Editorial Reviews
Review
“Hodson justly points out that Lawrence's legend, both in its popular and its elite forms, is as much an American as a British creation. The 'ultimate commercial entertainment of its time' in its use of adult-education lecture, vaudeville, film and photographs, Lowell Thomas's romantic presentation of Lawrence was eventually seen by millions....Recommended.”–Choice
“This thought-provoking study is exceedingly well researched...Hodson, in this insightful, interesting, and well-written study, demonstrates convincingly and conclusively that 'the popular manifestation of the Lawrence of Arabia legend owes much to its American beginnings and propagation'.”–British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
Book Description
Departing from prior scholarship on T. E. Lawrence, this work examines the extent of Anglo-American cultural interplay and the popular culture machinery involved in the manufacture of the Lawrence of Arabia legend. Although not recognized as such, the Lawrence legend was as much an American product as a British one. American journalist Lowell Thomas first publicized the story through war travelogues given in New York City, which soon found their way to England. The legend was perpetuated by American literary interest in Lawrence and then by a Hollywood film. By the 1960s, the Lawrence of Arabia story had become a small commercial industry.
Lawrence of Arabia and American Culture : The Making of a Transatlantic Legend (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture)
Lawrence of Arabia and American Culture : The Making of a Transatlantic Legend (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture),Joel C. Hodson,Greenwood Press,0313296170,(Thomas Edward),,1888-1935,20th century,Anthropology - Cultural,Archaeology / Anthropology,Biography,Campaigns,General,Great Britain,Historiography,History,History and criticism,Lawrence, T. E,Lawrence, T. E. (Thomas Edward), 1888-1935,Literature: Classics,Middle East,Popular Culture - General,Popular culture,Soldiers,United States,World War, 1914-1918,Social Science / Popular Culture
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