This edited collection explores and develops representations of war experience from 1914 to the ongoing conflicts of the 21st century, through the specific lens of memory. It builds on recent explorations of the importance of war experience in shaping cultural memory that have focused on the aftermath of the First World War and the Second World War, particularly through Holocaust studies. These essays, by a range of international and interdisciplinary scholars, broaden the scope considerably, examining the alternate spaces of the First World War and those that followed it through a range of different media, offering an artistic trajectory to the centennial commemorations of 2014-18.

This collection provides a transnational, interdisciplinary perspective on artistic responses to war from 1914 to the present, analysing a broad selection of the rich, complex body of work which has emerged in response to conflicts since the Great War. Many of the creators examined here embody the human experience of war: first-hand witnesses who developed a unique visual language in direct response to their role as victim, soldier, refugee, resister, prisoner and embedded or official artist. Contributors address specific issues relating to propaganda, wartime femininity and masculinity, women as war artists, trauma, the role of art in soldiery, memory, art as resistance, identity and the memorialisation of war.

This book considers the diversity of the experiences and legacies of the First World War, looking at the actions of those who fought, those who remained at home and those who returned from the arena of war. It examines Edwardian ideals of gender and how these shaped social expectations of the roles to be played by men and women with regards to the national cause. It looks at men’s experiences of combat and killing on the Western Front, exploring the ways in which masculine gender ideals and male social relationships moulded their experience of battle. It shows how the women of the controversial White Feather campaign exploited traditional ideas of heroism and male duty in war to embarrass men into volunteering for military service. The book also examines children’s toys and recreation, underlining how play helped to promote patriotic values in children and thus prepared boys and girls for the respective roles they might be called upon to make in war. A strong sense of British identity and a faith in the superiority of British values, customs and institutions underpinned the collective war effort. The book looks at how, even in captivity at the Ruhleben internment camp, the British gave expression to this identity. The book emphasises the extent to which this was a conflict in which Britain sought to defend and even extend its imperial dominion. It also discusses how different political and cultural agendas have shaped the way in which Britain has remembered the War. As such, the book reflects the diversity of popular experience in the War, both at home and in the empire. Britain’s entry into the War in 1914 helped to ensure that it became a truly global conflict. The contributors here draw attention to the significant social, cultural and political legacies for Britain and her empire of a conflict which, one hundred years later, continues to be the subject of considerable controversy.

The First World War has given rise to a multifaceted cultural production like no other historical event. This handbook surveys British literature and film about the war from 1914 until today. The continuing interest in World War I highlights the interdependence of war experience, the imaginative re-creation of that experience in writing, and individual as well as collective memory. In the first part of the handbook, the major genres of war writing and film are addressed, including of course poetry and the novel, but also the short story; furthermore, it is shown how our conception of the Great War is broadened when looked at from the perspective of gender studies and post-colonial criticism. The chapters in the second part present close readings of important contributions to the literary and filmic representation of World War I in Great Britain. All in all, the contributions demonstrate how the opposing forces of focusing and canon-formation on the one hand, and broadening and revision of the canon on the other, have characterised British literature and culture of the First World War.

(Re)Writing War in Contemporary Literature and Culture: Beyond Post-Memory is an exploration of war narratives through the lens of postmemory, offering a critical re-evaluation of how contemporary literature and cultural products reshape our understanding of past conflicts. This volume presents a rich tapestry of perspectives, drawing from an array of conflicts and incorporating insights from international experts across various disciplines, including contemporary literature, film studies, visual arts, and cultural studies. It critically builds upon and extends Marianne Hirsch's concept of postmemory, engaging with complex themes like the ethical dimensions of war writing, the authenticity of representations, and the creative power of art in reimagining traumatic events. This study not only challenges traditional boundaries in war literature and memory studies but also resonates with contemporary concerns about societal engagement with violent pasts, making it a significant addition to scholarly discourse and essential reading for those interested in the intersection of history, memory, and literature.