Output details

Literature of the 1940s : War, Postwar and 'Peace'

Literature of the 1940s required the analysis of a considerable body of material. It was necessary to survey the social, political and cultural history of the mid-century, and to study newspapers, magazines, films, literary criticism and cultural commentary from across the decade. Over 300 primary texts (many not readily accessible) were read in order to comment on literary production, and to choose suitable ‘exemplary’ novels, poems and plays, the textual analysis of which was embedded within broader surveys of literary developments. It was also necessary to acquire a detailed knowledge of the vast wealth of recent criticism on the decade.