TY - JOUR
T1 - (Re)imagining Magna Carta
T2 - Myth, Metaphor and the Rhetoric of Britishness
AU - Atkins, Judi
N1 - This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Parliamentary Affairs following peer review. The version of record Judi Atkins; (Re)imagining Magna Carta: Myth, Metaphor and the Rhetoric of Britishness, Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 69, Issue 3, 1 July 2016, Pages 603–620, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsv057
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta came at a time of growing uncertainty about what it means to be British. Contemporary politicians have responded by articulating visions of Britishness, through which they seek to unite citizens behind a common identity. Taking as its focus the myth of Magna Carta, this article examines the rhetoric of Britishness of Gordon Brown and David Cameron. It shows that although both link Magna Carta to the myth of British exceptionalism, Cameron alone defines Britishness against an external ‘Other’. The article also demonstrates that Magna Carta acts as a ‘founding myth’, and that its emergence as such is indicative of a change in Britain's ‘rhetorical culture’.
AB - The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta came at a time of growing uncertainty about what it means to be British. Contemporary politicians have responded by articulating visions of Britishness, through which they seek to unite citizens behind a common identity. Taking as its focus the myth of Magna Carta, this article examines the rhetoric of Britishness of Gordon Brown and David Cameron. It shows that although both link Magna Carta to the myth of British exceptionalism, Cameron alone defines Britishness against an external ‘Other’. The article also demonstrates that Magna Carta acts as a ‘founding myth’, and that its emergence as such is indicative of a change in Britain's ‘rhetorical culture’.
UR - https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/69/3/603/1753482
U2 - 10.1093/pa/gsv057
DO - 10.1093/pa/gsv057
M3 - Article
SN - 0031-2290
VL - 69
SP - 603
EP - 620
JO - Parliamentary Affairs
JF - Parliamentary Affairs
IS - 3
ER -