Event overview
Sam Goodman (Exeter) - England’s Green, Unpleasant Land: Memory, Myth & National Identity in the novels of Ian Fleming.
British victory in the Second World War was a curious and confusing kind of triumph; the nation had won a war yet found itself destitute in the peace that followed. The prosperity and international standing of the Empire had been exchanged for the myth of moral victory over Nazi Germany. As the country became ever more indebted to the United States in the ensuing Cold War, the emphasis on myth, memory and territory grew stronger. This paper examines the memorial culture of the post-war literary world through the novels of Ian Fleming, particularly Moonraker (1955) and the later Goldfinger (1959). It argues that with the loss of the British Empire came a reconfiguration of national identity; instead of emphasis on the industrial communities that gave rise to British Imperial strength, the post-war focus was on developing areas of privilege and prosperity. Further, Fleming’s novels suggest an example of how, when desperate for securities in an uncertain political climate, Britain reverted to an image of a mythologized, sentimental past to face its future.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 2010 | 6:30pm - 8:00pm |
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