In America, this is a great day. Of course, for a lot of people it just means a holiday from work, preferably around the water, preferably boating, skiing, tanning, and/or cooking out on a grill. This holiday often involves alcohol, unfortunately, and lots of fireworks . . . which, in addition to making the night beautiful, also means that "the Fourth" is the day of the year more pets are lost in America.
The Fourth is arguably the most patriotic day in the USA. Our flag waves everywhere. "America the Beautiful" is sung and played a million times, maybe more than our actual, difficult-to-sing, national anthem. I was trying to think of books from all nations with patriotic themes, and the list I could come up with were mostly written during or between the first and second World Wars. Many spy novels and thrillers written during or about this period are quite patriotic (like "Rogue Male" or "The Key to Rebecca"); but after that simpler period, the complexities of the Cold War seemed to make spy novels cynical and cold, too ("The Ipcress File," among others.)
Maybe I'm interpreting what I'm reading all wrong. Is patriotism dead, in thrillers and mysteries? Has it been displaced by the cult of the selfish? Have I missed characters in today's mystery/thriller fiction who are intensely patriotic?
Maybe nationalistic feelings are being squeezed out of the psychological makeup of most characters in favor of more complex characterization. (I've noticed that religion doesn't get much time in most books, either.) I wonder what that says about us as a nation. You can interpret this tendency as "Characters no longer believe their country is always good or right, so their love of America is a more shaded and nuanced emotion." Or you could argue, "Everyone in this country simply works for himself/herself, and there is no altruistic love of one's country. That's what writers are portraying." Or have I completely missed seeing something right in front of me?
I think what you see in books is a reflection of what is going in the psyche of us folks. I love this country, but i have grave concerns about what is going on in our government and political process. So my joys become smaller; to enjoy and to live as good and kind a life as I can.
Posted by: lil Gluckstern | July 05, 2012 at 11:04 AM
I've seen overt patriotism used by too many scoundrels. I love my country, but avoid hyper-flag waving so I won't be confused with people I feel have co-opted folks I believe do not understand our country or our constitution.
Have you read Brad Meltzer's DC novel, "The Inner Circle"? Truly patriotic in the best sense.
Posted by: Elaine Viets | July 06, 2012 at 01:33 PM
are of a wholly different type from his previous fictions, and, in place of the heroes and villains of every day life, we have beings that belong in part to another sphere, and that deal with mysterious and occult agencies. Once more the old forgotten lore of the Cabala is unfolded; the
Posted by: sfsdf ef | July 08, 2012 at 11:41 PM
The fruit of these mystic studies is seen in Zanoni and A strange Story, romances which were a labour of love to the author, and into which he threw all the power he possessed, power reenforced by multifarious reading and an instinctive appreciation of Oriental thought.
Posted by: sfsdf ef | July 08, 2012 at 11:43 PM
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