Episode 20: The Joker—How a “Typical Hoodlum” Character of the ‘40s Attained Cult Status Today, with Joel West

Humanities Matter by Brill

English - July 29, 2020 15:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MB
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Previous Episode: Episode 19: Recording Global Diplomacy: Contextualizing Perspectives, with Sam de Schutter

Next Episode: Episode 21: Jewish Architecture—A Stage for Jewish Liturgy, with Steven Fine

From the time of his introduction in the Detective Comics in 1940s, the Joker is a character that has both fascinated and repelled the collective psyche of the fans of the comic subculture and beyond.

In a new book titled “The Sign of the Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime as a Sign” published in the Brill Research Perspectives series, Joel West of the University of Toronto, Canada, analyzes the history and personality of the character, speculates on the character’s sexuality, and ultimately suggests what exactly gave the Joker his iconic status today.

Guest: Joel West
Host: Leigh Giangreco