Emily and Cam break down the character arc of Eleven in Stranger Things and argue that she is on a “heroic journey” like that of Herakles.
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For more information about Herakles and about “heroes” in Ancient Greece, listen to our previous episode:
Key literature mentioned in this episode:
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero with A Thousand Faces
- David Adams Leeming, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero
- Maureen Murdock, The Heroine’s Journey
- Valerie Estelle Frankel, From Girl to Goddess
—————
00:11 - Introduction
01:28 - Reprise: The Hero’s Journey
- 01:47 - Campbell’s “Everyman” model
- 04:06 - Leeming’s “Chosen One” model
- 06:04 - Herakles and Eleven as Leeming-style, “Chosen One” Heroes
- 08:24 - Gender and the Hero’s Journey: Maureen Murdock and Valerie Estelle Frankel
11:29 - Eleven’s Heroic Journey so far: Eleven as Herakles with a Gendered Twist
- 11:59 - Stranger Things: An Overview
- 13:10 - Season One: Eleven as a character in the model of Obi Wan?
- 16:54 - Season Two: Eleven emerges as a Hero on a Leeming-style journey, with elements of Murdock’s and Frankel’s models
- 25:11 - Season Three: the (metaphorical) death of the hero, Eleven
- 28:21 - Season Four: Eleven descends to the underworld, and is reborn?
- 33:28 - Recap: Leeming’s model and the stages of Eleven’s Heroic Journey
37:30 - Predictions for Season Five: How will Eleven’s Heroic Journey end?
- 38:14 - The three basic possibilities: (1) Eleven as superhero; (2) Eleven as Campbell-style “Everyman” hero; (3) Eleven as a “Chosen One” hero
- 41:52 - What Herakles’ journey tells us about Eleven and about Stranger Things
43:26 - Wrap-up
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