The American Historical Imaginary
Contested Narratives of the Past
Caroline Guthrie (Author)
9781978818811
Hardback, published 14 October 2022
162 pages, 10 b&w images
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.059 kg
"For anyone interested in why our national myths have been so intractable, despite constant historical evidence to the contrary, Guthrie's American Historical Imaginary is a must read. Combining skillful close readings of mass cultural texts that engage traumatic historical events of the past, with a bold and ambitious theoretical argument about the centrality of mass culture as the terrain upon which the meanings of the past are negotiated and renegotiated, Guthrie's text is nothing short of pathbreaking."
— Alison Landsberg, author of Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge
"This is a must-read for those interested in understanding the prominent roles that media corporations play in shaping the collective historical imagination, as well as the various strategies that film and media makers implement to critically intervene and challenge the historical status quo."
— Novotny Lawrence, co-editor of Beyond Blaxploitation
In The American Historical Imaginary: Contested Narratives of the Past in Mass Culture Caroline Guthrie examines the American relationship to versions of the past that are known to be untrue and asks why do these myths persist, and why do so many people hold them so dear? To answer these questions, she examines popular sites where fictional versions of history are formed, played through, and solidified. From television's reality show winners and time travelers, to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, to the movies of Quentin Tarantino, this book examines how mass culture imagines and reimagines the most controversial and painful parts of American history. In doing so, Guthrie explores how contemporary ideas of national identity are tied to particular versions of history that valorize white masculinity and ignores oppression and resistance. Through her explanation and analysis of what she calls the historical imaginary, Guthrie offers new ways of attempting to combat harmful myths of the past through the imaginative engagements they have dominated for so long.
Introduction
Chapter One: History's Reality Competitions
Chapter Two: Time Travel Television Series
Chapter Three: American History at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Chapter Four: The European Legacy and American Future at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Chapter Five: Quentin Tarantino's Alternate Histories
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Works Cited
Index
