Vietnam and Other American Fantasies
By H. Franklin and H. Bruce Franklin
University of Massachusetts Press
There is now fairly widespread acknowledgment that the Vietnam War shattered many of the traditional narratives central to formerly prevailing vision of the United States and its history. Some people regret this and seek to restore old narratives that they consider essential to a unifying national identity, but their mighty efforts are unlikely to put Humpty Dumpty together again. Others see this shattering as a liberation from dangerous illusions, a wake-up call that forced millions of Americans toward more truthful and beneficial narratives about American history and culture. There is a third view, one that has gained considerable influence in intellectual circles, that sees any "master narrative" or "meta-narrative"--or, for that matter, any coherently structured narrative--as a socially constructed fantasy that radically falsifies the fragmentary, conflicted, and de-centered character of social experience. Although in this book the author does not engage in overt arguments about narrative theory, he does operate from a theoretical position that highly values narratives, especially coherently structures narratives--including some forms of fantasy--as crucial to comprehending, within our human limits, human reality.
An all inclusive cultural history of the Vietnam War and its continuing impact upon contemporary American society.'—Library Journal
'Coming to terms with the Vietnam War—the war that America lost—has been a long, grueling struggle, mired by historical denial and distortion and, as Franklin so formidably reveals, myths that have become entrapped in American culture. He presents a scholarly, yet personal and lucid investigation of how these myths evolved and why people depend upon them to answer the confusing questions that have become the legacy of the war.'—ForeWord
'Franklin has written on other subjects over the years, but Vietnam has inspired some of his most probing work. . . . Cogent cultural criticism.'—Booklist
'Memories change and reconstruct the past, and in this provocative study, Rutgers cultural historian Franklin argues that the American memory of Vietnam has left fact and experience behind so that what remains is myth and denial.'—Publishers Weekly
'A brilliant reinterpretation of the Vietnam War, showing how this dreadful war continues to infect the political imagination of America. Of particular value is Franklin's unique capacity to link the fantasies of science fiction with the construction of grotesque political myths glorifying warrior illusions. At a time when the mainstream is struggling to put a silver lining around the collective memory of the Vietnam War, this book is indispensable.'—Richard Falk, Princeton University
'What marks this provocative and engaging book is H. Bruce Franklin's steadfast resistance to a society that takes 'plausible deniability' as its first principle. The range of subjects considered, Franklin's clear-headed analysis, and his impressive knowledge all make this an important contribution.'—Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945–1990
H. Bruce Franklin is the John Cotton Dana Professor of English and American Studies at Rutgers University in Newark. Among his books are M.I.A. or Myth-making in America and War Stars: The Superweapon and the American Imagination.
