Scarica Impact of WWI on British Society & Literature: War Poets & Modernism e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The beginning of the 20th century, War Poets and Modernism The Britain of the year 1900 was at the end of the Victorian era in 1901. The brief but unexpectedly successful reign of Edward VII (r.1901–10) is sometimes seen as an appendix to the Victorian age, being quite similar to the precedent: what really changes society is the First World War. From the political point of view, however, at the beginning of the 20th century something begins to change. The Labour Party is founded and workers obtain some rights, the Welfare state develops side by side with the development of New Liberalism, the House of Lords is reformed (Parliament Act). During these years, the movement of the Suffragettes too contributes to changing the political landscape. They ask for women rights, vote in particular, and they strike in different ways. This leads to the achieving of the right to vote in 1918. When the First World War breaks out Britain faces the threat of the Germans and declares war. A large army and a huge number of volunteers are sent overseas. Women replace men in their civilian jobs with reliability and competence, contributing to bringing about women’s suffrage. Life at the front for the soldiers is unimaginable: they live for years in the trenches in this war of attrition that focuses on killing soldiers and wearing down the enemy, using machine guns, poison gas, tanks and aircraft. Many of them die not only because of war itself, but also due to diseases, psychological illnesses, and suicide. Soldiers feel disillusioned, dehumanised and betrayed by those who presented war as something heroic and glorious. The horror of trench life are recollected by the War Poets, who feel the need to report the reality of war and reach the ears of the people living comfortably at home and supporting the war that is killing them. The First World War changes humanity forever. People are disillusioned, rootless and frustrated, and this is heightened by the influences of science and philosophy of the period. Freud, Einstein and Bergson in particular contribute to the general crisis of certainties and to a new conception of men. Owen and Sassoon belong to the group of poets that experienced war first hand and were personally affected by the horror of war. They gave rise to a vast production of writings about war that had no precedent in the history of British literature. The theme of war was certainly not new to the literary world, however it had always been written by civilians who observed and reflected upon war from a distance. Many of the soldier poets, instead, died in action (Owen was one of them), and many others survived but were psychologically and physically scarred for the rest of their lives. Their poems generally insist on the critique towards the supporters of war and those who were at home and could not imagine life at the front. They spoke out bravely and did not hesitate on reporting the most violent and brutal aspects of war. They largely used the technique of the contrast between the idealised idea of the glorious war and the actual pity of war. There is nothing to celebrate about war: it is not heroic nor honourable, soldiers are exhausted, dehumanised, scared, terrified and eventually driven to suicide (Sassoon, suicide in the trenches). It is clear that they feel anger and betrayal, since they have always been told that it is honourable and sweet to die for your country (Dulce et decorum est, Owen), but it is a lie. Sassoon in particular sided politically against war and against the political errors made during the war, using strong words and arguments in “a soldier’s declaration”. Hemingway is an American writer, who experienced war too. It cannot be said that his works are anti-war like the works of the war poets, but in “Farewell to arms”, he offers a powerful description of the conflict’s brutality and violent chaos: during the scene of the retreat as the column of men begins to crumble, so do the soldiers’ nerves, minds and rational thoughts. However, Hemingway presents war as the natural outcome of a cruel, senseless world. The First World War also shaped literature in other ways. The evolution of “modernism” – the cultural and literary movement that emerged in the early-20th century – was intimately bound up with the shock and experience of the First World War. The works of these poets reflected a complex and problematic reality and the influences of science and philosophy.
