Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular CultureUniversity Press of Kentucky, 2014 M10 17 - 296 pages Americans are often accused of not appreciating history, but this charge belies the real popular interest in the past. Historical reenactments draw thousands of spectators; popular histories fill the bestseller lists; PBS, A&E and The History Channel air a dizzying array of documentaries and historical dramas; and Hollywood war movies become blockbusters. Though historians worry that these popular representations sacrifice authenticity for broad appeal, Michael C.C. Adams argues that living history—even if it is an incomplete depiction of the past—plays a vital role in stimulating the historical imagination. In Echoes of War, he examines how one of the most popular fields of history is portrayed, embraced, and shaped by mainstream culture. Adams argues that symbols of war are of intrinsic military significance and help people to articulate ideas and values. We still return to the knight as a symbol of noble striving; the bowman appeals as a rebel against unjust privilege. Though Custer may not have been the Army's most accomplished fighter, he achieved the status of cultural icon. The public memory of the redcoated British regular soldier shaped American attitudes toward governments and gun laws. The 1863 attack on Fort Wagner by the black Fifty-fourth Massachusetts regiment was lost to public view until racial equality became important in the late twentieth century. Echoes of War is a unique look at how a thousand years of military history are remembered in popular culture, through images ranging from the medieval knight to the horror of U.S. involvement in the My Lai massacre. |
From inside the book
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... chivalry 3 Panel from the Bayeux Tapestry 8 English longbowmen in action 12 Cromwell dissolves Parliament 51 Culloden reenactment 57 The Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 63 Lexington and Concord folklore version 84 The New Man 88 The ...
... chivalry continued to exercise a fascination for modern people, and helped frame their identities, even down to our own technological age. Although knighthood as a dominant military institution was waning by 1500, its images continue to ...
... chivalry never trod, like California, we have weddings in medieval attire, and annual Renaissance festivals, from Maine to Alaska. The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, held at Cornwall, is fairly typical, promising “400 years of fun for ...
... chivalry. Visitors enjoy a day with knights and their ladies in Bosworth Field. Brochure for the 1997 Elizabethan Time, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. A good place to start is the 1066 Battle of Hastings, which cemented ...
... chivalry, was developed to refine the violence of the warrior caste and confine it within humane limits that would work for the good of society. The knight, at least in theory, became an exemplar of honorable and magnanimous behavior ...
Other editions - View all
Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular Culture Michael C.C. Adams Limited preview - 2021 |
Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular Culture Michael C. C. Adams No preview available - 2002 |
Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular Culture Michael C.C. Adams No preview available - 2002 |