In this presentation, I want to argue that, though the "BoJack Horseman" series (2014-2020) is always given accolades for the ways it depicts depression, substance abuse, LGBTQIA+ issues, racism and trauma, it crucially does something else even better: it offers an outstanding depiction of what Kristen Radtke in her semi-fictional graphic novel "Seek You" (2021) has identified as ‘American Loneliness’. American loneliness, she argues, is a particular mode of loneliness that is the direct result of the failure of the American Dream, linked to the emergence of mass popular culture, amongst which specifically the sitcom and the western, and a long cultural and literary tradition that has celebrated loneliness in many forms. Through the framework of Hannah Arendt's conceptualisation of loneliness, and using Radtke’s graphic novel as a companion piece to the tv series, this presentation wants to explore the hypothesis that, perhaps, “depression is the prime, and only, form of loneliness in this hyper-connected world”, and that BoJack Horseman offers a rare and intrinsic view into this destructive affect and what is particularly 'American' about it. Furthermore, this presentation will show how BoJack’s ‘dysphoria’ (a term borrowed from Dominic Fox)——the state in which one is incapable of taking pleasure in the world——and accompanying loneliness are facilitated through capitalism, American societal structures, and the city-/mediascape of Los Angeles. However, BoJack Horseman also offers a potential solution to this American loneliness in the form of ‘disengagement’ (Fox 2009), which will be the final exploration of this presentation.

Authors:
Reuben Martens, University of Waterloo, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Reuben Martens is an AMTD Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo (Canada). His general interests range across the energy humanities, critical infrastructure studies, and film studies.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/reubenmartens/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Reuben-Martens

Additional website of interest
https://reubenmartens.com

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