The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of World War II (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

The literature of World War II has emerged as an accomplished, moving, and challenging body of work, produced by writers as different as Norman Mailer and Virginia Woolf, Primo Levi and Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre and W. H. Auden. This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of the international literatures of the war: both those works that recorded or reflected experiences of the war as it happened, and those that tried to make sense of it afterwards. It surveys the writing produced in the major combatant nations (Britain and the Commonwealth, the USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and the USSR), and explores its common themes. With its chronology and guide to further reading, it will be an invaluable source of information and inspiration for students and scholars of modern literature and war studies. Cover......Page 1 The cambridge companion to the literature of world war II......Page 2 Contents......Page 6 Notes on contributors......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Chronology......Page 12 Introduction......Page 22 part I Anglo-American texts and contexts......Page 32 1 War poetry in Britain......Page 33 2 British fiction of the war......Page 46 3 War poetry in the USA......Page 63 4 The American war novel......Page 76 5 War journalism in English......Page 87 6 The French war......Page 101 7 The German war......Page 116 8 The Soviet war......Page 129 9 The Italian war......Page 141 10 The Japanese war......Page 155 11 War writing in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand......Page 167 12 Women writers and the war......Page 181 13 Life writing and the Holocaust......Page 195 14 Theories of trauma......Page 210 15 The war in contemporary fiction......Page 223 Guide to further reading......Page 236 Index......Page 243 War poetry in Britain -- Adam Piette British fiction of the war -- Rod Mengham War poetry in the USA -- Margot Norris The American war novel -- James Dawes War journalism in English -- Leo Mellor The French war -- Debarati Sanyal The German war -- Dagmar Barnouw The Soviet war -- Katharine Hodgson The Italian war -- Robert S.C. Gordon The Japanese war -- Reiko Tachibana War writing in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand -- Donna Coates Women writers and the war -- Gill Plain Life writing and the Holocaust -- Phyllis Lassner Theories of trauma -- Lyndsey Stonebridge The war in contemporary fiction -- Petra Rau. An overview of writing about the war from a global perspective, aimed at students of modern literature. This volume surveys the writing produced in the major combatant nations, and explores common themes. It includes a chronology and guide to further reading Edited By Marina Mackay. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 220-226) And Index.