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. Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email: https://havetogawilltravel.com/ For more information about Herakles and about “heroes” in Ancient Greece, listen to our previous episode: https://havetogawilltravel.com/episode/holding-out-for-a-hero-in-ancient-greece 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
