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

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. The leader of the Labour party wears an informal coat at the Cenotaph and provokes a national scandal. 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 popular television dramas, conservation campaigns, and urban development schemes. It explores the relations between the idea of an imperilled national identity and the transformation of British society introduced by Margaret Thatcher. This is the book that put 'heritage' on the map, opening one of the defining cultural and political debates of our time, and showing why conservation is a subject of such broad significance in contemporary Britain. This new 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:	9780191580093
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/26/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Patrick Wright is a writer and broadcaster with an interest in the cultural dimensions of modern life. He 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 described as 'a work of wit, style and waggish erudition.' He has written for many magazines and newspapers, including the London Review of Books, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Independent, and the Observer, and has made numerous documentaries on cultural themes for both BBC Radio 3 and 4. His television work includes The River, a four-part BBC2 series on the Thames. He is also a Professor at the Institute for Cultural Analysis at Nottingham Trent University, and a fellow of the London Consortium.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Oxford University Press edition: Heritage and the Place of Criticism1. Introduction: Everyday Life, Nostalgia and the National Past2. Trafficking in History3. 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 Past5. Falling Back Together in the Nineteen Eighties: The Continuing Voyage of the iMary Rose/i6. Moving House in a Welfare State7. The Ghosting of the Inner CityAfterword: Everyday Life and the Aura of the Modern PastAppendix: Sneering at the Theme Parks: an Encounter with the Heritage IndustryIndex

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