The American Military in Fiction Since 1945

To determine if fictional portrayal of the military reflects & helps shape public attitudes, 107 novels written about the US military since WWII are analyzed. Sentiment was primarily antimilitary following WWII, but became increasingly promilitary over time, until the Vietnam War, when antimilit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Armed forces and society 1983-07, Vol.9 (4), p.647-663
Main Author: McPHERSON, KAREN A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ARMED FORCES AND POLICE
ATTITUDES
Fiction
Military/Militarism/Militarization/ Militarist/ Militarists
Novel/Novels/Novelist/Novelists
SOCIETY AS A WHOLE
UNITED STATES, 1945 TO PRESENT
United States/US
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Summary:To determine if fictional portrayal of the military reflects & helps shape public attitudes, 107 novels written about the US military since WWII are analyzed. Sentiment was primarily antimilitary following WWII, but became increasingly promilitary over time, until the Vietnam War, when antimilitary sentiment reemerged; the latter view dominates current fiction. Similar patterns are seen in literary views of military individuals & in PO. Individual time frames & works are examined, & a current trend of fading antimilitarism & its possible effects are noted. 8 Tables, 6 Figures, 2 Appendixes. J. Cannon.
ISSN:0095-327X
1556-0848
DOI:10.1177/0095327X8300900407