Through nine seasons the TV show Supernatural has delved into social, philosophical, literary, and theological themes that not only add depth to the show, but reflect our era's intellectual concerns. This book contextualizes Supernatural within the renaissance of the fantastic in pop culture and traces its roots in folklore and Biblical narrative.

KT Torrey, Virginia Technical University, USAElisabeth G. Wolfe, independent scholarPatricia Grosse, Villanova University, USACait Coker, Texas A and M University, USACandace Benefiel, Texas A and M University, USASharon D. King, University of California, Los Angeles, USARebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario, Monash University, AustraliaErin Giannini, University of East Anglia, UKRalph Beliveau, University of Oklahoma, USALaura Bolf-Beliveau, University of Central Oklahoma, USALugene Rosen, Chapman University, USARhonda Nicol, Illinois State University, USACharlotte Howell, University of Texas at Austin, USA Gregory J. Robinson, George Mason University, USA

Introduction: On the Highway to Hell and Back; Susan A. George and Regina Hansen PART I: RELIGION, THEOLOGY, AND PHILOSOPHY THROUGH A SUPERNATURAL LENS 2. Deconstructing the Apocalypse?: Supernatural's Appropriation of Angelic Hierarchies; Regina M. Hansen 3. The Greatest of These: The Theological Virtues and the Problem of an Absent God in Supernatural; Elisabeth G. Wolfe 4. Suffering Nuclear Reactors: Depictions of the Soul from Plato to Supernatural; Patricia Grosse 5. "We're Just . . . Food and Perverse Entertainment": Supernatural's New Gods and the Narrative Objectification of Sam and Dean; KT Torrey PART II: "KILLING EVIL THINGS" OR NOT--SUPERNATURAL'S COMPLEX CONSIDERATIONS OF MONSTROSITY 6. All Dogs Come From Hell: Supernatural's Canine Connection; Sharon D. King 7. "This Isn't Wall Street, This Is Hell!": Corporate America as the Biggest Supernatural Bad of All 8. The Hunter Hunted: The Portrayal of the Fan as Predator in Supernatural; Cait Coker and Candace Benefiel 9. "A Shot On The Devil": Women Hunters and the Identification of Evil in Supernatural; Ralph Beliveau and Laura Bolf-Beliveau 10. All that Glitters: The Winchester Boys and Fairy Tales; Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario PART III: MEN, WOMEN, AND SUPERNATURAL 11. A Man and His 1967 Impala: Supernatural, U.S. Car Culture, and the Masculinity of Dean Winchester; Susan A. George 12. "How is that not rape-y?": Dean as the Anti-Bella and Feminism without Women in Supernatural; Rhonda Nicol 13. God, the Devil, and John Winchester: Failed Patriarchal Families in Supernatural; Charlotte E. Howell 14. Who's Your Daddy?: Father Trumps Fate in Supernatural; Lugene Rosen 15. Metal and Rust: Postindustrial White Masculinity and Supernatural's Classic Rock Canon; Gregory J. Robinson