04781nam 2200793 a 450 991078350310332120230912133404.01-282-86173-597866128617340-7735-7179-510.1515/9780773571792(CKB)1000000000244840(SSID)ssj0000277271(PQKBManifestationID)11214332(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000277271(PQKBWorkID)10234279(PQKB)10230938(CaPaEBR)400066(CaBNvSL)gtp00521349(Au-PeEL)EBL3330673(CaPaEBR)ebr10132856(CaONFJC)MIL286173(OCoLC)929120855(DE-B1597)657481(DE-B1597)9780773571792(VaAlCD)20.500.12592/t50498(schport)gibson_crkn/2009-12-01/1/400066(MiAaPQ)EBC3330673(MiAaPQ)EBC3243459(EXLCZ)99100000000024484020041104d2004 uy 0engurcn|||||||||txtccrBeware the British serpent[electronic resource] the role of writers in British propaganda in the United States, 1939-1945 /Robert CalderMontreal ;Ithaca, [N.Y.] McGill-Queen's University Press2004xiv, 311 p., [6] p. of plates illIncludes index.0-7735-2688-9 Includes bibliographical references (p. [289]-300) and index.Front Matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Illustrations -- The Yanks Aren’t Coming -- The Strangling Old School Tie -- The Magic of the Word -- Making the War Seem Personal -- Uncoordinated Observations -- One God-Damned Thing after Another -- A Sad Story of Official Duplicity -- Unheralded Ambassadors from England -- Thrilling and Dramatic Fiction -- A Friendly Intruder in a Non-Belligerent World -- The Most Gigantic Engines of Propaganda -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- IndexUsing newly uncovered archival material, Calder offers provocative new insights into the war work of more than forty prominent British authors, focusing particularly on Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, H.G. Wells, Vera Brittain, and J.B. Priestley. He provides a comprehensive analysis of the suspicions beneath the wartime Anglo-American alliance and describes the tensions that arose between the British Ministry of Information and the Foreign Office over the nature and direction of the propaganda campaign in the United States.Calder demonstrates that Britain's well-organized propaganda campaign in the United States to persuade it to enter World War I had left isolationist and Anglophobic Americans highly suspicious of anything that hinted of propaganda. Any effort to influence public opinion had therefore to be carefully and subtly undertaken, and the British Government soon realised that well-known authors - employed officially or semi-officially - were ideal for the task. Respected for their pens, they were especially suited to reminding Americans of their strongest links with Britain - a common language and a shared cultural heritage of Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Thackeray, and others. As well, their profession had often led them to tour, speak, write, and live in America, and, because they could live on their royalties and speaking fees, they were not on the payroll of the British government and thus could not be identified as paid foreign agents.Authors, English20th centuryPolitical and social viewsEnglish literaturePolitical aspectsPropaganda, BritishUnited StatesHistory20th centuryWorld War, 1939-1945Literature and the warWorld War, 1939-1945PropagandaWorld War, 1939-1945United StatesGuerre mondiale, 1939-1945PropagandePropagande britannique?Etats-UnisHistoire20e si?ecleAuthors, EnglishPolitical and social views.English literaturePolitical aspects.Propaganda, BritishHistoryWorld War, 1939-1945Literature and the war.World War, 1939-1945Propaganda.World War, 1939-1945Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945Propagande.Propagande britanniqueHistoire940.54/88673Calder Robert1941-196580MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910783503103321Beware the British serpent3868480UNINA