The impact of Historical Fiction on popular culture. (Introduction)
Comedy and satire have always ranked high in my estimation as a medium for learning. The Blackadder series was my first contact with the sharp and funny side of historical fiction. Since then I have encountered a few such works which corresponded to a particular vision of History.
Very few of them, however, dealt with the sordidness and ignominy of the First and Second World Wars (uppermost within human memory of war).
My curiosity was sparked as a result of watching the Blackadder series, and encouraged me to substantiate my visions of satirical Historical accounts further.
One of my English teacher in terminale L, in the course a similar exercise (which consisted in presenting a TV series), introduced me to another tremendously popular British Sitcom: Dad's Army.
In Dad's Army, we follow the adventures (or rather misadventures) of a platoon of the British Home Guards during WWII. Cost what it might, I will attempt to write a commentary on both Dad's Army's and Blackadder's finales for there is a striking and uncanny resemblance between them I would like to write about.
Before I write a proper article on the subject aforementioned, allow me to quote a passage from a short story written by Hector Hugh Munro (best known as 'Saki').
Saki is by far one of my favorite authors (I will restrain from digressing and explaining why that is), his wit and mastery of satire are uniquely brilliant and he was sadly one of the countless a casualties of the First World War. I am convinced that, had he not been shot dead by a German soldier, he would have written fantastic novel on the war.
This is a passage from the short story "The Square Egg, (A Badger's-eye view of the war mud in the trenches)"
"Assuredly a badger is the animal that one most resembles in this trench warfare, that drab-coated creature of the twilight and darkness, digging, burrowing, listening; keeping itself as clean as possible under unfavorable circumstances, fighting tooth and nail on occasion for possession of a few yards of honeycombed earth"
Dad's Army
If you're interested in watching the series, the episodes can be found HERE on YouTube.
My curiosity was sparked as a result of watching the Blackadder series, and encouraged me to substantiate my visions of satirical Historical accounts further.
One of my English teacher in terminale L, in the course a similar exercise (which consisted in presenting a TV series), introduced me to another tremendously popular British Sitcom: Dad's Army.
In Dad's Army, we follow the adventures (or rather misadventures) of a platoon of the British Home Guards during WWII. Cost what it might, I will attempt to write a commentary on both Dad's Army's and Blackadder's finales for there is a striking and uncanny resemblance between them I would like to write about.
Before I write a proper article on the subject aforementioned, allow me to quote a passage from a short story written by Hector Hugh Munro (best known as 'Saki').
Saki is by far one of my favorite authors (I will restrain from digressing and explaining why that is), his wit and mastery of satire are uniquely brilliant and he was sadly one of the countless a casualties of the First World War. I am convinced that, had he not been shot dead by a German soldier, he would have written fantastic novel on the war.
This is a passage from the short story "The Square Egg, (A Badger's-eye view of the war mud in the trenches)"
"Assuredly a badger is the animal that one most resembles in this trench warfare, that drab-coated creature of the twilight and darkness, digging, burrowing, listening; keeping itself as clean as possible under unfavorable circumstances, fighting tooth and nail on occasion for possession of a few yards of honeycombed earth"
Dad's Army
If you're interested in watching the series, the episodes can be found HERE on YouTube.
Very striking quote by Saki; the comparison between the badger and the soldier in the trenches is inspiring.
RépondreSupprimerI look forward to your comparison of “Black Adder goes forth” and “Dad’s Army” as satirical fictional evocations of the histories of WW1 and WW2