Culturebox: Thanks a Lot, Ken Burns

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culturebox Thanks a Lot, Ken Burns Because of you, my Civil War lecture is always packed--with students raised on your sentimental, romantic, deeply misleading portrait of the conflict. By James M. Lundberg Posted Tuesday, June 7, 2011, at 7:03 AM ET Whenever I teach a course on the American Civil War I see a spike in the number of students eager to spend three hours a week with me. This would be flattering if it had anything to do with my particular talents as a teacher. But as I hear the pleas of wait-listed supplicants begging for spots in my class, I am reminded that I owe my popularity to the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his legendary series The Civil War. I listen to students tell me how much they love the film with a certain measure of dread. I know from experience that notions about the war's transcendent meaning forged in the sentimental fires of the film make it harder to talk about the conflict in all of its complexity. And I know that no matter how much I work on my Shelby Foote impression, I can never possibly live up to the real thing. To continue reading, click here. James M. Lundberg is assistant professor of History at Sacred Heart University. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Rep. Weiner Reportedly Coached Porn Star To Lie Ignore the Hysteria Over German E. coli Poll: Which Scandal-Plagued Politician Would You Least Want To Be Married To?	Advertisement
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