Amidst discussions of the show’s use of canines and fairy tales is an essay that represents the tradition of horror shows embodying societal issues in the form of monsters. Section two of Supernatural, Humanity, and the Soul looks at the show’s representations of evil and monstrosity. Torrey’s examination of free will, which demonstrates how Sam and Dean Winchester, the main characters of the series, actively resist being reduced to characters in someone else’s story by regularly asserting their own narrative agency. The most intriguing essay in this section is K. In an essay that also contains a good treatment of the role of determinism in the series, Regina Hansen argues that Supernatural employs angelic hierarchies as a means of deconstructing the authority of religious faith and replacing it with the authority of the narrative. Included in this are an allegorical interpretation of several characters as representations of the virtues of faith, hope, and love and an interpretation of the show’s concept of the soul in light of Platonic and Augustinian thought.
Following an introduction by the editors, the book unfolds in three sections, with the first section reading aspects of the series through theological and philosophical lenses. The television series Supernatural, which has just completed its tenth season on the CW network, is a horror show in the best tradition and one that has generated a significant amount of academic attention.Ī recent collection of essays, Supernatural, Humanity, and the Soul: On the Highway to Hell and Back, edited by Susan George and Regina Hansen, examines various aspects of the series from social, philosophical, and theological perspectives. Because horror addresses some of the most complex and meaningful questions of life, it provides fertile ground for academic analysis. As such, horror wears many hats: it is at once a psychologist who forces us to face our fears, a commentator who critiques social issues and concerns, a philosopher who pushes us to think more deeply about evil in all its varied manifestations, and a theologian who counsels us regarding our innate desire to connect to a reality outside ourselves-one that can be as frightening as it can be benevolent. Fictional monsters become a means of plumbing the depths of the monstrous within ourselves and within society.
When done well the horror genre is an accurate barometer of the things that frighten us. Reviewed by Gregory Stevenson, Rochester College Supernatural, Humanity, and the Soul: On the Highway to Hell and Back. Book Review: George, Susan A., and Regina M.
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