Popular culture, by definition, is the culture based on the tastes of ordinary people rather than an educated elite. Coined in the 19th century, popular culture is, in general, recognised as a set of practices, beliefs and objects that are dominant or ever-present in a society at a given point in time. Popular culture has the power to influence members of societies to have certain opinions and beliefs on given subjects. With the power of the media, television and film, popular culture is intensely present in most people’s lives across the globe. The use of History in popular culture is an important commodity used to shape peoples’ opinions of not only the past, but present days’ attitudes. This essay will show examples of History used in popular culture and confront the different reasons as to ‘why History is used in popular culture?’.
History in popular culture is both entertaining and educational. Popular culture uses History as a base to focus, mainly through the use of cinema and television. ‘Historical film’, whether it is focusing on a person or an event, proves to be ever popular to the general masses. An example of this is the works of William Shakespeare. Henry V, a sixteenth century play, based on a historic figure has been recycled by popular culture within cinema in 1944, 1989 and 2012. This is an example in showing the proof that History in popular culture is an effective tool in educating and entertaining the masses, and has been for centuries.
The Tudors are one of Britain’s most famous dynasty and with that they have become an intangible part of pop culture. The dynasty is ever present in television, film and literature attuned to appeal to every age group and level of education. The most famous monarch of the dynasty and arguably England is Henry VIII. Well known for having six wives, Henry VIII is a household names which more or less ever British citizen will have heard of.
The Tudors’ presence in pop culture has not only shaped general opinion of the dynasty and its monarchs, but has also altered opinions on heritage and prestigious landmarks. The most famous of these landmarks being the Tower of London. The Tower was built by the Normans and its purpose has been altered and changed throughout the centuries to fit the need of the ruling monarchs. Yet, when thinking of the Tower, popular opinion moves to its darker past, those of being used as a place of execution, mainly by Henry VIII. Two of the king’s wives were beheaded on the site, as well as some of his closest advisors and friends. Another example, Hampton Court. Hampton Court is a tourist destination visited to delve into the Tudors’ history and is seen by many to be a shrine to Henry VIII and his six wives, despite the kings and queens that have resided there after him.
Within literature, Henry VIII’s romance with Anne Boleyn has received its own sub-genre within fiction due to authors taking to paper to write romance novels about the pair. With titles such as ‘The Kiss of the Concubine’. Anne Boleyn’s role in History has proven to inspire fictional writers to delve more into her romantic life to create a narrative to her social History. This History is known little about as other than interpretations taken from primary resources, the historian can never understand fully the marriage and relationship that the King and Anne had. Popular culture allows this narrative to be imagined and explored through the use of fiction. Boleyn in the twenty-first century can be seen as a figure for feminism. The liberation of sexuality has become a symbol for women, to no longer be oppressed or held at a different standard than men. Anne Boleyn is portrayed as a powerful and conscious woman within novels such as ‘The Kiss of the Concubine’, which is liberating for its readers.
Children’s literature also uses History. The immense range of historical literature available to young minds is a display that History is as ever popular within society today. Series such as Horrible Histories offer a fun and simplified way for young children to be involved and learn a narrative of the past. Although the information is simplified, this is a way for History to be used in pop culture to educate the youth of today through entertaining them. Series such as Horrible Histories are not restricted by being literature, they have crossed over into television, making the information accessible to a greater mass of people. Children’s series such as Horrible Histories are able to use popular topics, such as the Tudors and make it entertaining for a young audience. Horrible Histories was also televised. The use of the ‘Terrible Tudors’ which was a large part of the Horrible Histories series made the History accessible to children and had them engage in both a television shows and literature that would be educational as well as entertaining. With the Tudors being a requirement in the English National curriculum, it would be hard for the use of the Tudors to be avoided in popular culture for the younger generations. To create literature and television shows that are both relevant and entertaining is a tool that has become essential in engaging young minds. Horrible Histories has aided in the old mnemonic about Henry’s wives, “divorced beheaded died; divorced beheaded survived” become something that is stapled into peoples’ minds. Childs puts forward that “The Tudors are very clearly defined for children”.
Historical dramas are becoming ever more a part of pop culture. In the UK, there are two free view history channels that offer historical documentaries. Although, with historical and period dramas becoming ever more popular, pop culture is shedding a new light on to History. For example, The Tudors. The Tudors is an American made series that also aired on BBC Two that shows the life of Henry VIII. The series won several awards and was very popular with the public. Despite historians’ criticising the show for its historical inaccuracies, Dr Borman (the Heritage Education Trust chief executive) praised the show for having “undoubtedly stimulated interest in British history”. Scholars such as Hunt believes that the use of History on television, such as these dramas, can be seen as an advancement of work by twentieth century scholars such as E.P. Thompson. Scholars such as E.P. Thompson encouraged the “unofficial knowledge”, wanting the study of History to exist outside of the rules created by academics. Popular culture’s use of History allows a wider audience to have some understanding of the past rather than being ignorant to it. Hunt claims that television is just the beginning of the process into obtaining a broader understanding of the past and that this is a purposeful result of pop culture using History. Hunt provides evidence of this: after the BBC Two/Open University series aired, on the English Civil War, Hunt received a significantly higher number of enquiries concerning the Open Universities courses on seventeenth century History.
In the Tudors, King Henry VIII never appeared to grow fat, despite sources suggesting he weighed over twenty stone at the time of his death. Inaccuracies such as these are described by Worsley as being “good for business”. The series in spite of these inaccuracies offered a view of the Tudors which made them ‘sexy’. The show was not shy of highlighting the King’s sex life, which is a reflection on popular culture. Television in general is becoming less PG with a larger acceptance of sexuality and a less frigid audience. Starkey’s PhD thesis used the King’s privy chamber as the area of interest, which would have proved unpopular a decade earlier. Starkey put forward the argument that the personal aspects of figures lives had become the most captivating of storytelling.
The political became the personal, and the personal made for compelling storytelling.
Historians interpret their sources to conclude a narrative. Within ‘The Tudors’, much like the romantic novels the women are seen to be sexually aware and liberated. Although the wives’ experiences are mainly with the King, no stigma is associated by being sexually active within their marriages, which is liberating and relates to the feminist message being pushed forward in present day. Pop culture offers a similar method, although in agreement with Starkey it is more the personal and intimate issues of historical events and figures that make for a good film, book or series.
The Tudors as a part of history is a great example as to how History is used in popular culture. It demonstrates how the past is not fixed, but instead can be made to encounter with the present to appeal to present day ideologies and interests. The fascination with parts of history and how we portray them is not just a window into our relationship with the past, but also popular culture. By history being used in popular culture, it allows the reader/viewer to delve into another world through their imagination, it offers an escape. The Tudors offer this with their mark still being present and visible within Britain. With palaces and housing still standing in the twenty-first century, using the Tudors offers an easy escape to audiences. Fancy dress costumes are readily available for all ages and are easily recognizable to the eye. In Victorian England’s popular culture, the Tudors were admired for example their architecture was taken and applied to new housing. The Tudor monarchs prided themselves on England being an independent nation from the continent and this has followed suit in their portrayal in popular culture. They have become an indispensable part of English History. The separation from the Catholic church is an example of this, a religious revolution. The use of History in popular culture inspires people to relate to their past, as well as this it is there to offer an education, despite how simple it may be.
The history of slavery and black lives is another prime example of how History is used in pop culture. Slavery is a history that is seen as shameful by the majority of the western world, more importantly the United States of America. It is a horrific part of American history, yet the presence and remembrance of it has remained present in popular culture. Hollywood over the years has produced numerous films that focus on the events of slavery and the lives of slaves. Productions such as 12 Years a Slave and ‘The Birth of a Nation’ (2016) have offered an insight to the world of the struggles and conditions slaves lived through. The use of History in popular culture has been mostly successful, but has also led to a difficult relationship with its’ audience. Films involving slavery made after the Civil Rights Movement more often than not offer a relationship between good and evil, the slaves being the good in the narrative. Whipping, torture and murder are just some examples of the violence that associate with slavery, which can more often than not be distressing for viewers. Despite the violence shown in films and series about slavery, the History of slavery has been portrayed throughout the twentieth and twenty first century. For example, Roots, a miniseries that first begun in the 1977 and was remade in 2016.
An example of contrast in popular culture from the early twentieth century to that in the late twentieth/early twenty-first century are the films ‘The Birth of a Nation’. In 1915, the history of slavery and racism was used to produce the film ‘The Birth of a Nation’. ‘The Birth of a Nation’ is a film that depicts different historical events, most shockingly the origin of the Ku Klux Klan whilst advocating white supremacy. In 1915, the film was immensely popular, but with changing attitudes towards race, the film is now seen as portraying a shameful part of America’s history. The civil rights movement during the twentieth century meant that a different perspective was able to take over pop culture. In 2016 the film was remade, in the viewpoint of a black slave, following his struggle as the protagonist of the film. The 2016 film offers a full insight to the horrors of slavery as well as showing a portrayal that is both spiritual and intellectual. Focusing on the use of spirituality to overcome the effects of slavery appeals to the American audience as polls suggest 69% of the population identify as Christian, and will therefore be able to relate to the religious motivation behind Turner in the film.
The dramatic shift in popular culture is reflected in Hollywood’s depiction of slavery. In 2013, ’12 Years a Slave’ was released, which was followed by multiple other projects on slavery. Moving with popular culture, the history of the adversity suffered by the slaves is no longer the focus in these projects, but instead the empowerment of breaking free from the slavers in taking over screens. Black power is a concept that was begun in the 1960s but has remained present in the fight for equality. With police shootings of unarmed black men in the United States being present in the media, the use of History to send out a message of empowerment and the fight for equality is incredibly powerful and moving for the audience. Hollywood is using history to influence its’ audience to have this opinion. 12 Years a Slave, was key in changing the narrative of slavery to one of empowerment. Dunbar states that “as brutal and difficult as that film was, it provided the audience with hope at the end,” going on to say “even with the degradation and humiliation of slavery, we see the black moral compass, we see black activism and black decency. Especially for this moment in time, it’s really important.”
‘Underground’, a prime time show based on slavery and the Underground Railroad was launched in the midst of racial tension in the United States. The makers of this series, WGN, are using the History of slavery as a response to these racist events in an attempt to encourage perseverance amongst the black community. “Over the past year and a half, two things have been converging,” Dunbar states, “People are interested in seeing black slavery through a different lens and a different voice. The current interest around racial and social justice are fuelling these works. People move backward to investigate and understand the direct correlation between the lack of humanity connected with black slavery with some of the racial and social issues we’re seeing today.” What Dunbar states coincides with the idea mentioned earlier in this essay, that the use of History offers a greater insight into present day thoughts and opinions than it does the History it is representing.
John Legend regarded ‘Underground’ as showing “the first integrated civil rights movement,” who was an executive producer on the series. The idea the the show, based on slavery, empowers not only black people, but white people alike offers an insight into what the show is trying to achieve in present day society. Off the back of the negative media concerning race, for example the 2016 Oscars being boycotted after accusations of being racist over their nominees and winners, a series has been released that aims to empower and unite people despite of their race. Joe Polaski, creator of the series stated “this show is empowering for everyone,” using a narrative of History to do so.
Slavery in literature became very popular post Civil War. In the nineteenth century works from Mark Twain most significantly ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ (1884). Although the runaway slave in the work of fiction fit into the stereotypical views of African Americans in the nineteenth century, being submissive and superstitious. This work offers us an insight to the popular culture that was present at the time, the use of History and historical events offers a timeline as to how and when popular culture and opinions change through time.
Significant literature works in the twentieth century by white authors include Styron’s book ‘The Confessions of Nat Turner’ (1967). The book deals with the deconstruction of the south after the Civil War, and also touches on the relationship between slaves and the lower classes of white people who were struck with poverty. The novel recreates the narrative of the 1831 slave revolt, much like the film adaptation ‘The Birth of a Nation’ (2016) focuses on religious visions appealing to the dominant religious audience that was America in 1967. The novel describes the experience of being a slave as being dehumanizing and brutal. Although with the Black power movement being in its’ early years at the time the novel was written, it faced back lash from African American’s due to Styron being a white man appropriating the black slaves experience. This again highlights the changing popular culture and how history is used to emphasise and reflect present feelings and attitudes.
The Tudors in popular culture offers an escape for the reader or the viewer. The sixteenth century is a time that has little effect on present day and therefore the narrative of the story offers little offense to the audience. However, in contrast, slavery is still a very raw area of history. Slavery in popular culture does not offer a way out and the narrative needs to be displayed carefully to not cause offence to the audience. With racism still being a problem across the globe, Hollywood has used History, through depictions of slavery, to try and promote equality.
The use of history in popular culture whether it be in the form of film, television or literature, as reinforced throughout this essay is most importantly used to reinforce current beliefs. ‘Underground’ is trying to enforce the view of equality by aiming to empower all of its audience no matter the race of the viewer. The Tudors literature and television dramas can be seen to be doing so. The feminist movement in the present day is pushing forward the idea that women should not be shy about their sexuality. By creating literature, using the story of Anne Boleyn to aid women in doing so by having a strong female character who does the same with King Henry VIII can be seen as liberating and forward thinking. The nudity and sex scenes associated with ‘The Tudors’ can also be seen as a portrayal of current day beliefs, a society that is no longer as frigid or prude when it comes to discussions of sex.
Another interesting use of history in popular culture is that it is used to engage the younger generations. People within education, mainly secondary school and below are not ignored from the use of history in their everyday television shows or literature. The use of shows such as Horrible Histories, open up the door for a different kind of learning for students. It allows visual learners to engage with history whilst being entertained. Although simple and comedic, Horrible Histories main use of History is to educate, whilst using elements of entertainment to make the content more engaging and easily remembered. This allows popular culture to spill over into the classroom.
History is used in pop culture to engage audiences for both educational and entertainment purposes. History has been a part of pop culture for centuries, as discussed earlier in reference to Shakespeare. History is used, and often manipulated within pop culture to fit into present day ideals and to reflect and reaffirm popular views held by the mass population. As earlier highlighted, slavery and the civil rights movement is a prime example of this use in popular culture. Manipulating narratives of the past allows for modern ideals to be inserted into the representation, despite the views not being present at the point in time being presented. Use of History in pop culture is often criticised by historians because of the sacrifice of historical accuracies due to prioritising entertainment rather than educational values. However, just by being an active part in pop culture, in spite of the historical inaccuracies, this use of History can offer a transformative learning experience as conceived by Mezirow (1991).