Modern English War Poetry
Author Description
Tim Kendall's study offers the fullest account to date of a tradition of modern English war poetry. Stretching from the Boer War to the present day, it focuses on many of the twentieth-century's finest poets - combatants and non-combatants alike - and considers how they address the ethical challenges of making art out of violence. Poetry, we are often told, makes nothing happen. But war makes poetry happen: the war poet cannot regret, and must exalt at, even the most appalling experiences. Modern English War Poetry not only assesses the problematic relationship between war and its poets, it also encourages an urgent reconsideration of the modern poetry canon and the (too often marginalised) position of war poetry within it. The aesthetic and ethical values on which canonical judgements have been based are carefully scrutinized via a detailed analysis of individual poets. The poets discussed include Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Wilfred Owen, Charlotte Mew, Edward Thomas, Ivor Gurney, W. H. Auden, Keith Douglas, Ted Hughes, and Geoffrey Hill.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the complex ethical and aesthetic relationship between modern English poets and the violence of war. Tim Kendall, a scholar of twentieth-century literature, examines how poets from the Boer War to the present have navigated the challenge of transforming traumatic conflict into art. He argues that war serves as a catalyst for poetic production, forcing a re-evaluation of the modern canon and the marginalization of war-themed verse within academic study.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A comprehensive survey of English war poetry spanning from the Boer War to the contemporary era.
- Critical analysis of major figures including Thomas Hardy, Wilfred Owen, W. H. Auden, and Ted Hughes.
- A rigorous examination of the ethical implications of aestheticizing combat and violence.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the English tradition and does not provide an exhaustive global history of war poetry.
- It does not attempt to cover every minor poet of the period, prioritizing canonical and influential voices.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and critics frequently cite this work as a definitive account of the evolution of war poetry in the twentieth century. Readers often note the academic density of the prose and the depth of the author's scrutiny regarding canonical judgments.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2006-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191534919
ISBN-13:
9780191534911
Poetry
History
Literary Criticism
Modern
War poetry
English
English & College Success
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