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Peter C. Rollins
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America Reflected: Language, Satire, Film, and the National Mind Kindle Edition

by Peter C. Rollins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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Eclectic criticism and insightful observations from “one of the most respected cultural historians working today” (Ronald A. Wells, Professor of History Emeritus, Calvin College).

“From cowboy philosopher Will Rogers to popular perceptions of two world wars and Vietnam, from the history of language to the language of film and television, Peter Rollins has devoted his career to exploring the intriguing ways in which the creative impulse both shapes and reflects American culture. His observations are fresh, illuminating and of enduring value.” —John E. O’Connor, co-founder/editor of Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies

“Examines the roles of language, satire, and film in reflecting the American consciousness through such diverse sources as Orestes Brownson, Benjamin Lee Whorf, Will Rogers, and Hollywood. Readers of America Reflected are in for a delightful voyage as they travel through American history and culture with Peter Rollins as their guide providing personal and scholarly insights into the shaping of the American mind.” —Ron Briley, editor of The Politics of Baseball: Essays on the Pastime and Power at Home and Abroad

“Even those who have known and admired Peter Rollins’s acclaimed works will here find enlightening surprises. Epistemology, language theory, war’s polemics, filmed history, and an array of significant creators of American culture are all elegantly displayed. This book will make you a wiser person and charm you while it does it.” —John Shelton Lawrence, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Morningside College

“Two decades ago I was privileged to work on a book, America Observed, with Alistair Cooke. Now we have America Reflected by Peter Rollins . . . Not only does Rollins make good observations about our lives and times, his reflections on a diverse set of subjects helps us to see the meanings of our observations.” —Ronald A. Wells, Professor of History Emeritus, Calvin College

“Rollins gathers together glimpses of our shared worlds, so that we may observe their interconnections across media, genres, and time. From down-home values and front-porch philosophy, to tales of wars and chronicles of lives, the subjects considered here are all part of the stories we tell about ourselves and our social worlds.” —Cynthia J. Miller, President, Literature/Film Association
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  5. Publication date
    October 15, 2021
  6. File size
    5443 KB
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CCMFXV8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Academia (October 15, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 15, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5443 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 857 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

About the author

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Peter C. Rollins

Peter C. Rollins

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Born in Brookline, MA and educated at Dartmouth (2yrs), Harvard (2yrs); after a 3-year tour as an infantry officer in the US Marines, back to Harvard for a Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization.

Taught at Oklahoma State University for 37 yrs, attaining the rank of Regents Professor. Toward end of teaching career, courses focused on motion pictures and their impact on society.

Publications can be summarized as "film and history studies," most of which were published by the UP of Kentucky, although the epic was The Columbia Companion to American History in Film.

Hollywood as Historian, Hollywood's West, Hollywood's White House, etc. Full details on publications are at petercrollins.com where there are click points for full details and purchase.

Editor of Film & History for 12 years. Most indebted to John E. O'Connor, my mentor in this effort and co-editor in so many of the book projects.

Filmmaking was an option and I made documentaries about Will Rogers, the Vietnam war, World War II. (See America Reflected for details on these projects.) I was a strong advocate of "the historian as filmmaker" movement in this country, an effort which was overtaken by journalistic efforts on the History Channel and PBS.

America Reflected is my most recent effort and contains materials on Will Rogers, Benjamin Whorf, war on film, and canonical figures such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, John James Audubon, Frederick Henry Hedge, Amy Lowell, and others. America Reflected is my capstone book, an attempt to put the best of my writings on the library shelves.

My life has been a wonderful gift.

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jacqueline Nanette Megow
5.0 out of 5 stars A New and Important Work by Driving Force in Popular Culture Studies
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2010
Verified Purchase
Peter C. Rollins' new book makes a notable contribution to the study of popular culture. Of particular interest is Part II: America's Wars: Film Images and Historical Realities. Rollins reminds us of the "Perils and Possibilities" (the subtitle of his chapter on the Vietnam War) of using film and other media to study the impact of war on culture: "[This] study of Vietnam--like virtually every other period--is rich with differing perspectives and redolent with many `truths.' The danger lies in accepting the report of any one document of the total picture" (page 383).

Throughout the chapters in this section, which begins with World War I and ends with the Vietnam War, Rollins reminds us that Americans, particularly young ones, are visually oriented. For this reason, the book is a valuable resource for teachers of high school and college students. Rollins unpacks the ways that films create "reality" and then makes comparisons to the historical events that inspired the films. Rollins' move to admit more than one "truth" of any particular war is refreshing.

Anyone interested in the intersection of popular culture and American history will find this an informative, densely-packed, and enlightening read. Highly recommended.
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John E. O'Connor
5.0 out of 5 stars A key resource for historians
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2011
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Here we have a welcome collection of many of the highlights of Peter Rollins' work contributing to the evolution of a critical methodology for analysis of American culture. Rollins builds upon his earliest work in the culture of linguistics, the "cowboy philosophy" of Will Rogers, and the ways in which such notables as Harriet Beecher Stowe and John James Audubon contributed to the American spirit. Several of the most valuable chapters are models for an emerging methodlogy for understanding film and television as resources for history. Before this volume made these pieces so readily available, I have found myself repeatedly referring back to the journals in which his writings on documentary films on New Deal environmental issues and the Vietnam War originally appeared to refresh my sensibility to visual language and the ways in which images worked in the context of culture. I recommend this volume wholeheartedly.
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Dr Henry Roberson
5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Examined
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2011
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As a former graduate student of Peter C Rollins, this book is a delightful memory of looking into the mirror that is American Popular Culture. His work is,
as always, accessible and incredibly informative. Plato said that an unexamined life is not worth living. Dr. Rollins certainly addresses that need. As Popular
Culture, it is about part of what all our lives are but with some insight into what that says about us and how that has shaped and formed us. This is a
capstone and a keystone of a life looking at the common life and discovering the uncommon. This is a cornerstone volume for anyone who wants to
examine what this people is about. It was my pleasure to study under him and this volume will give that opportunity to countless others. Thanks
Don Pedro!
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Robert C. Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars America Reflected by Peter C. Rollins
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2010
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It is rare for a scholar to put together a life's work as Peter C. Rollins has done in this outstanding book. For Popular Culture scholars, it's a source beyond comparison, encyclopedic in the treatment of a wide variety of topics such as Will Rogers, World War I and II, the Cold War, and, centrally, Vietnam's troubles with the media. Recommended at the highest level for all readers whose interest in American Culture requires deep description, strong and accurate analysis, and a good humor.
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Ms. Jo-Ann Dorio-Fyne
5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Insight
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2010
Using a sharp historical lens, Peter Rollins examines American cultural history--focusing on myriad characters: Will Rogers, Benjamin Lee Whorf, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John James Audubon, and four major wars while explaining how language, satire, and motion pictures mirror the American psyche. Weaving in and out of personal reminiscences and historical interpretations, America Reflected offers especially strong insight into the nation's changing mores during a turbulent period that began with the rudimentary Model-A automobile and ended with high-altitude B-52 bombing attacks. Clearly, this innovative book--written by an experienced author, lecturer, critic, and editor--belongs in every library and research institution.
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Peter C. Rollins
5.0 out of 5 stars Journal Reviews of "America Reflected"
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2011
Reviews of "America Reflected" as of 9 April, 2011.

1. The Journal of American Culture 34.1 (2011): 99-101.
Reviewed by John Shelton Lawrence (Emeritus in Berkeley).

2. The Journal of Popular Culture 43.6 (2011): 1307-1309. Reviewed by Cindy Miller (Emerson College).

3. Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television 41.2 (in press).
Reviewed by Robert Fyne (Kean University).

4. The NEPCA Journal (March 18, 2011. On line at [...]
Reviewed by Amos St. Germain (Wentworth Institute).

More details at [...]
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