Don Draper and the Myth of the Self-Made Man in Matthew Weiner's Mad Men (2007-15)

• 발행기관: 한국아메리카학회
• 저자명: Young hoon Kim
• 간행물 정보: 『미국학논집』제47집 3호, 175~192쪽, 전체 18쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 기타인문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2015.12.31

영문 초록

This paper analyzes the Donald Draper character in AMC's Mad Men in terms of the myth of the self-made man, one of the founding myths of America. In contemporary society, the myth of the self-made man also represents a paradigmatic subjectivity of the self-help culture brought about by neoliberalism. This paper reads Mad Men as a genealogical intervention to explore this paradigmatic subjectivity of neoliberalism. Don Draper is an ideal example of the self-made man, the man who has achieved the American dream, rising out of poverty through his own hard work and creativity. Despite all his success, he is still unsatisfied, and even depressed. His secret past repeatedly haunts him and dismantles his identity in the present. For Draper, the myth of the self-made man functions as a Žižekian ideology that sustains his identity and reality; when the myth fails him, his life also falls apart. At the end of the show, Draper seems to resolve his inner-identity conflicts, and complete his road to redemption at a hippie retreat. However, Draper, once again, succeeds to start over. He returns to his advertising agency so as to create Coca Cola's legendary Hilltop ad, which features the ending scene of Mad Men. At the end what matters is not having a life or identity, but rather the act of starting-over or perpetuating the myth of the self-made man.

목차

Ⅰ. Introduction : "What is Mad Men selling?"

Ⅱ. The Myth of the Self-made Man: "Who is Don Draper?"

Ⅲ. the Secret of the Self-Made Man: "I've started over lot, Lane."

Ⅳ. The Self-Made Man's Disillusionment: "Where are you driving to, Don Draper?"

Ⅴ. Conclusion: "Is there a Don Draper at all?"

Works Cited

Abstract

키워드

Mad Men The Myth of the Self-Made Man Neoliberalism American TV Drama