British Humour and the Second World War: 'Keep Smiling Through'

Description

This book skilfully brings together cutting-edge historical research by leading and emerging researchers in the field to investigate the utilisation of British humour both during the Second World War and its legacy in British popular culture. Linsey Robb and Juliette Pattinson lead a cast of esteemed academics and early career scholars to address a wide variety of situations in which humour was generated and a diverse range of groups for whom it was important. By addressing the overarching topic of humour from a breadth of different perspectives (naval, intelligence, Conscientious Objectors, medical artists) and by adopting an original interpretative framework of home front sites (including the Channel Islands), this books opens up the possibility for a more variegated, richer analysis of Britain during the Second World War. By using the lens of humour to scrutinize the social and cultural history of Britain during the Second World War, it promises to add critical nuance to our understanding of the functioning of British wartime society. The result is a rich addition to existing literature of use to students and scholars studying the cultural history of war.

Juliette Pattinson is Reader in History at the University of Kent, UK. Linsey Robb is Senior Lecturer in Modern British History, Northumbria University, UK.

British Humour and the Second World War offers an important intervention in understanding the inner thoughts and mood of the nation in regard to the Second World War. It speaks authoritatively to how people coped with the war and provides a fresh view on how we have come to understand this national moment. * David Clampin, Subject Leader for History, Liverpool John Moores University, UK *