Happy Days and Wonder Years : The Fifties and the Sixties in Contemporary Cultural Politics

In the twenty-first century, why do we keep talking about the Fifties and the Sixties? The stark contrast between these decades, their concurrence with the childhood and youth of the baby boomers, and the emergence of television and rock and roll help to explain their symbolic power. In Happy Days and Wonder Years , Daniel Marcus reveals how interpretations of these decades have figured in the cultural politics of the United States since 1970. From Ronald Reagan's image as a Fifties Cold Warrior to Bill Clinton's fandom for Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy, politicians have invoked the Fifties and the Sixties to connect to their public. Marcus shows how films, television, music, and memoirs have responded to the political nostalgia of today, and why our entertainment remains immersed in reruns, revivals, and references to earlier times. This book offers a new understanding of how politics and popular culture have influenced our notions of the past, and how events from long ago continue to shape our understanding of the present day. Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page vii) Introduction (page 1) 1 The Fifties in the 1970s: Representations in a Cultural Revival (page 9) 2 The Conservative Uses of Nostalgia (page 36) 3 Nostalgia Embodied: Ronald Reagan as Icon (page 60) 4 Popular Culture and the Response to Conservative Nostalgia (page 92) 5 Contests and Contestations: The Sixties Legacy during the Deadline of Reagan (page 119) 6 The Reinflection of the Past: The Presidential Election of 1992 (page 150) 7 Elvis Has Left the Building: The Resurgence of the Right (page 171) Conclusion (page 204) Notes (page 207) Index (page 245) In the 21st century, why do we keep talking about the fifties and sixties? In "Happy Days and Wonder Years", Daniel Marcus reveals how interpretations of these decades have figured in the cultural politics of the United States since 1970 Daniel Marcus. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 207-243) And Index.