J 2022

Myth, Fiction and Politics in the Age of Antiheroes: A Case Study of Donald Trump

PRUŠA, Igor and Matthew BRUMMAN

Basic information

Original name

Myth, Fiction and Politics in the Age of Antiheroes: A Case Study of Donald Trump

Authors

PRUŠA, Igor and Matthew BRUMMAN

Edition

Heroism Science, 2022, 2573-7120

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

50600 5.6 Political science

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

Marked to be transferred to RIV

Yes

Organization unit

Ambis University

Keywords in English

Antihero; Trump; myth; politics; rebel; evil

Tags

Changed: 28/3/2023 23:01, Bc. Olga Puldová

Abstract

In the original language

In this article, we demonstrate that the antihero archetype informs our understanding of Trump in important ways, including his rise to and fall from power. We introduce an analytical framework for analyzing Trump’s antiheroic traits based on his social positioning, individual motivation, and personal charisma. We argue that Trump is fascinating because he is powerful, amoral, and charismatic, and suggest that the American public was primed for Trumpism through a zeitgeist hospitable to antihero worship. That is, Trump’s dogged popularity with nearly half of the American public was foretold by decades of pop-cultural obsession with, and adulation for, the antihero.