mortifiedpenguin92's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
sar_p's review against another edition
4.0
This book is literary criticism, but does not read like one. I actually enjoyed reading this book - even though my eyes did glaze over when the author discussed books I did not know. This is also a good book to read if one is interested in the British and WWI. It's somewhere between a history and lit crit book, but without being boring!
jpwright87's review against another edition
4.0
Endlessly interesting in tracing inheritances from WW1, but doesn't give a particularly solid argument for it's main thesis. At its most basic, it is an argument from emotion, not fact.
universalbee's review against another edition
3.0
well, it's a great book if you're interested in war statistics and the after-effects on literature and culture. covers vernacular as much as weaponry...quality stuff but not right for me (not a war buff/found this depressing/appreciative of the literary insight though).
stitchywitch's review against another edition
4.0
"The Great Was and Modern Memory" examines world war I through its literature. It's an interesting topic, and I've recently become interested in the first world war. This not a light read. It's also not something to pick up if you aren't already familiar with the literary works of the era. I'm familiar with the poets and have read most of the post war novels, but I confess at times I seemed to spend more time looking up works for reference than actually reading! This isn't a bad thing, but it's something to be aware of. You should also have a working knowledge of the events of the war, as the book tends to leap from topic to topic. Regarding my rating: while I think the research is well done and the conclusions interesting, I did not think the book was arranged in a sensible way. Some of the topics seemed to be stretched a bit thin. And in its discussion of homosexuality during the war it seems a bit dated, though no doubt it was fresh when the book was originally published. I give the book a solid four stars, with the caveat that it should not be your introduction to the subject.
jiayuanc's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Absolutely brilliant. Fussell has done an excellent job surveying British and some American literature (poetry and memoirs, and fiction) and putting analysis with the historical context together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
Fifteen years ago, when I returned to university for a teaching credential, I also took some upper level history classes just for the experience. One of those classes was on World War I, and the excellent professor taught the class through both non-fiction and literature; it was here that I first read Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and others. Somehow, we never were introduced to Fussell's award-winning work.
Fussell here revisits that war - and its successors - through that literature, in great depth and intimacy. He provides the background and context for each of the great writers, including their war service and experience. He uses passages from their writings to highlight the ways in which that first global conflict destroyed an entire generation in western Europe and changed the way the world thought about nation states and human life and destruction. An intense, deep and personalized view of war and remembrance; sometimes difficult reading, but filled with beautiful writings.
Fussell here revisits that war - and its successors - through that literature, in great depth and intimacy. He provides the background and context for each of the great writers, including their war service and experience. He uses passages from their writings to highlight the ways in which that first global conflict destroyed an entire generation in western Europe and changed the way the world thought about nation states and human life and destruction. An intense, deep and personalized view of war and remembrance; sometimes difficult reading, but filled with beautiful writings.