Today, we talk to Dean and Valerie about their book “The Trans and Non-Binary Hero’s Journey”.
The Book: A brave heroine whose quest involves living her true gender. A genderqueer knight who battles the transphobic court to save their prince. Often fearing discovery, the trans hero embarks on adventure, aided by an accepting mentor and other allies, and challenged by transphobic villains and sometimes uncomprehending family members. Ultimately, the trans hero triumphs, finding love, selfhood, and affirmation.
This book adapts Joseph Campbell’s classic pattern of comparative mythology and applies it to trans and non-binary heroes in modern popular media who are traversing multiple worlds. Analyzed are works for the screen such as Steven Universe, The Matrix, Sense8, and Sandman; print materials such as DC and Marvel comics; and television, fantasy books, and graphic novels from trans and non-binary creators worldwide.
Dean: Dean Leetal (they/them) graduated Magna Cum Laude from their MA studies, their dissertation research winning the Ze’evi, the Zafrir, and a departmental award for excellence. They published about alternative disability activism, as well as different trans and non-binary readings. Recently they published the papers “Revisiting gender theory in fan fiction: Bringing nonbinary genders into the world” and “Let Me Turn Monster. Shakespeare’s Arden Forest and Trans Geography”. They organized the first rights and education non binary campaigns in their country.
(Remark from the hosts Jessica and Leandro: Dean is also one of the greatest En-Gender team members and we are so happy to have them with us!)
Valerie: Valerie Estelle Frankel has won a Dream Realm Award, an Indie Excellence Award, and a USA Book News National Best Book Award for her Henry Potty parodies. She’s the author of over 100 books on pop culture, including Hunting for Meaning in The Mandalorian; The Villain’s Journey; Star Wars Meets the Eras of Feminism; History, Homages and the Highlands: An Outlander Guide; and Who Tells Your Story? History, Pop Culture, and Hidden Meanings in the Musical Phenomenon Hamilton. Many of her books focus on gender roles in fiction, from her heroine’s journey guides From Girl to Goddess and Buffy and the Heroine’s Journey to books like Superheroines and the Epic Journey and The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen. Her Chelm for the Holidays (2019) was a PJ Library book, and now she’s the editor of Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy, publishing an academic series for Lexington Press. Once a lecturer at San Jose State University, she now teaches at Mission College and San Jose City College and speaks often at conferences. Come explore her research at www.vefrankel.com
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