John Brown Today

"The Good Lord Bird" and the Uses of Art

Louis DeCaro Jr. Season 1 Episode 2

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0:00 | 17:36

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In this episode, "The Good Lord Bird," both the novel by James McBride and the SHOWTIME series adaptation by Ethan Hawke are considered with respect to the relation of fiction to history.  There is a difference between the use of fiction in collaboration with history and the use of fiction to rewrite history, Lou contends, and in the case of Old John Brown, "The Good Lord Bird" is particularly worrisome because its portrayal is offered as satire but will inevitably inform viewers quite incorrectly as to the historical record. 

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