The Nation's Cause: French, English and German Poetry of the First World WarAs we approach the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, this timely reissue, first published in 1991, evaluates the function of poetry in wartime Europe, arguing that war poetry must be understood as a social as well as a literary phenomenon. As well as locating the work of well-known French, English and German war poets in a European context, Elizabeth Marsland discusses lesser-known poetry of the war years, including poems by women and the neglected tradition of civilian protest through poetry. Identifying shared characteristics as well as the unique features of each nation’s poetry, The Nation’s Cause affords new insight into the relationship between nationalism and the social attitudes that determined the conduct of war. |
Contents
| 1 | |
nationalism and national image | 33 |
the promoting of mass heroism | 70 |
the war against words | 104 |
protest against the heroic ethic | 133 |
readers nonreaders and protest | 156 |
nonpropagandist poetry of 191
combatants | 191 |
poems and history | 219 |
Notes | 241 |
| 261 | |
| 272 | |
| 277 | |
Other editions - View all
The Nation's Cause: French, English, and German Poetry of the First World War Elizabeth A. Marsland No preview available - 1991 |
The Nation's Cause: French, English, and German Poetry of the First World War Elizabeth A. Marsland No preview available - 1991 |
Common terms and phrases
Aktion amongst anthology anti-war appears attack attitude audience battle Belgian Blunden cause Charles Sorley civilians combatant poets commitment concept concerned conflict country’s criticism culture dead death Deutsche Die Aktion Edmund Blunden effect enemy England English evidence example Fatherland fight France Franz Pfemfert French Gedicht Georges German poets guerre hand heroes heroic heroism homeland honour ibid ideal implied individual influence instance Isaac Rosenberg Ivor Gurney Jon Silkin Karl Otten killed Krieg languages large number less literary London major Marcel Martinet Martinet Michael Hamburger modern myth nation observes one’s Owen’s Paris patriotic poetry patriotic verse perhaps Pfemfert poems poet’s poetic poets political popular propaganda propagandist protest poetry published readers realistic reality recognised reflects response sense Siegfried Sassoon Silkin social soldier-poet soldiers Songs Sonnets Sorley speaker suggests tion tradition truth Vaterland voice war poetry Wilfred Owen women words World War poetry writers young