Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular CultureUniversity Press of Kentucky, 2021 M10 21 - 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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... Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 Lexington and Concord folklore version The New Man The beleaguered Alamo garrison Storming Fort Wagner Mourners at Stonewall Jackson's grave Civil War reenactors Custer's Last Fight American artillery ...
... in Cuba Allied bombing in World War II Roundup and Questioning of Villagers The ban on the ungodly Maps The Battle of Naseby The Charge of the Light Brigade Preface Citizens Who Quest (For Knowledge) Although it is often.
... battle was freighted with symbolic meaning, often as a model of character. But chapter 5 argues that, as cultural needs changed in the twentieth century, the earlier figure of manliness came to carry different and more negative symbolic ...
... battle. The final chapter looks at what this has meant for the veterans who often feel somewhat out of place in society. It also considers how innocence shapes the way many in society perceive war and how their perceptions affect the ...
... Battle of Agincourt or the Alamo. Each cassette may be viewed as an archaeological artifact from a specific chronological layering, revealing what a particular age did with the event. The same thing can be done with books, once you have ...
Other editions - View all
Echoes of War: A Thousand Years of Military History in Popular Culture Michael C.C. Adams Limited preview - 2014 |
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 |