Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T13:17:22.722Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 21 - Monuments and Memorials

Memory Dissipated

from Part II - Settings and Subjects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2021

Tim Dayton
Affiliation:
Kansas State University
Mark W. Van Wienen
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
Get access

Summary

World War I triggered a memorial boom unparalleled in US history as constituencies of every stripe rushed to commemorate the role of “their boys” in the conflict. The memorials, numbering in the thousands, assumed both traditional forms and myriad new guises, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a host of unprecedented “useful memorials”—such as bridges, community centers, and football stadiums—whose commemorative suitability was hotly debated. “Great men” sculptures were eschewed while honor rolls of the dead became ubiquitous. Well-known artists created powerful sculptural memorials, including some that evinced disillusionment with the war, but most memorial sculpture—to the chagrin of the art world—comprised commercially produced doughboys, often in heroic poses. Despite their omnipresence, the memorials largely failed to fix the war’s place in American memory: No commemorative form could sufficiently compensate for the war’s ambiguous narrative and unsettled meaning, especially in the wake of US participation in the Second World War. The centennial period has brought renewed attention to World War I memorials and has catalyzed an effort to erect a national World War I memorial in Washington, DC.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×