John Shelton Lawrence
Encyclopedia
John Shelton Lawrence is an emeritus professor of philosophy
at Morningside College
in Sioux City, Iowa
, United States
. His initial major publication, The American Monomyth
, written with Robert Jewett, was published in 1977.
's famous classical monomyth
from his 1949 book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Campbell's monomyth described a universal narrative of the myth of the hero's journey which he claimed had disappeared in contemporary culture. Lawrence and Jewett described an American evolution of this mythological structure that reflected a deep antipathy to democratic institutions through the violent actions of a hero who remains separate from the community. This pattern varies significantly from Campbell's, that emphasizes the hero’s return to the community with some kind of significant aid (“the boon”) and a willingness to accept public leadership as a member of that community. Responding to the Star Trek
fan movement of the late 60s and early 70s, they predicted the rise of entertainment-based systems of religious belief — a reality that became even more evident with the Star Wars phenomenon.
Lawrence and Jewett have since further expanded these initial ideas in two more books: The Myth of the American Superhero (2002), which extends the analysis of the American Monomyth of American mass culture into areas such as videogames, and Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism (2003), (with Jewett listed as first author) which traces the history of holy wars and uses the American Monomyth concept to understand the American reaction after the events of September 11, 2001. The three books work together to suggest a mythological analysis of American culture in ways that account for religion, political history, mass (or popular) culture and are well regarded both in the United States and in Europe where they are read as a means of understanding American foreign policy.
In collaborating with Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Lawrence has explored the idea of the “mythic franchise,” the core mythic story that is licensed for a myriad of commercial entertainment venues. In Matthew Kapell
and William G. Doty's Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation
(2005), he explores the kind of fascism that is symbolically conveyed by heroic figures such as Luke Skywalker
of Star Wars
(1977) and Neo
in The Matrix
series. Matthew Kapell
and Lawrence’s co-edited book, Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, and Critics (2006), examines the myths, the stereotypes, sexualities, the toys, and the critical response to the two Star Wars
trilogies. Lawrence’s essay contribution suggests that George Lucas
outgrew Joseph Campbell’s aversion to political affirmations, especially in the final three films of the series.
Lawrence has provided essays and filmographies for the Film and History League’s publications Hollywood’s White House: The American Presidency in Film and History (2003); there he suggests that Hollywood has begun to represent the president as a physical superhero in such films as Independence Day
(1996) and Air Force One
(1997); in Hollywood’s West: The American Frontier in Film Television and History (2005), he analyzes The Lone Ranger
as a juvenile franchise that has affected adult culture; in Landscape of Hollywood Westerns: Ecocriticsm in an American Film Genre (2006), he has traced the little recognized subgenre of the Ecowestern.
He is also known for work on scholarly-related issues in copyright through his edited volume (w. Bernard Timberg) Fair Use and Free Inquiry (1980, 1989) and the ethics of computer media for academic use and has written The Electronic Scholar: A Guide to Academic Microcomputing, published in 1984, which suggests many of the ethical issues that would arise with the advent of the Internet
.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Morningside College
Morningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...
in Sioux City, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His initial major publication, The American Monomyth
The American Monomyth
The American Monomyth is a 1977 book by Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence arguing for the existence and cultural importance of an 'American Monomyth', a variation on the classical monomyth as proposed by Joseph Campbell....
, written with Robert Jewett, was published in 1977.
Career
The major contribution of The American Monomyth is a re-thinking of Joseph CampbellJoseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
's famous classical monomyth
Monomyth
Joseph Campbell's term monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces...
from his 1949 book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Campbell's monomyth described a universal narrative of the myth of the hero's journey which he claimed had disappeared in contemporary culture. Lawrence and Jewett described an American evolution of this mythological structure that reflected a deep antipathy to democratic institutions through the violent actions of a hero who remains separate from the community. This pattern varies significantly from Campbell's, that emphasizes the hero’s return to the community with some kind of significant aid (“the boon”) and a willingness to accept public leadership as a member of that community. Responding to the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan movement of the late 60s and early 70s, they predicted the rise of entertainment-based systems of religious belief — a reality that became even more evident with the Star Wars phenomenon.
Lawrence and Jewett have since further expanded these initial ideas in two more books: The Myth of the American Superhero (2002), which extends the analysis of the American Monomyth of American mass culture into areas such as videogames, and Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism (2003), (with Jewett listed as first author) which traces the history of holy wars and uses the American Monomyth concept to understand the American reaction after the events of September 11, 2001. The three books work together to suggest a mythological analysis of American culture in ways that account for religion, political history, mass (or popular) culture and are well regarded both in the United States and in Europe where they are read as a means of understanding American foreign policy.
In collaborating with Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Lawrence has explored the idea of the “mythic franchise,” the core mythic story that is licensed for a myriad of commercial entertainment venues. In Matthew Kapell
Matthew Kapell
Matthew Wilhelm Kapell is an historian and anthropologist best best known for four edited academic volumes on popular culture, film, and television. The first, is Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation . The second is and adds Wilhelm to his name...
and William G. Doty's Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation
Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation
Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation is a book about The Matrix trilogy of films and other associated media. It was published by Continuum Press in 2004 and edited by Matthew Kapell , anthropological historian, and William G...
(2005), he explores the kind of fascism that is symbolically conveyed by heroic figures such as Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
of Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
(1977) and Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
in The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
series. Matthew Kapell
Matthew Kapell
Matthew Wilhelm Kapell is an historian and anthropologist best best known for four edited academic volumes on popular culture, film, and television. The first, is Jacking In to the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation . The second is and adds Wilhelm to his name...
and Lawrence’s co-edited book, Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, and Critics (2006), examines the myths, the stereotypes, sexualities, the toys, and the critical response to the two Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
trilogies. Lawrence’s essay contribution suggests that George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
outgrew Joseph Campbell’s aversion to political affirmations, especially in the final three films of the series.
Lawrence has provided essays and filmographies for the Film and History League’s publications Hollywood’s White House: The American Presidency in Film and History (2003); there he suggests that Hollywood has begun to represent the president as a physical superhero in such films as Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
(1996) and Air Force One
Air Force One (film)
Air Force One is a 1997 American action-thriller film written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It stars Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close, and also features Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell and Paul Guilfoyle...
(1997); in Hollywood’s West: The American Frontier in Film Television and History (2005), he analyzes The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
as a juvenile franchise that has affected adult culture; in Landscape of Hollywood Westerns: Ecocriticsm in an American Film Genre (2006), he has traced the little recognized subgenre of the Ecowestern.
He is also known for work on scholarly-related issues in copyright through his edited volume (w. Bernard Timberg) Fair Use and Free Inquiry (1980, 1989) and the ethics of computer media for academic use and has written The Electronic Scholar: A Guide to Academic Microcomputing, published in 1984, which suggests many of the ethical issues that would arise with the advent of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.