On Living in an Old Country: The National Past in Contemporary Britain / Edition 2

by Patrick Wright

Overview

The hulk of Henry VIII's flagship is raised from the seabed in an operation that captures the mind of the nation. An elderly lady whose ancient house is scheduled for demolition dismantles it, piece by piece, and moves it across the country. On Living in an Old Country probes such apparently fleeting and disconnected events in order to reveal how history lives on, not just in the specialist knowledge of historians, archaeologists and curators, but as a tangible presence permeating everyday life and shaping our sense of identity. It investigates the rise of "heritage" as expressed in literature, advertising, and political rhetoric as well as in conservation campaigns and urban development schemes, and it explores the relations between the idea of an imperilled national identity and the transformation of British society introduced by Margaret Thatcher. First published in 1985, this updated edition includes an extensive new preface and interview material reflecting on the ongoing debate about the heritage industry which the book helped to kick-start.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199541959
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	04/15/2009
Edition description:	Updated Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Patrick Wright is the author of a number of highly acclaimed best-selling history books, including The Village that Died for England, Tank (described by Simon Schama as "a tour de force"), and Iron Curtain (which John le Carre called "a work of wit, style and waggish erudition").

Table of Contents

Preface to the Oxford University Press edition: Heritage and the Place of Criticism
1. Introduction: Everyday Life, Nostalgia and the National Past
2. Trafficking in History
3. Coming Back to the Shores of Albion: The Secret England of Mary Butts (1890-1937)
4. A Blue Plaque for the Labour Movement? Some Political Meanings of the National Past
5. Falling Back Together in the Nineteen Eighties: The Continuing Voyage of the Mary Rose
6. Moving House in a Welfare State
7. The Ghosting of the Inner City
Afterword: Everyday Life and the Aura of the Modern Past
Appendix: Sneering at the Theme Parks: an Encounter with the Heritage Industry
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Patrick Wright is a sensitive, ultra-thoughtful explorer....With a large torch and copious notes he invites the reader to a number of meandering guided tours well off the main footpaths."—Tom Narin, The Guardian

"A quite exceptional and richly rewarding book....You won't feel the same about the Heritage Industry after this devastating series of iconoclastic reflections."—Colin Ward, Times Educational Supplement (UK)

"Wright is a brilliant analyst of cultural meanings and has uncovered a central truth about the force of nostalgia in modern England."—Paul Addison, London Review of Books

"In a rich and suggestive series of essays Patrick Wright explores the ways in which history itself has become the most powerful source of contemporary meanings about what Britain is and what it is to be British."—Stuart Hall

"An intriguing exploration of heritage, history, and modern society."—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher