Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art
Ancient Egypt has long been a source of fascination in Western popular culture. Movies such as The Mummy (1932, 1959), Biblical epics like The Ten Commandments (1923, 1956), and pharaonic films like Cleopatra (1934, 1963) and The Egyptian (1954) have all recreated the glamour and allure of Egyptian art and civilization for Western audiences. This work traces how these and other films were inspired by writers like Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and by the art of Victorian painters. Similarly, it shows how the soundtracks to such films belong to a Romantic musical tradition stretching back beyond Verdi and Mozart. Exploring these artistic endeavors addresses the question of whether the fantasy of ancient Egypt represents racist misunderstandings of a far more significant reality, or a way for Western culture to understand itself.

1110783906
Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art
Ancient Egypt has long been a source of fascination in Western popular culture. Movies such as The Mummy (1932, 1959), Biblical epics like The Ten Commandments (1923, 1956), and pharaonic films like Cleopatra (1934, 1963) and The Egyptian (1954) have all recreated the glamour and allure of Egyptian art and civilization for Western audiences. This work traces how these and other films were inspired by writers like Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and by the art of Victorian painters. Similarly, it shows how the soundtracks to such films belong to a Romantic musical tradition stretching back beyond Verdi and Mozart. Exploring these artistic endeavors addresses the question of whether the fantasy of ancient Egypt represents racist misunderstandings of a far more significant reality, or a way for Western culture to understand itself.

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Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art

Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art

by David Huckvale
Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art

Ancient Egypt in the Popular Imagination: Building a Fantasy in Film, Literature, Music and Art

by David Huckvale

Overview

Ancient Egypt has long been a source of fascination in Western popular culture. Movies such as The Mummy (1932, 1959), Biblical epics like The Ten Commandments (1923, 1956), and pharaonic films like Cleopatra (1934, 1963) and The Egyptian (1954) have all recreated the glamour and allure of Egyptian art and civilization for Western audiences. This work traces how these and other films were inspired by writers like Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and by the art of Victorian painters. Similarly, it shows how the soundtracks to such films belong to a Romantic musical tradition stretching back beyond Verdi and Mozart. Exploring these artistic endeavors addresses the question of whether the fantasy of ancient Egypt represents racist misunderstandings of a far more significant reality, or a way for Western culture to understand itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786465774
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date: 04/18/2012
Pages: 254
Product dimensions: 6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

David Huckvale has worked as a researcher, writer and presenter for BBC Radio and as a lecturer for various universities in England. He lives in rural Bedfordshire.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Introduction     

1. Films     
2. Egyptology     
3. Myth and Magic     
4. Art     
5. Fiction and Fantasy, Part 1     
6. Fiction and Fantasy, Part 2     
7. Music     

Conclusion     
Filmography     
Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     
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