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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... warrior.” We might include here also the Star Wars sequence, which is in part a high-tech retelling of the Arthurian legends, with George Lucas in the role of graphics bard. The Jedi Knights are a variation upon the fellowship of the ...
... warriors enjoying a boar's head feast in the mead hall; New Age singer Enya dreams of dwelling in marble halls surrounded by vassals and serfs; and young people play medieval fantasy computer games such as Dungeons & Dragons or Ultima ...
... warrior) did not necessarily have to be the head of an estate, a widow might be able to retain title as her lord's vassal or mann, a generic Saxon term meaning a person. Similarly, women might hold office as king's counsellors or as ...
... warrior character of the Norman church. But, most importantly, the tapestry showcases the temporal knights, featuring their use of both the old overhead and the new underarm lance attacks. Light footmen are depicted occasionally, bowmen ...
... warrior world, the obligations of man to man matter most; the loyalty of a vassal or feu holder to his lord, and of ... warrior culture was rubbed off and manners became more polished. An etiquette of conduct, the code of chivalry, was ...
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 |