. Evil<\/a>  December 13, 2017<lcp_author>srkohli<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">Although I was unable to attend Chris Gavaler\u2019s lecture on Superheroes, I encountered the idea of heroes and superheroes in my personal research project on the Origins of Decision, and ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/12\/12\/superheros-and-their-origins\/\">Superheros and their origins<\/a>  December 12, 2017<lcp_author>ssrabi20<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">When I knew we would be talking about the origins of superheroes in class I assumed we would be talking about the creation of Superman, Spiderman and such superheroes who ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/12\/12\/superheroes-2\/\">Superheroes<\/a>  December 12, 2017<lcp_author>amcola20<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">In class I first heard that we were going to have a speaker that was going to come in and talk about the origins of superheroes through learning about Walker\u2019s ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/12\/12\/superman\/\">Superman<\/a>  December 12, 2017<lcp_author>vjones20<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">When I first heard that we were going to be talking about the origins of superheroes, I was ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy the review of something I ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/12\/12\/putting-the-super-back-in-superhero\/\">Putting the Super back in Superhero<\/a>  December 12, 2017<lcp_author>cmajgaar<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">On the 21st of November, Chris Gavaler graced us with his presence to discuss with us the origins of superheroes. In class we spoke extensively on the idea that eugenics ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/11\/28\/superheroes\/\">Superheroes<\/a>  November 28, 2017<lcp_author>cmhall20<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">The origin of superheroes is a fascinating story. One must begin with the idea of the superhero, and what exactly defines a superhero. As a social phenomenon, it has become ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/11\/28\/the-villainy-of-superheroes\/\">The Villainy of Superheroes<\/a>  November 28, 2017<lcp_author>Jonathan Taylor<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">Professor Gavaler made a number of interesting\u2013to say the least\u2013points in his discussion of the societal impacts of super-heroic imagery. Particularly interesting is how he mentioned that societies all over ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/11\/27\/the-human-in-superhuman\/\">The Human in Superhuman<\/a>  November 27, 2017<lcp_author>Haley Andonian<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">Haley Andonian\n\u201cOn the Origin of Superheoes\u201d\nLecturer: Chris Gavaler\nNovember 27, 2017\n&nbsp;\nIn his book On the Origin of Superheroes: From the Big Bang to Action Comics, Chris Gavaler discusses the little recognized ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/11\/27\/superheroes-and-gender\/\">Superheroes and Gender<\/a>  November 27, 2017<lcp_author>Amber Churchwell<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">Chris\u00a0Gavaler, a professor from Washington and Lee, teaches an entire course about superheroes. Professor Gavaler did a wonderful job explaining how the original superman came to be from important (if ...<\/div><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/2017\/11\/25\/the-point-of-popularity\/\">The Point of Popularity<\/a>  November 25, 2017<lcp_author>Walker Griggs<\/lcp_author><div class=\"lcp_excerpt\">This past week, Chris Gavaler came to speak with us about the origins of superheroes. While we spoke at great length, both during and after class, my response to his ...<\/div><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This lecture traces the conceptual\u00a0etymology of &#8220;superman,&#8221; drawing connections to eugenics, Darwin, 19th century\u00a0hero philosophy,\u00a0the American revolution, and contemporary politics. Chris\u00a0Gavaler\u00a0is an\u00a0assistant professor of English at Washington and Lee University, where he teaches fiction, creative writing, and comics.\u00a0He has published\u00a0\u00a0two\u00a0non-fiction studies,\u00a0On the Origin of Superheroes: from the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1\u00a0(Iowa 2015) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/131\/revisions\/220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/st132origins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}