@inbook{0a1d29939ddb46adbd8091ac1a8c99d3,
title = "'A Nation at War': Battle of Britain Narratives Revived and Repurposed by Covid-19",
abstract = "The year 2020 marked the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. For decades the Battle of Britain has been invoked as a decisive moment between defeat and victory. During the war, it became a propaganda tool, used by the government to boost morale in the decades that have followed, the Royal Air Force (RAF) has sought to remember its 'Finest Hour', in part as a means of promoting its relevance as an independent service. The mythology surrounding the Battle has become an embedded narrative in British culture and, while it is unsurprising that it has been referenced in relation to Covid-19 in this eightieth anniversary year, it remains the case that myths and myth-making are as important as truth-telling at a time of national crisis. This chapter will view Britain's experience of Covid-19 through the prism of Battle of Britain themes and characteristics, in particular those introduced by the contemporary press.",
keywords = "Covid-19, Battle of Britain, British Identities, Royal Air Force, Second World War",
author = "Sophy Antrobus",
year = "2021",
month = aug,
day = "30",
language = "English",
isbn = "9781789979794",
series = "British Identities since 1707",
publisher = "Peter Lang",
pages = "43--59",
editor = "Joanne Pettit",
booktitle = "Covid-19, the Second World War, and the Idea of Britishness",
}