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23 Wilfred Owen, War Poetry

  • Marzena Sokołowska-Paryż
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Handbook of British Literature and Culture of the First World War
This chapter is in the book Handbook of British Literature and Culture of the First World War

Abstract

The subject matter of this chapter is the cultural phenomenon of Wilfred Owen, with emphasis on his rise from lifetime obscurity to posthumous fame as Britain’s most representative poetic voice of the Great War. The discussion will focus on the initial role of poets and critics in the process of elevating Owen to a national icon, as well as the affective and ideological impact of contemporary literary and film representations of his traumatic war experiences, his stay at Craiglockhart Hospital and ultimate return the front. The analysis of the poem “Exposure” serves to underscore the reasons for the continuing appeal of Owen’s poetry which not only allows for an understanding of the specificities of trench warfare but also manages to depict the soldiers’ predicament in a universal manner effectively transcending the historical conditions of combat on the Western Front.

Abstract

The subject matter of this chapter is the cultural phenomenon of Wilfred Owen, with emphasis on his rise from lifetime obscurity to posthumous fame as Britain’s most representative poetic voice of the Great War. The discussion will focus on the initial role of poets and critics in the process of elevating Owen to a national icon, as well as the affective and ideological impact of contemporary literary and film representations of his traumatic war experiences, his stay at Craiglockhart Hospital and ultimate return the front. The analysis of the poem “Exposure” serves to underscore the reasons for the continuing appeal of Owen’s poetry which not only allows for an understanding of the specificities of trench warfare but also manages to depict the soldiers’ predicament in a universal manner effectively transcending the historical conditions of combat on the Western Front.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Editors’ Preface V
  3. Preface VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. 0 Introduction 1
  6. Part I: Systematic Questions: Genres and Perspectives
  7. 1 The First World War in Poetry 37
  8. 2 Autobiographical Writing and the First World War 65
  9. 3 The Novel of the First World War 87
  10. 4 The Short Story of the First World War 103
  11. 5 The First World War in British Narrative Film and Television: From Visual Archive to Filmic Imagination 117
  12. 6 Gendering the First World War: Masculinity and Femininity in First World War Literary and Cultural Production 147
  13. 7 Indian Writings of the First World War 167
  14. Part II: Close Readings
  15. 8 Richard Aldington, Images of War (1919) and Death of a Hero (1929) 183
  16. 9 Enid Bagnold, A Diary Without Dates (1918) and The Happy Foreigner (1920) 197
  17. 10 Arnold Bennett, The Pretty Lady (1918) 205
  18. 11 Edmund Blunden, Undertones of War (1928) and War Poetry 215
  19. 12 Mary Borden, The Forbidden Zone (1929) and Sarah Gay (1931) 231
  20. 13 Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth (1933) 241
  21. 14 Ford Madox Ford, Parade’s End (tetralogy, 1924–1928) 253
  22. 15 Robert Graves, War Poetry and Goodbye To all That (1929) 267
  23. 16 Ivor Gurney, War Poetry 281
  24. 17 Thomas Hardy, War Poetry 291
  25. 18 Storm Jameson, That Was Yesterday (1932) and Mirror in Darkness (1934–1936) 307
  26. 19 David Jones, In Parenthesis (1937) 323
  27. 20 Rudyard Kipling, Poetry and Short Stories of the First World War 337
  28. 21 Vernon Lee, Satan the Waster (1920) and Peace with Honour (1915) 349
  29. 22 Rose Macaulay, Non-Combatants and Others (1916) and Other War Writings 371
  30. 23 Wilfred Owen, War Poetry 381
  31. 24 Ernest Raymond, Tell England (1922) and Other Writings 397
  32. 25 Isaac Rosenberg, War Poetry 407
  33. 26 Siegfried Sassoon, War Poems (1919) and The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston (1937) 423
  34. 27 R.C. Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928) 435
  35. 28 May Sinclair, A Journal of Impressions in Belgium (1915), War Poetry and Fiction 445
  36. 29 Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room (1922), Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), The Years (1937) and Three Guineas (1938) 459
  37. 30 Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop, Oh What a Lovely War (1963) 483
  38. 31 Susan Hill, Strange Meeting (1971) 491
  39. 32 Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War (1993) 499
  40. Index of Subjects 507
  41. Index of Names 515
  42. List of Contributors 527
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110422467-024

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Editors’ Preface V
  3. Preface VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. 0 Introduction 1
  6. Part I: Systematic Questions: Genres and Perspectives
  7. 1 The First World War in Poetry 37
  8. 2 Autobiographical Writing and the First World War 65
  9. 3 The Novel of the First World War 87
  10. 4 The Short Story of the First World War 103
  11. 5 The First World War in British Narrative Film and Television: From Visual Archive to Filmic Imagination 117
  12. 6 Gendering the First World War: Masculinity and Femininity in First World War Literary and Cultural Production 147
  13. 7 Indian Writings of the First World War 167
  14. Part II: Close Readings
  15. 8 Richard Aldington, Images of War (1919) and Death of a Hero (1929) 183
  16. 9 Enid Bagnold, A Diary Without Dates (1918) and The Happy Foreigner (1920) 197
  17. 10 Arnold Bennett, The Pretty Lady (1918) 205
  18. 11 Edmund Blunden, Undertones of War (1928) and War Poetry 215
  19. 12 Mary Borden, The Forbidden Zone (1929) and Sarah Gay (1931) 231
  20. 13 Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth (1933) 241
  21. 14 Ford Madox Ford, Parade’s End (tetralogy, 1924–1928) 253
  22. 15 Robert Graves, War Poetry and Goodbye To all That (1929) 267
  23. 16 Ivor Gurney, War Poetry 281
  24. 17 Thomas Hardy, War Poetry 291
  25. 18 Storm Jameson, That Was Yesterday (1932) and Mirror in Darkness (1934–1936) 307
  26. 19 David Jones, In Parenthesis (1937) 323
  27. 20 Rudyard Kipling, Poetry and Short Stories of the First World War 337
  28. 21 Vernon Lee, Satan the Waster (1920) and Peace with Honour (1915) 349
  29. 22 Rose Macaulay, Non-Combatants and Others (1916) and Other War Writings 371
  30. 23 Wilfred Owen, War Poetry 381
  31. 24 Ernest Raymond, Tell England (1922) and Other Writings 397
  32. 25 Isaac Rosenberg, War Poetry 407
  33. 26 Siegfried Sassoon, War Poems (1919) and The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston (1937) 423
  34. 27 R.C. Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928) 435
  35. 28 May Sinclair, A Journal of Impressions in Belgium (1915), War Poetry and Fiction 445
  36. 29 Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room (1922), Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), The Years (1937) and Three Guineas (1938) 459
  37. 30 Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop, Oh What a Lovely War (1963) 483
  38. 31 Susan Hill, Strange Meeting (1971) 491
  39. 32 Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War (1993) 499
  40. Index of Subjects 507
  41. Index of Names 515
  42. List of Contributors 527
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