'Rupert Brooke and the Growth of Commercial Patriotism in Great Britain, 1914–1918', Twentieth Century British History 21:2 (2010), pp. 141-162.

Miller, Alisa 'Rupert Brooke and the Growth of Commercial Patriotism in Great Britain, 1914–1918', Twentieth Century British History 21:2 (2010), pp. 141-162.

Abstract

Drawing on the work of literary scholars (Bowra, Stallworthy, St Clair, Waller) and critical discourses centred on the construction of memory (Audoin-Rouzeau, Becker, Horne, Todman), this article considers how propaganda is generated in an age of total war. Miller focuses on a 'known' figure – Rupert Brooke – with the aim of analysing the particular political, literary and social networks and media conditions that allowed the poet-soldier to become a national and international icon during and after the war. The article offers new insights into the role readers played in constructing mythologies by looking at the ways in which, in particular, newspapers created a space wherein the public could engage in dialogues about the war. The significance of the article lies in the way it integrates primary research into a variety of media (books, magazines, newspapers, photographs and music), and engages with literary, cultural and media historical disciplines. As a result of this cross-disciplinary approach Miller was also invited to present drafts of the paper to military historians concerned with issues of morale and motivation at The United States Naval Academy, Annapolis (08.2007) and at the Military History Seminar, Oxford (01.2008). Research for the article was undertaken as part of Miller’s DPhil thesis, supported by a competitive scholarship reviewed annually by the American Friends, Christ Church, Oxford. The article draws on significant primarily research undertaken at King’s College, Cambridge and at the British Newspaper Archive. An abbreviated draft was selected as runner-up in 'TCBH'’s annual competition for Early Career Researchers, after which Miller was invited to develop the piece into a full article for additional peer review prior to publication in 2010.

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