Creating Memory

This book considers the English Civil Wars and the civil wars in Scotland and Ireland through the lens of historical fictionprimarily fiction for the young. The text argues that the English Civil War lies at the heart of English and Irish political identities and considers how these identities have been shaped over the past three centuries in part by the children's literature that has influenced the popular memory of the English Civil War. Examining nearly two hundred works of historical fiction, Farah Mendlesohn reveals the delicate interplay between fiction and history.

Utilises historical fiction as a framework to explore popular memory of the English Civil Wars Focuses particularly on how fiction for the young has shaped readers' understanding of the wars Considers how changes in historiography and cultural shifts influence the way historical events are interpreted

Autorentext
Farah Mendlesohn is Associate Fellow of The Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy, UK. She has a PhD in History, focusing on the Spanish Civil War She was Professor and Head of Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University, from 2012-2017. Previous books include Rhetorics of Fantasy (2009) and Diana Wynne Jones: The Fantastic Tradition and Children's Literature (2009).

Zusammenfassung

"In this book, a reader gets discussion of many rare works of fiction, which are nowadays hard to procure. ... The meticulous work of bringing hundreds of post-English Civil Wars historical fiction (popular & unloved) at one place for discussion is what makes this effort praiseworthy and unique. This comprehensive book is a must-have for the readers, researchers and scholars of historical fiction in general and English Civil Wars in particular." (Prashant Maurya, Rethinking History, August 6, 2021)

Inhalt

1. The English Civil War.- 2. Selecting the Historical Fiction.- 3. As We Understand History, So We Understand Fiction.- 4. The Cultural Landscape of the Civil Wars.- 5. Great Men and Great Battles.- 6. Men and Women.- 7. Religion.- 8. By the Sword Divided.- 9. The War of the Three Kingdoms.- 10. The Commonwealth and the Protectorate.- 11. The Restoration.- 12. Conclusion.