Jackie the Greek: the Onassis marriage and the hellenization of an American icon
Vol.20,(2020)
Abstract
Keywords:
Onassis; Hellenism; American satire; Skorpios; Greek shipowners
Pages:
9–23
A 1968 series of satirical audio sketches concerning the marriage and lifestyle of Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy provides an opportunity to re-examine the reputation of this famous couple. These recordings connect with well-known negative assumptions – both in the contemporaneous media and in the previously restricted governmental files from the British National Archives used here – about Kennedy's cynicism and Onassis' Greek heritage. It will also be argued here that Jackie's attempts to engage with Greece, especially Modern Greece, were a deliberate choice as part of her new identity, but in reality merely contributed to her damaged image.
Onassis; Hellenism; American satire; Skorpios; Greek shipowners
9–23
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