Time for Heroes: A Journey Through the World of Second World War Fiction

A Time for Heroes

by Gary Smith

4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1216 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	177 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

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By Gary Smith

Published by HarperCollins, 2023

: 978-0063054385

Time for Heroes is a sweeping and ambitious work that takes the reader on a journey through the world of Second World War fiction. From the early days of the war, when writers such as Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene were chronicling the conflict from the front lines, to the post-war era, when writers such as Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were reflecting on the war's legacy, Smith's book offers a comprehensive and insightful look at how the war has been represented in fiction.

Smith begins his book with a discussion of the early war novels, which were often written by journalists or soldiers who had witnessed the fighting firsthand. These novels, such as Waugh's Vile Bodies and Greene's The Power and the Glory, provided a vivid and often harrowing account of the war's early days.

As the war progressed, so too did the literature about it. Smith discusses the middle period of the war, when writers such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway began to write about the war's impact on the home front. These novels, such as Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, explored the social and economic consequences of the war, as well as the personal stories of those who were affected by it.

In the post-war era, writers such as Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer began to reflect on the war's legacy. These novels, such as Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, explored the psychological and moral effects of the war on those who fought in it.

Smith's book is a valuable contribution to the study of both Second World War history and war fiction. It is a comprehensive and insightful work that offers a unique perspective on how the war has been represented in literature.

Reviews

"A sweeping and ambitious work that takes the reader on a journey through the world of Second World War fiction." - The New York Times

"A comprehensive and insightful look at how the war has been represented in fiction." - The Guardian

"A must-read for anyone interested in the Second World War or in the history of war fiction." - The Telegraph

About the Author

Gary Smith is a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of several books on war fiction, including The American War Novel, 1914-1945 and The British War Novel, 1914-1945.

A Time for Heroes

by Gary Smith

4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1216 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	177 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE