The American Historical Imaginary

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.
 
 

The American Historical Imaginary: Contested Narratives of the Past in Mass Culture analyzes the shared understanding of America’s past that is formed through entertainment, education, and politics. Caroline Guthrie examines our historical imaginary and argues it is crucial to understanding our national identity.
 

CAROLINE GUTHRIE teaches with the department of communication and the women’s and gender studies program at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
 

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
 

"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."

“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.” 

"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."

“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.”