Synopsis
Examining common misconceptions about World War I, this book explores such topics as the historical and sociological myths of the Edwardian summer, the supposedly banal nature-poetry of the pre-war Georgian poets, and the image of the British public schools as factories for unthinking cannon-fodder. It analyzes the generals and top command of the British Army, and the idea that the British were "lions led by donkeys". Using contemporary material, the book considers the life, mood and morale of junior officers and private soldiers, and offers a partial revaluation of the work of the most famous and lesser-known trench poets, together with the work of authors not usually associated with the war. Partly confirming and partly rebutting many conventional views, the author uses contemporary diaries and letters, and popular literature and verse, to challenge many common preconceptions. Noting the conformity of opinion about World War I writers, a critic has commented that society's vision of that war and its literature faced "death by orthodoxy". This book attempts to show the announcement of that death to be premature.
Dr Stephen's other books include "Poems of the First World War" and "The Fighting Admirals".
