The primary purpose of the Imaginative Representations of the Vietnam War Collection at La Salle is to provide a body of evidence that demonstrates how the perceptions and creative interpretations of the Vietnam War, and the highly volatile era in which it took place, continue to evolve after the war ended. The Vietnam War and its aftermath remain strong influences on the way in which our popular culture is viewed by Americans and non–Americans alike.

As such, the Collection focuses specifically on works of fictive expression and multimedia formats, with more than 18,000 items, including (but in no way limited to) novels, short stories, poetry, music, screenplays, graphic art, films, sound recordings, posters, prints, video and board games, as well as literary and visual pornography.

While the Collection mainly consists of material produced after 1975, it still contains nearly every earlier title that appears in the 3rd edition of John Newman’s Vietnam War Literature. With this range, one can use hundreds of examples to systematically compare how the post-1975 presentations and perceptions of war differ from pre-1975 material. Also, it is possible to both question and document the sources of developing myths about the war experience, measuring the impact of the original event by seeing how the experience is presented to the public through imaginative renderings. More globally, serious scholarly inquiry can be conducted concerning the elusive distinction between fictional narrative and autobiographical perception.

For more information, download the full essay on the collection.

Learn more about our Vietnam Collection in our current Digital Collections & Exhibitions.