New Job

When I was a graduate student working on my dissertation, I realized that I had one real goal for it: to get a job. That didn't so much work, and the reasons why aren't worth chronicling. I moved on to a larger, longer, more difficult project about Superman, still with the same goal.

It worked.

Well, technically, the Superman book got me an interview. From there I had to do the rest of the work in person. The book's release coincided with a good year for folklore jobs in North America, and so I applied several places. I returned to conferences for the first time in a while, too, to remind people in my field that I still exist, and to meet new folks, too.

The result: I'm now Assistant Professor of Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This fall I will teach Introduction to Folklore as well as a course on Urban Legends. Future courses include Folklore and Popular Culture, and whatever else comes up.

Right now I'm sitting in my new office, waiting for all my books to arrive and marveling at the resources I now have available. I undertook my Superman project without funding, without guidance, and without equipment. Things sure have changed.

Also, somehow I'm only a mile from the ocean. And if you head due east from where I am, there's only water between here and France. I saw some humpback whales the other day.

Book Release

Well, Superman in Myth and Folklore is now available. It's a little earlier than I expected, too. I got my copies a few weeks ago, and I'm pretty happy with the work the publisher did on it. It's a nice looking book.

I started this blog in 2009 to help me organize some of my research, specifically online sources. It still serves that purpose, but more, too. So I might keep it going.

Now that the book is out, I feel relieved. It's been a long process, and there was always the possibility that things wouldn't work out. No reviews are out yet.

Anyway, here are some places it's available. Amazon seems to have sold out of their initial supply. Barnes and Noble has it. And, surprisingly, Target.

Superman in Myth and Folklore available for preorder

And you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. You might as well order it. Where else are you going to read about Superman cookie jars, the best material for making your own cape, and the various smells of Metropolis, Illinois, during the second weekend of June?

Catalog Copy

I'm not sure how long this has been up at the University Press of Mississippi website. I decided to check today, for whatever reason. There's no release date listed (it's among the "upcoming titles" in the Folklore catalog), but it will be available in November or December.

Superman in Myth and Folklore

By Daniel Peretti

208 pages (approx.), 6 x 9 inches, 16 b&w illustrations, bibliography, index
9781496814586 Printed casebinding $65.00S

How the Man of Steel leapt from panels and storyboards into folklore and myth

Superman rose from popular culture --comic books, newspaper strips, radio, television, novels, and movies-- but people have so embraced the character that he has now become part of folklore. This transition from popular to folk culture signals the importance of Superman to fans and to a larger American populace. Superman's story has become a myth dramatizing identity, morality, and politics.
Many studies have examined the ways in which folklore has provided inspiration for other forms of culture, especially literature and cinema. In Superman in Myth and Folklore, Daniel Peretti explores the meaning of folklore inspired by popular culture, focusing not on the Man of Steel's origins but on the culture he has helped create. Superman provides a way to approach fundamental questions of human nature, a means of exploring humanity's relationship with divinity, an exemplar for debate about the type of hero society needs, and an articulation of the tension between the individual and the community.
Through examinations of tattoos, humor, costuming, and festivals, Peretti portrays Superman as a corporate-owned intellectual property and a model for behavior, a means for expression and performance of individual identity, and the focal point for disparate members of fan communities. As fans apply Superman stories to their lives, they elevate him to a mythical status. Peretti focuses on the way these fans have internalized various aspects of the character. In doing so, he delves into the meaning of Superman and his place in American culture and demonstrates the character's staying power.
Daniel Peretti, Bloomington, Indiana, is an editor and folklorist. He lives with his wife and three sons.
208 pages (approx.), 6 x 9 inches, 16 b&w illustrations, bibliography, index