British Children's Literature and the First World War: Representations since 1914

Description

Perceptions of the Great War have changed significantly since its outbreak and children's authors have continually attempted to engage with those changes, explaining and interpreting the events of 1914-18 for young readers. British Children's Literature and the First World War examines the role novels, textbooks and story papers have played in shaping and reflecting understandings of the conflict throughout the 20th century. David Budgen focuses on representations of the conflict since its onset in 1914, ending with the centenary commemorations of 2014. From the works of Percy F. Westerman and Angela Brazil, to more recent tales by Michael Morpurgo and Pat Mills, Budgen traces developments of understanding and raises important questions about the presentation of history to the young. He considers such issues as the motivations of children's authors, and whether modern children's books about the past are necessarily more accurate than those written by their forebears. Why, for example, do modern writers tend to ignore the global aspects of the First World War? Did detailed narratives of battles written during the war really convey the truth of the conflict? Most importantly, he considers whether works aimed at children can ever achieve anything more than a partial and skewed response to such complex and tumultuous events.

David Budgen is Associate Lecturer in the School of History at the University of Kent, UK.

Covers a substantial amount of ground while being accessible and well researched ... An important contribution to military, literary and historical scholarship, which offers a balanced and considered view of youthful Great War literature. * The English Historical Review * By writing from the vantage of children's literature and its relationship with a century of First World War stories for the young, Budgen (Univ. of Kent) has opened a particularly revealing perspective on war studies. * Michigan War Studies Review * An important [book] ... no other work on the subject - which has long fascinated me - has proved so enjoyable, informative or wide ranging. * The Journal of the Western Front Association * Well-written, accessible and thoroughly researched, David Budgen has examined a vast array of literary sources to explain how the Great War was imagined for children both during and after the conflict. A valuable addition to our understanding of the subject and of interest to historians, literary critics, educationalists and anyone interested in the Great War. * Michael Paris, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, University of Central Lancashire, UK *