Pepping Up Washington's Image

[jbor]

I'd imagine that Pynchon's affectionate portrait of a quirky and
forward-thinking GW in _M&D_ will also help to revitalise his reputation
amongst young'uns of the future.

Thanks for posting this.

best


on 30/7/02 6:04 AM, David Morris at fqmorris at hotmail.com wrote:

> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/29/arts/design/29GEOR.html
> 
> Say goodbye to the stern and remote George Washington, the boring one who
> wore a powdered wig, had wooden teeth and always told the truth. Embrace
> instead the action hero of the 18th century, a swashbuckling warrior who
> survived wild adventures, led brilliant military campaigns, directed spy
> rings and fell in love with his best friend's wife.
> 
> That is the new message from the people who run Mount Vernon, the estate
> where Washington spent much of his life and where more than one million
> people now go each year to learn about him. Stirred to action by what they
> say is an appalling decline in what visitors know about Washington, they
> have embarked on a radical course.
> 
> Their goal is to reposition the father of the country for a new era. Among
> the tools they plan to use are holograms, computer imagery, surround-sound
> audio programs and a live-action film made by Steven Spielberg's production
> company. The film may be shown in a theater equipped with seats that rumble
> and pipes that shoot battlefield smoke into the audience.
> 
> "We used to be so discreet that we didn't want to display Washington's
> dentures," said James C. Rees, executive director of Mount Vernon. "When we
> finally broke down and showed them, they turned out to be a sensation. That
> taught us something."
> 
> The new plans have stirred some critics to warn that Washington is being
> transformed into a "G.I. George" and Mount Vernon into "MTV Vernon." But
> perhaps more tellingly, they have won support from many scholars who are in
> a state of near panic after watching Washington all but disappear from the
> national consciousness in the space of a single generation.
> 
>