ENGL1921: World Wars I, II, and III: A Cultural and Literary History

This course addresses the problem of war in human society with particular reference to the actual and anticipated wars of the past century. Why do wars happen? Do they derive from something inherent in human nature, the actions and ideologies of particular nations, or the competitive nature of the international political system? What logics govern the proliferation of ever deadlier weaponry? Can wars be managed? Will the world ever really know peace? How did major writers, artists, composers, political thinkers, and opinion shapers address these questions over the violent course of the twentieth century? In terms of methodology, this course falls somewhere on the disciplinary boundaries between history, international relations theory, and literary studies. Our readings will include Kenneth Waltz’s seminal work of IR theory, Man, the State, and War; the World War I poets Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and Margaret Postgate Cole; Robert Grave’s unforgettable war memoir, Goodbye to All That; Patrick Hamilton's Slaves of Solitude; Evelyn Waugh’s Put Out More Flags; Elizabeth Bowen’s The Demon Lover and Other Stories; Svetlana’s Alexievitch’s The Unwomanly Face of War; John Hersey’s Hiroshima; and Walter J. Miller’s A Canticle for Liebowitz. We will also study paintings by Pablo Picasso, Paul Nash, Thomas Hennell, and Frank Auerbach; screen Sergei Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky, Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity, and Mick Jackson’s Threads; and listen to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Benjamin Britten, and Arvo Pärt. Grades will be based on a combination of exams, papers, and class discussion.

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