The Cultural Landscape of the Civil Wars

Abstract

Mendlesohn sets out to explore the marks left on the cultural landscape left by the Civil War. She enumerates the pubs dedicated to Charles II’s escape from Worcester, the Victoria story paintings that created the visual imagery of the war, the official and unofficial commemorations, and re-enactments, and the statues that set to claim the landscape. The chapter considers also the narratives and arguments that popular history books and museums set out to create across three countries, and reflecting the political allegiances and experiences of different regions. Mendlesohn argues that when we look at the stories that are being told, the Royalist narratives—whether paintings, pub signs, tourist stops, artwork and museums—convince by telling less, by offering little context and much imagery. In contrast, Parliamentarian sources of all types offer more detail, more politics, more context, and crucially, more discussion.