Description
This is not a book about Winston Churchill. It is not principally about his politics, nor his rhetorical imagination, nor even about the man himself. Instead, it addresses the varied afterlives of the man and the persistent, deeply located compulsion to bring him back from the dead, capturing and explaining the significance of the various Churchill myths to Britain's history and current politics. The authors look at Churchill's portrayal in social memory. They demonstrate the ways in which politicians have often used the idea of Churchill as a means of self-validation - using him to show themselves as tough and honest players. They show the man dramatized in film and television - an onscreen persona that is often the product of a gratuitous mixing of fact and fantasy, one deliberately shaped to meet the preferences of the presumed audience. They discuss his legacy in light of the Brexit debate - showing how public figures on both sides of the Leave/Remain debate were able to use elements of Churchill's words and character to argue for their own point-of-view.
About the Author
Steven Fielding is Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of a number of books, including A State of Play: British Politics on Screen, Stage and Page, from Anthony Trollope to The Thick of It (2014), and is currently writing The Labour Party: from Callaghan to Corbyn. Bill Schwarz is Professor of Modern Literature and History at Queen Mary University of London. He is completing a three-volume study for OUP, Memories of Empire, the first volume of which received the Longman/History Today prize in 2013, and has been an editor of History Workshop Journal since 1989. Richard Toye is Professor of Modern British History at the University of Exeter. His books include Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness (2007), Churchill's Empire: The World That Made Him and the World He Made (2010), and The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II (2013). Winston Churchill: A Life in the News is forthcoming from OUP in 2020.
Reviews
A valuable exploration of the myths that began gathering around Churchill as early as 1940 and that steadily thickened (aided and abetted by Churchill himself), not only for the rest of his long life but after his death as well. * R. A. Callahan, CHOICE *
A fascinating book. * David Aaronovitch, journalist and columnist for The Times *
In 'The Churchill Myths', the historians Bill Schwarz, Richard Toye and Steven Fielding offer up a scorching indictment of our prime minister. * Nathan Yeowell, The Times *
The Churchill Myths is one of the best books about Brexit and English self-delusion out there. * Nick Cohen, journalist, author and political commentator *
Agreeably provocative [and] opinionated ... There is much good and even original stuff in [this book]. * Anne Chisholm, Times Literary Supplement *
The Churchill Myths is a fascinating, insightful, and often challenging read. * Alastair Stewart, Finest Hour, the journal of the International Churchill Society *
As the title makes clear, this book is concerned with the myths, plural, of Churchill. The authors demonstrate how different Churchills are summoned to speak both for and to the nation at particular historical moments. There is no central body adjudicating how the figure of Churchill is brought to bear on contemporary events. Politicians, academics, journalists, writers, directors, and cultural institutions, such as the BBC, are the cast of characters who sculpt the social memory of Churchill. For the most part, the authors avoid trying to rule on the accuracy of these myths, although sometimes it proves necessary. * Satya Gunput, Twentieth Century British History *
The Churchill Myths is a brilliantly provocative take-down of the Churchill industry. Fielding, Schwarz, and Toye show how and why British history has so often been crystalized into the story of one man. By taking a hammer to the legend, not Britain's wartime prime minister himself, they allow us to do the near impossible and see Churchill afresh. * Richard Aldous, Bard College, Author of Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship *
Churchill remains a complex and fascinating figure. This fresh study of Churchill's position in political and popular culture since 1940 provides a substantial reassessment of Churchill and his legend. Written by major historians it is both scholarly and accessible to a wide readership. * Chris Wrigley, emeritus professor, University of Nottingham *
A good and impressive book ... Its attempt at de-mythologizing [Churchill] allows us to raise new questions. * Christian Egander Skov, Altinget *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198851967
Author Steven Fielding
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 221mm * 147mm * 20mm
About the Author
Steven Fielding is Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of a number of books, including A State of Play: British Politics on Screen, Stage and Page, from Anthony Trollope to The Thick of It (2014), and is currently writing The Labour Party: from Callaghan to Corbyn. Bill Schwarz is Professor of Modern Literature and History at Queen Mary University of London. He is completing a three-volume study for OUP, Memories of Empire, the first volume of which received the Longman/History Today prize in 2013, and has been an editor of History Workshop Journal since 1989. Richard Toye is Professor of Modern British History at the University of Exeter. His books include Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness (2007), Churchill's Empire: The World That Made Him and the World He Made (2010), and The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II (2013). Winston Churchill: A Life in the News is forthcoming from OUP in 2020.
Reviews
A valuable exploration of the myths that began gathering around Churchill as early as 1940 and that steadily thickened (aided and abetted by Churchill himself), not only for the rest of his long life but after his death as well. * R. A. Callahan, CHOICE *
A fascinating book. * David Aaronovitch, journalist and columnist for The Times *
In 'The Churchill Myths', the historians Bill Schwarz, Richard Toye and Steven Fielding offer up a scorching indictment of our prime minister. * Nathan Yeowell, The Times *
The Churchill Myths is one of the best books about Brexit and English self-delusion out there. * Nick Cohen, journalist, author and political commentator *
Agreeably provocative [and] opinionated ... There is much good and even original stuff in [this book]. * Anne Chisholm, Times Literary Supplement *
The Churchill Myths is a fascinating, insightful, and often challenging read. * Alastair Stewart, Finest Hour, the journal of the International Churchill Society *
As the title makes clear, this book is concerned with the myths, plural, of Churchill. The authors demonstrate how different Churchills are summoned to speak both for and to the nation at particular historical moments. There is no central body adjudicating how the figure of Churchill is brought to bear on contemporary events. Politicians, academics, journalists, writers, directors, and cultural institutions, such as the BBC, are the cast of characters who sculpt the social memory of Churchill. For the most part, the authors avoid trying to rule on the accuracy of these myths, although sometimes it proves necessary. * Satya Gunput, Twentieth Century British History *
The Churchill Myths is a brilliantly provocative take-down of the Churchill industry. Fielding, Schwarz, and Toye show how and why British history has so often been crystalized into the story of one man. By taking a hammer to the legend, not Britain's wartime prime minister himself, they allow us to do the near impossible and see Churchill afresh. * Richard Aldous, Bard College, Author of Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship *
Churchill remains a complex and fascinating figure. This fresh study of Churchill's position in political and popular culture since 1940 provides a substantial reassessment of Churchill and his legend. Written by major historians it is both scholarly and accessible to a wide readership. * Chris Wrigley, emeritus professor, University of Nottingham *
A good and impressive book ... Its attempt at de-mythologizing [Churchill] allows us to raise new questions. * Christian Egander Skov, Altinget *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198851967
Author Steven Fielding
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 221mm * 147mm * 20mm
