The Great War and Modern Memory Anniversary Edition

Reviews that guided my purchase stated the book was about the Great War 1914-1918 and there are good pages in respect of the experiences of those who fought. However the essence of the book is what the title states, about how the War is remembered through the prism of modern criticism and ideas, in none of which I was interested. Caveat emptor.

The paradox of the Great War is that it was so vast and transformative that it is quite impossible for a single human mind to comprehend in its totality. Fussell's excellent writing and scholarship comes closest to opening modern eyes to the full enormity of the event. For some time I have been devouring as much literature as I could find on the Great War, but this book absolutely takes first place. If I could recommend just one book on the subject to any interested reader, this would be it.Fussell describes the impact of the war on the culture and psychology of the 20th century, illustrating what, for me, were jaw-dropping insights, drawing on the memoirs and artistic expressions of the participants. I have been pondering it ever since reading it last year and it has generated many productive conversations with others. A page-turner and absolute must read. It will transform your view of modern history.

Still relevant discussion of how the war was fought affected those in the trenches and everyone else. "Troglodyte World" is one of the most vivid descriptions of trench warfare you can find, and very readable. Have been assigning this to undergraduates for more than 15 years, and still find it very useful. Buy the book.

With the 100 year anniversary of World War One upon us, there has been an outpouring of new books on the war. Some of these are very good indeed, but reading a few new ones drew me back to this classic. I think it may be the best book I have ever read on the War, for two reasons.First, while the book is mostly about the war in literature and memory, Fussell captures and shows the actual day-to-day experience of the soldiers in the trenches more vividly than anything else I have read. He was in combat in Europe World War II, so he knew things in visceral terms that non- combatants don't know (and, as he points out, very often did not and do not want to know). Also, while much of his research was literary, the rest of it was about as immediate as you can get: he spent three months in a room at the Imperial War Museum, reading the Museum's (unsorted) archive of papers of the British troops in World War I. In so doing, he says, "For three months I lived in the trenches with the British soldiery, accompanying them on raids on the German trenches across the way, consoling myself with their rum, pursuing and crunching lice in my trouser seams, and affecting British phlegm as they jumped the bags and dashed directly into machine gun fire."The day to day experience he conveys is horrible, claustrophobic, and increasingly pointless. Soldiers on both sides began to believe that the war would never end; "the war", indeed, begins to seem a great pitiless machine that chews up rank after rank of men, and spits out corpses. This is not a new thought -- no one who has read much about the War is going to believe that trench life was fun. But Fussell conveys more strongly than anyone else I have read just how awful, and endless, it was. He intended his description to make war look horrible, and it does.Second, Fussell's most important literary observation, it seems to me, is less about literature per se than about a way of thinking -- the modern way of thinking, if you will. He goes through key themes as they appeared in the writings of several major authors of the War. What emerges overall, however, is a sense that for many the ability to believe in ideals was killed in the war, shifting the postwar world to an attitude of pessimism and irony. Many have criticized Fussell's focus on a small group of British writers, but I think his point is still valid. The First World War made it impossible for thinking people to believe in human progress, or in the basic goodness of humankind. In the century since then, it has been too easy to remain disillusioned.This is a terrific book, for those whose interests are primarily historical, as well as for those who have literary inclinations. Read it.

This seems like it would be an utterly fascinating study of WWI through the literature of the soldiers who fought in it. And it is a great study, but not really a fascinating one. Fussell's work is very impressive and makes a fantastic academic work. But few outside academia or literary circles will find this a pleasurable read. Unless you are already familiar with the majority of WWI poetry, memoirs, novels, and other literature, much of this book will be overwhelming. While Fussell does quote extensively, I think readers will still be lost if they have not read these already. I was hoping this book would be more approachable to a mass audience than it turned out to be. I read this as a part of a Masters history course, so I might have had a bit more context than some readers might and still found it fairly overwhelming. Nonetheless, it is an important book in the study of WWI and how it has shaped the memory of the war (as well as succeeding wars).3 stars might be a little harsh, but this is Amazon, not a college bookstore. If you're an avid student of WWI, you don't need my review to know you should read this book.