ABSTRACT

This paper argues that the George Mason Memorial’s obscurity is due to the memorialization of its subject in a way that does not conform with broader cultural understandings of how an American founding figure “should” be remembered. To make this argument, I explore the history and motivations of the memorial and situate that history within the larger context of the increased nationalistic and patriotic impulses in American culture during the aftermath of 9/11. I then compare the rhetorical character of the memorial to two other memorials to founding figures in the monumental core – the Washington Memorial and Thomas Jefferson Memorial. The George Mason Memorial’s design differs from more familiar understandings of American founding figures as towering heroes and emblems of masculine, nationalistic ideals. An examination of this site offers insight into how a memorial’s continued existence in public memory is strongly impacted by whether it conforms to the social norms and expectations of its visitors.

摘要

本文认为，乔治·梅森纪念馆的默默无闻是由于其主题的纪念性，与对如何“记住”美国创始人物的更广泛的文化理解不一致。为此，我探讨了纪念馆的历史和动机，并在9/11之后美国文化中越来越多的民族主义和爱国主义冲动下，将纪念馆的历史定位为更大范围。然后，我将纪念馆的修辞性与其他两个纪念馆与纪念性建筑中的奠基人物-华盛顿纪念馆和托马斯·杰斐逊纪念馆进行比较。乔治·梅森纪念馆（George Mason Memorial）的设计与人们对美国创始人物更熟悉的理解不同，这些人物是高耸的英雄和男性化，民族主义理想的象征。