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The Poetry of War

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Poetry of War
Authors and Contributors      By (author) James Anderson Winn
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:254
Dimensions(mm): Height 222,Width 144
Category/GenreLiterary studies - poetry and poets
ISBN/Barcode 9780521884037
ClassificationsDewey:809.19358
Audience
General
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 19 Halftones, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 21 February 2008
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Poets from Homer to Bruce Springsteen have given voice to the intensity, horror, and beauty of war. The greatest war poets praise the victor while mourning the victim; they honor the dead while raising deep questions about the meaning of honor. Poets have given memorable expression to the personal motives that send men forth to fight: idealism, shame, comradeship, revenge. They have also helped shape the larger ideas that nations and cultures invoke as incentives for warfare: patriotism, religion, empire, chivalry, freedom. The Poetry of War shows how poets have shaped and questioned our basic ideas about warfare. Reading great poetry, Winn argues, can help us make informed political judgments about current wars. From the poems he discusses, readers will learn how soldiers in past wars felt about their experiences, and why poets in many periods and cultures have embraced war as a grand and challenging subject.

Author Biography

James Anderson Winn is Professor of English at Boston University.

Reviews

'This book provides a welcome overview of poets' responses to war and should furnish teachers with valuable ideas and insights.' Tom Rank, Literary Connections 'The Poetry of War offers compelling evidence that poetry has played an important role in shaping how both soldiers and civilians have viewed war for thousands of years ... Winn is writing not only for his fellow literary scholars but also for anyone who cares about war and truth ...' David Rachels, The Journal of Military History