Who Owned Waterloo?

Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852

AvLuke Reynolds

Inbunden, Engelska, 2022

1 319 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar. Fri frakt över 249 kr.

Fler format och utgåvor

Häftad

377 kr

Beskrivning

Between 1815 and the Duke of Wellington's death in 1852, the Battle of Waterloo became much more than simply a military victory. While other countries marked the battle and its anniversary, only Britain actively incorporated the victory into their national identity, guaranteeing that it would become a ubiquitous and multi-layered presence in British culture. By examining various forms of commemoration, celebration, and recreation, Who Owned Waterloo? demonstrates that Waterloo's significance to Britain's national psyche resulted in a different kind of war altogether: one in which civilian and military groups fought over and established their own claims on different aspects of the battle and its remembrance. By weaponizing everything from memoirs, monuments, rituals, and relics to hippodramas, panoramas, and even shades of blue, veterans pushed back against civilian claims of ownership; English, Scottish, and Irish interests staked their claims; and conservatives and radicals duelled over the direction of the country. Even as ownership was contested among certain groups, large portions of the British population purchased souvenirs, flocked to spectacles and exhibitions, visited the battlefield itself, and engaged in a startling variety of forms of performative patriotism, guaranteeing not only the further nationalization of Waterloo, but its permanent place in nineteenth century British popular and consumer culture.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2022-06-18
Mått:160 x 240 x 20 mm
Vikt:542 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:272
Förlag:OUP OXFORD
ISBN:9780192864994
Utmärkelser:Winner, Society for Military History 2023 Distinguished Book Award, First Book Category Runner Up for the Society for Army Historical Research 2023 Best First Book Prize

Utforska kategorier

Mer om författaren

Luke Reynolds received his PhD from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and also holds degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, Hunter College, CUNY, and the University of Cambridge. A born-and-raised New Yorker, he is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut's Stamford Campus.

Recensioner i media

Who owned Waterloo? covers a great deal of ground in a relatively short space and without ever feeling too compressed. Reynolds writes very well: his prose is lively and free of jargon, so that this is a monograph which can be read for pleasure as well as information. He shows great skill in selecting examples to explore in detail, while never losing sight of the wider picture, and his judgment is confident and convincing. This is an important book which explains a great deal about the way that memories of Waterloo contributed to Britain's understanding of her place in the world in the decades following the battle, and, by implication, how other countries in other times shape their own self-image.

Innehållsförteckning

Introduction: 'The Ever-Memorable Battle of Waterloo' 1: 'The most uncomfortable heap of glory that I ever had a hand in': Histories and Memoirs 2: 'The great English pilgrimage': Battlefield Tourism, Relics, and Ownership of the Field 3: 'Demonstrations of true British feeling and exultation': Annual Commemorations 4: 'The fullest instruction on a subject so illustrious': Exhibitions 5: 'Grand Military and National Spectacle': Waterloo on Stage and Canvas 6: 'To commemorate the English character': Monuments and Material Culture Epilogue: 'The last great Englishman is low': The Funeral of the Duke of Wellington Appendix: Military Plays and Hippodramas before and after Waterloo

Häftad

331 kr