Mark of the Beast: Death and Degradation in the Literature of the Great WarUniversity Press of Kentucky, 23 ian. 1989 - 184 pagini The First World War is a watershed in the intellectual and spiritual history of the modern world. On the one hand, it brought an end to a sense of optimism and decency bred by the prosperity of nineteenth-century Europe. On the other, it brought forth a sense of futility and alienation that has since pervaded European thought. That cataclysmic experience is richly reflected in the work of writers and artists from both sides of the conflict, and this study provides a detailed analysis of two basic themes -- death and degradation -- that mark the literature about the war. From their accounts most men entered the war lightheartedly, filled with ideals of patriotism and glory, but these generous feelings were soon quelled as the war settled into a stalemate, its operations reduced to simply grinding away the opposing forces. In these operations, Alfredo Bonadeo shows, men became mere aggregations thrown against one another, wasted with no appreciable effects or gains, save carnage itself. This cheapening and disregard for human life and being Bonadeo finds rooted not only in the conditions of war but, significantly, in a contempt for the common man prevailing in European political and intellectual circles. This attitude is revealed most plainly in his analysis of the Italian literature, which hitherto has received little note. Italian leaders saw the war as an opportunity to expiate a sense of national guilt, and here the inconclusive campaigns made their futility all the greater. Out of the torn fields of the First World War grew the seeds of a second, greater conflict, but, Professor Bonadeo concludes, the flowering of the seeds was aided by the degradation of man's spirit on those fields. The grim focus of this book, the dead voices it evokes, leads to a new appreciation of the meaning of the Great War. |
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... shows how the front shaped their outlook on life and death . It may also show , despite a recent author's attempt to prove the oppo- site , that heroism in war " is obsolete , " and that given a better understanding of what the ...
... shows the savagery of nations and peoples - not their heroism and man- hood . To endure at the front , men must adjust , and such accommodation destroys all humane feeling . In almost every man , the British philosopher explained ...
... shows brav- ery in the face of adversity ; and like Manning , he discovers that heroism takes a heavy toll . His body holds up , but his soul goes to pieces . Battle , unlike nature , brings Lawrence's spirit down . To be sure ...
Cuprins
A Bath of Black Blood | 50 |
A Loss beyond Life | 95 |
Conclusion | 150 |
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Mark of the Beast: Death and Degradation in the Literature of the Great War Alfredo Bonadeo Previzualizare limitată - 2014 |
Mark of the Beast: Death and Degradation in the Literature of the Great War Alfredo Bonadeo Previzualizare limitată - 2021 |
Mark of the Beast: Death and Degradation in the Literature of the Great War Alfredo Bonadeo Previzualizare limitată - 1989 |