From Memory to History: Television Versions of the Twentieth Century

Description

Our understanding of history is often mediated by popular culture, and television series set in the past have provided some of our most indelible images of previous times. Yet such historical television programs always reveal just as much about the era in which they are produced as the era in which they are set; there are few more quintessentially late-90s shows thanThat ‘70s Show, for example. From Memory to Historytakes readers on a journey through over fifty years of historical dramas and sitcoms that were set in earlier decades of the twentieth century. Along the way, it explores how comedies likeM*A*S*HandHogan’s Heroesoffered veiled commentary on the Vietnam War, how dramas ranging likeMad Menechoed current economic concerns, and howThe AmericansandHalt and Catch Fireused the Cold War and the rise of the internet to reflect upon the present day. Cultural critic Jim Cullen is lively, informative, and incisive, and this book will help readers look at past times, present times, and prime time in a new light.