Abstract

The TV show Supernatural (2005–2020) features itinerant brothers Sam and Dean Winchester battling pagan gods from ancient Greco-Roman mythology who pose a threat to the present-day American way of life. The show utilizes two key concepts to define perils to American culture and values: the frontier myth and the myth of American exceptionalism. In a remote town in Alaska (i.e., the frontier), the brothers encounter the Roman goddess Fortuna, who reveals to the Winchesters how they can protect America. Fortuna’s appearance signifies a shift in how the show’s heroes, Sam and Dean, see themselves: they are forced to experience the despair everyday Americans feel when their luck runs out. A critical analysis of several key episodes will demonstrate that as the series advances, the focus on the brothers’ erasure of pagan threats to America is replaced by a critique of monotheistic religion, a reexamination of the myth of American exceptionalism, and social commentary on the problems with a culture based on consumerism.

摘要

电视剧超自然(2005–2020) 讲述了山姆和迪恩·温彻斯特两兄弟与古希腊罗马神话中对当今美国生活方式构成威胁的异教神灵作战的故事。该节目利用两个关键概念来定义对美国文化和价值观的威胁：边疆神话和美国例外论神话。在阿拉斯加的一个偏远小镇（即边境），兄弟俩遇到了罗马女神福尔图娜，她向温彻斯特一家揭示了他们如何保护美国。Fortuna 的出现标志着剧中主人公 Sam 和 Dean 看待自己的方式发生了转变：他们被迫体验美国人在运气用尽时每天都会感受到的绝望。对几个关键情节的批判性分析将表明，随着系列的推进，