Synopses & Reviews
The Great War of 1914-1918 marked a turning point in modern history and culture. This Companion offers critical overviews of the major literary genres and social contexts that define the study of the literatures produced by World War I. It examines the war's impact on various national literatures before addressing the way the War affected Modernism, the European avant-garde, film, women's writing, memoirs, and, of course, the war poets. The volume concludes by addressing the legacy of the war for twentieth-century literature.
Review
"This outstanding volume is a welcome corrective to tired truisms surrounding Great War history,culture, and literature.... [Sherry and his collaborators] demonstrate new ways of reading and teaching literary representations of the Great War."
-Yearbook of English Studies, Geneviève Brassard, University of Portland
Review
"Readers should not mistake Vincent Sherry's addition to the Cambridge Companion series as a mere reference work or crib for undergraduates. It is, in fact, a collection of very fine essays--some surveys, other original, thesis-driven arguments--from a distinguished group of contributors...We are fortunate to have this fine new guide to its literary and cultural legacy." English Studies in Canada Patricia Rae, Queen's University
Synopsis
This Companion offers critical overviews of the major literary genres and social contexts that define the study of the literatures produced by the First World War. It examines the impact of the war on various national literatures and concludes by addressing the legacy of the war for twentieth-century literature.
Synopsis
A collection of new essays on First World War literature and its contexts.
About the Author
Vincent Sherry is Pierce Butler Professor of English at Tulane University, and author of The Great War and the Language of Modernism.
Table of Contents
Introduction Vincent Sherry; Part I. The Great War in British Literary Culture: 1. British war memoirs Paul Edwards; 2. The British novel and the war David Trotter; 3. The Great War, history, and the English lyric Edna Longley; 4. British women's writing of the Great War Claire Buck; 5. The Great War and literary modernism in England Vincent Sherry; Part II. The World War: Pan-European Views, Trans-Atlantic Prospects: 6. The Great War and the European avant-garde Marjorie Perloff; 7. French writing of the Great War Catharine Savage Brosman; 8. The Great War and modern German memory Stanley Corngold; 9. American writing of the Great War John T. Matthews; Part III. Postwar Engagements: 10. Myths, memories, and monuments: re-imagining the Great War Sharon Ouditt; 11. Interpreting the war James Campbell; 12. The Great War in twentieth-century cinema Laura Marcus.