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 42
... stories of King Arthur and his knights are assumed to have been elaborated over a great period from a simple beginning. Now, however, an event like My Lai can enter the household vocabulary overnight and might stay in our cultural ...
... stories have been endlessly appealing, especially to youth, and have been partly the inspiration for the computer games that pit knights and ladies against trolls and demons. In 2001, Lord of the Rings was filmed for the second time and ...
... stories linked to 1485 illustrate different aspects of the hero quest and demonstrate that knighthood still has lessons to teach us. The first is Shakespeare's Richard III, which suggests that we can be ... story, and we view with horror a.
... story, and we view with horror a man whose hero quest has led him into the worst excesses and sealed his own fate. It is a cautionary tale and, played well, it leaves a lasting impression. But Shakespeare doesn't leave it here. He has ...
... story of the Round Table and Arthur's struggle to end the reign of brute force. The story thus takes us through the life cycle, from youthful idealism to the disillusion of middle age when it appears that much we had hoped for will not ...
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 |