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booksnpunks's review against another edition
4.0
A hugely insightful work, providing a look at how the war has been presented, commemorated and eternalised through the work that came after it. Fussell provides analysis, as well as historical background to a selection of the most famous and relevant pieces of First World War literature. I found the chapter "Oh What a Literary War" especially interesting, but this book was littered with quotations that are extremely helpful to me in my study.
I'm so glad I took the time to read the entirety of this book instead of picking out pieces of information. As a winner of the National Book Award, it documents a period in history and the culture surrounding it like no other I have read. I encourage anybody who is going to be studying First World War literature in depth to read this text.
I'm so glad I took the time to read the entirety of this book instead of picking out pieces of information. As a winner of the National Book Award, it documents a period in history and the culture surrounding it like no other I have read. I encourage anybody who is going to be studying First World War literature in depth to read this text.
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
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).
jessicas_library_card'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.