Television Histories: Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age

Edgerton, Gary R.

ISBN 10: 0813190568 / ISBN 13: 9780813190563

Published by University Press of Kentucky, 2003

About this Item

Television has become the primary source of historical information for tens of millions of Americans. This book poses the questions: Why has television become such a respected authority? and what falsehoods enter our collective memories as truths? Editor(s): Edgerton, Gary R.; Rollins, Peter C. Num Pages: 392 pages, 61 photographs. BIC Classification: 1KBB; APT; HB; JFD. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 224 x 176 x 21. Weight in Grams: 516. . 2003. 2 Sub. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780813190563

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Television Histories: Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813190568
• ISBN 13: 9780813190563
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

From Ken Burns's documentaries to historical dramas such as Roots, from A&E's Biography series to CNN, television has become the primary source for historical information for tens of millions of Americans today. Why has television become such a respected authority? What falsehoods enter our collective memory as truths? How is one to know what is real and what is imagined―or ignored―by producers, directors, or writers?

Gary Edgerton and Peter Rollins have collected a group of essays that answer these and many other questions. The contributors examine the full spectrum of historical genres, but also institutions such as the History Channel and production histories of such series as The Jack Benny Show, which ran for fifteen years. The authors explore the tensions between popular history and professional history, and the tendency of some academics to declare the past "off limits" to nonscholars. Several of them point to the tendency for television histories to embed current concerns and priorities within the past, as in such popular shows as Quantum Leap and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. The result is an insightful portrayal of the power television possesses to influence our culture.

About the Author

Peter C. Rollins is Regents Professor Emeritus of English and American Film Studies at Oklahoma State University and is former editor of the journal Film & History. He is the coeditor of numerous books, including Hollywood's Indian: The Portrayal of the Native American in Film.