This book investigates how British poets of the First World War utilized classical literature and history as a framework to interpret, justify, or critique the conflict. Elizabeth Vandiver, a scholar of classics, analyzes a broad spectrum of poetic output from the era to demonstrate that the influence of antiquity was not limited to the elite, but permeated the work of writers across diverse social and political backgrounds. She argues that classical references provided a vital vocabulary for soldiers and civilians alike to process the unprecedented trauma of modern warfare.

Scholars and critics recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of classical reception in modern literature. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the research and the clarity with which the author connects ancient texts to the specific anxieties of the early twentieth century.