The Dawn of Modernity World War 1 (1914-1918) Literature Before World War 1 • Focused on romantic themes • Heavy emphasis on nature • Glorified war and soldiers During & After World War 1 • Many thought the war would only last a few months • As the years dragged on, more writers started describing in detail the horrors of trench warfare • On the home front, literature described the effects of the “Great War”, particularly the soldiers experiencing PTSD Trench Warfare “Shell-shock” Siegfried Sassoon • Wrote compassionate poems of his experience as a British soldier in World War 1 • Was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Poetry in 1957 • Wrote of the horror and brutality of trench warfare • “I believe that this War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it,” he wrote in a letter. Counter-Attack (1918) by Siegfried Sassoon Guide Questions: 1. What lines/images from the poem are most disturbing? 2. How does the poem bring battle to life? 3. As part of a generation who has never been to war, what is the importance of reading literature depicting battles and warfare in such a realistic way? Luigi Pirandello • Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer • 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature • A major contributor to the style of modern theater • His son was sent to the front during World War 1 and was captured War (1918) by Luigi Paradello Guide Questions: 1. Why was the mother looking like she was already in mourning before her son went to war? 2. Why do you think the old man whose son had already died in the war reacted that way at the end? 3. Is dying in a war an honor or a waste? Explain.
