| Sacrifice and Modern War Literature: From the Battle of Waterloo to the War on Terror Contributor(s): Houen, Alex (Editor), Schramm, Jan-Melissa (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0198806515 ISBN-13: 9780198806516 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $104.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: August 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Poetry - Literary Criticism | Modern - 19th Century - History | Military - World War I |
| Dewey: 809.393 |
| LCCN: 2017961722 |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6.1" W x 9.3" (1.35 lbs) 298 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Chronological Period - 1900-1919 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Sacrifice and Modern War Literature is the first book to explore how writers from the early nineteenth century to the present have addressed the intimacy of sacrifice and war. It has been common for critics to argue that after the First World War many of the cultural and religious values associated with sacrifice have been increasingly rejected by writers and others. However, this volume shows that literature has continued to address how different conceptions of sacrifice have been invoked in times of war to convert losses into gains or ideals. While those conceptions have sometimes been rooted in a secular rationalism that values lost lives in terms of political or national victories, spiritual and religious conceptions of sacrifice are also still in evidence, as with the 'martyrdom operations' of jihadis fighting against the 'war on terror'. Each chapter presents fresh insights into the literature of a particular conflict and the contributions explore major war writers including Wordsworth, Kipling, Ford Madox Ford, and Elizabeth Bowen, as well as lesser known authors such as Dora Sigerson, Richard Aldington, Thomas Kinsella, and Nadeem Aslam. The volume covers multiple genres including novels, poetry (particularly elegy and lyric), memoirs, and some films. The contributions address a rich array of topics related to wartime sacrifice including scapegoating, martyrdom, religious faith, tragedy, heroism, altruism, 'bare life', atonement, and redemption. |