Separating popular fiction into lowbrow and middlebrow, Wood (U. of Wisconsin, River Falls) argues that lowbrow, like highbrow, evolves from folkloric tradition and contains messages about how to find a satisfying niche in the social order. Middlebrow, on the other hand, evolves from myth tradit

First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Noting that the variation between the playwrights can be as great as between men and women, and acknowledging that her subjects are limited to a narrow class and race population, Detsi-Diamanti the cultural and historical specificity of women playwrights of the period and the interrelationship between their dramatic efforts and the formation of an American national and literary identity. Her major themes are metaphors of freedom, industrial capitalism, and gender perspective and ideology.

This work examines how the definition of the medium, as well as its language, readership, genre conventions and marketing and distribution have kept comic books within the realm of popular culture. This study seeks to provide a contribution to the current literature on comics and helps clarify concepts and definitions useful in studying the medium. The evolution of the comic book superhero - from the patriotic heroes of the 1940s to the muscular rebels of the 1990s - is analyzed, showing how as the superheroes change, so does the style and content of the books.