The Representation of the Anglo-American Cultural Conflict under George VI: Downton Abbey and Hyde Park on Hudson

Abstract

The paper focuses on two cinematic productions set in the 1920s and 1930s: an episode of the British TV series Downton Abbey and the British comedy-drama Hyde Park on Hudson. Both works focus on a juxtaposition of the British and the Americans, playing with similar stereotypes which gained popularity a century earlier. The paper analyzes both productions, comparing them to the discourse of nineteenth-century travel writing about the USA, which, arguably, is a genre best depicting Anglo-American preconceptions of the time. Despite using elements of the same language both films seem to favor different sides of the Transatlantic conflict. The paper argues, however, that while Hyde Park presents Americans as the victors in the cultural rivalry, Downton’s message is less unequivocal.