Angels, demons, and demigods are ubiquitous in popular culture, functioning as protagonists, antagonists, and amused commentators on the folly (or glory) of human existence. Why do these celestial beings hold such enduring power in the human imagination? How do we conceive of angels and what do they mean to us? What are common characteristics of demons and devils, and how do they interplay with human beings? What are demigods, and how do they negotiate the world? This comprehensive reference work answers these and other questions through the lens of popular culture, helping us understand how and why these archetypes are so often used in storytelling. This resource surveys how these powerful archetypes have been presented in film, television, literature, and music. Each entry provides essential information about the work in question, such as the plot, primary characters, and critical reputation, as well as perspectives on how these non-human characters have been used by their creators to comment on a wide array of issues related to human nature, religious belief, and the triumphs and tribulations of human existence. Some of these depictions are lighthearted and irreverent romantic comedies while others are somber representations freighted with reflections about life, death, and the afterlife. Angels, Demons, and Demigods covers them all, from The Good Place to Paradise Lost.

Autorentext

David A. Salomon, PhD, is Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity at Chrisopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, USA. Kelly A. O'Connor-Salomon is a Professor of Art History at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, USA.

Inhalt

Preface
Acknowledgments

Introductory Essays
A Brief History of Angels and Demons
What Is Popular Culture? Phoebe Salomon

Entries
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1998)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
All That Jazz (1979)
Almost an Angel (1990)
American Gods (2001)
Angel (1999-2004)
Angel Heart (1987)
Angel on My Shoulder (1946)
Angelmouse (1999)
Angels & Demons (2000)
"Angels and Demons" (2010)
Angels in America (1991, 1993)
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
Aquinas, St. Thomas (1224?-1274)
Augustine, St. (354-430)
Barbarella (1968)
Baring-Gould, Sabine (1834-1924)
Bedazzled (1967)
Beetlejuice (1988)
The Bishop's Wife/The Preacher's Wife (1947)
Blood Meridian (1985)
Blues Music
Boehme, Jacob (1575-1624)
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979)
The Brothers Karamazov (1880)
Budgen, Frank (1954-2015)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Calvin, John (1509-1564)
Charmed (1998-2006)
Charmed (2018-2022)
Children's Toys
Clare, Cassandra (1973-)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Classical Music and Opera
Comic Books
Constantine (2005)
Date with an Angel (1987)
Dead Like Me (2003-2004)
Defending Your Life (1991)
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936)
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
The Divine Comedy (c. 1321)
Doctor Faustus (c. 1592)
Doctor Who (1963-)
Dogma (1999)
Dungeons and Dragons
End of Days (1999)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2100 BCE)
The Exorcist (1971, 1973)
Futurama (1999-)
Ghost (1990)
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832)
Good Omens (1990)
The Good Place (2016-2020)
Gospel Music
Greek Philosophy
Hamlet (1603)
Harry Potter (1997-2007)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
The Heavenly Kid (1985)
Hellbound (2021, 2024)
Hercules (1997)
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-1999)
Heroes (2006-2010)
Hex (2004-2005)
Highway to Heaven (1984-1989)
The History of the Devil (1980)
I Am Legend (1954)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
James, M. R. (1862-1936)
King, Stephen (1947-)
King Lear (1606)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1955, 1988)
Left Behind (1995-2007)
Legion (2010)
Levi, Primo (1919-1987)
Lovecraft, H. P. (1890-1937)
Lucifer (2016-2021)
Macbeth (1606)
Machiavelli, Niccolò (1469-1527)
Mann, Thomas (1875-1955)
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1793)
The Master and Margarita (1940)
Measure for Measure (1604)
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)
Michael (1996)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1600)
Miracle Workers (2019-2023)
Moana (2016)
The Monk (1796)
Moore, Christopher (1957-)
Morrow, James (1947-)
The Moviegoer (1961)
The Mysterious Stranger (1916)
Night Angel (1990)
The Ninth Gate (1999)
No Exit (1944)
Northern Exposure (1990-1995)
Oh, God! (1977)
Oh, God! You Devil (1984)
The Omen (1976)
Othello (c. 1603)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Paradise Lost (1674)
Popular Music
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916)
The Prophecy (1995)
Pullman, Philip (1946-)
Reaper (2007-2009)
Richard III (c. 1592-1594)
Riordan, Rick (1964-)
Sade, Marquis de (1740-1814)
The Sandman (1989)
The Satanic Verses (1988)
The Screwtape Letters (1942)
The Simpsons (1989-)
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (1741)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
South Park (1997-)
Spawn (1992-)
Sports Team Mascots
Star Wars (1977-)
Supernatural (2005-2020)
Teen Angel (1997-1998)
The Tempest (c. 1610-1611)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891)
Touched by an Angel (1994-2003)
Trussoni, Danielle (1973-)
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Two of a Kind (1983)
Ulysses (1922)
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" (1968)
Victoria's Secret
Video Games
Wheatley, Dennis (1897-1977)
A Wind in the Door (1973)
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (1987)
Wonder Woman
Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
"Young Goodman Brown" (1835)
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (2013-2019)

Index