From the Editor ’ s Desk
Felicia has been kind enough to allow me to compose this note . I hope I haven ’ t disappointed — or ( more likely ) overdone ! The authors in this jam-packed issue all explore aspects of the myriad complexities that emerge when culture and identity collide .
In “ Becoming My Subject ’ s Subject ,” Carl Rollyson describes the motivations and characteristics of the bad biographer identity that Susan Sontag ’ s circle of friends attempted to impose on him for their own purposes . Dorothy Vanderford ’ s “ The Manhattan Project and Chaos Theory in Popular Culture ” simultaneously analyzes atomic imagery and provides a revealing account of some ways public perceptions of family identity can impact an individual ’ s personal identity and interactions with popular culture .
Michael Soares explores the impact of counterpublics ’ backlashes against casting choices in US superhero films in “ Batroversy ,” showing that actors ’ public identities influences fandom ’ s acceptance of their casting as superheroes . In his “ The Search for Meaning in the Films of Wes Anderson ,” Brent Gibson demonstrates that filmmaker Wes Anderson ’ s characters ’ attempts to find meaning in their lives ultimately fail when Christianity and personal identity collide .
Steven D . Reschly and Katherine Jellison ’ s “ This Tractor for Hire ” traces the role of WWII informational propaganda films in the deliberate construction of publicly patriotic identity possibilities for marginalized American citizens . In “ The Power Is Yours ,” Robert L . Lively discusses Ted Turner ’ s creation of a “ green ” identity for American children during the 1990s .
“ The Wrong Side of Heaven , the Righteous Side of Hell ” by Tammy Wahpeconiah explores the intersection of the Judaeo- Christian god ’ s identity , religion , and the ( in ) ability of Chiang ’ s
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