The Adventure Illusion dismantles one of contemporary culture's most seductive myths: that life itself should be an epic journey of trials, transformation, and triumph.
The call to adventure saturates domains ranging from media to marketing, politics to business, and tourism to therapy. Drawing on existentialist philosophy, narrative theory, and cultural critique, this book reveals how the hero's journey has evolved from ancient mythology and medieval romance to a modern ideology that promises meaning and destiny where none inherently exist. Adventure's hidden costs are exposed through rigorous philosophical argument and detailed analyses of video games, corporate advertisements, social media behavior, and more. Across a variety of domains, adventure consistently fosters unattainable expectations, individualizes systemic problems, legitimizes violence through redemptive narratives, and forces marginalized lives into supporting roles.
Against both rigid life scripts and postmodern chaos, The Adventure Illusion proposes adventurelessness – a liberating acceptance of contingency and plurality beyond the demand for heroic purpose. At once philosophically precise and culturally urgent, this work challenges readers to imagine stories and lives that no longer need quests to matter.
- 233 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
About this book
Information
Topic
PhilosophySubtopic
Existentialism in PhilosophyTable of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Figure
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The Same Old Story
- 2 Addicted to Adventures
- 3 Adventures Do Not Exist
- 4 Harnessed and Deceived
- 5 Minor Characters
- 6 The Origin Story of Stories
- 7 The Tale of Adventure
- 8 A World Without Plot
- 9 Storytelling and Identity
- 10 In Search of Better Stories
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1.5 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.5M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1.5 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access The Adventure Illusion by Simon Gusman,Arjen Kleinherenbrink in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Existentialism in Philosophy. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.