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
Results 1-5 of 18
... 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 live in ...
... the wretched yokels and butchered them. The brutal battle continued all day, with William launching repeated assaults on the Saxon line. At least once again he staged a planned retreat to lure more of the inexperienced militiamen into.
... continued for several years, the heart went out of the English. Some said that Harold's death was a sign of God's displeasure at his defiance of the pope. William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day, 1066. The Norman Conquest ...
... continued to play an important role on the battlefield but, as the weapons of the foot improved, cavalry became less effective for offensive shock purposes and were relegated more to reconnaissance activities. By the American Civil War ...
... continued to carry lance and saber and to wait behind the front lines for the galloping breakthrough that never came. The French even continued to wear metal breastplates and ornately-crested brass helmets in a war dominated by ...
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 |