The Old Lie: The Great War And The Public-School Ethos - Softcover

Parker, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847250440 ISBN 13: 9781847250445

Publisher: Continuum, 2007

Synopsis

Long unavailable, this acclaimed book traces the history of an ideal and examines its effect on the lives of those caught up in the First World War. Rupert Brooke's apparent enthusiasm for the War in 1914 was echoed throughout England, particularly by young men who had been educated in a gentlemanly tradition of patriotism, chivalry and sportsmanship at their public schools. These codes had also trickled down through society thanks to the school stories that appeared in popular boys' magazines, and to the missions and boys' clubs run by the schools and universities in the poorer parts of the country.


Drawing upon a wealth of material, Peter Parker's fascinating book traces the growth and dissemination of what Wilfred Owen dismissed as 'the old lie' in his poem Dulce Et Decorum Est. It also explores the wide variety of responses to the war - from celebration to denigration, from patriotic acquiescence to bitter rebellion - as they were reflected in the poetry, plays and prose of the period. The Old Lie unearths some truly bizarre notions about education and warfare and illuminatingly re-examines the literature of the First World War by placing it in its historical and social perspective.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter Parker was born in Herefordshire and educated in the Malverns, Dorset and London. He is the author of a highly acclaimed book on the life of J. R. Ackerley and, most recently, the critically acclaimed biography, Isherwood: A Life. He writes about books and gardening for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines and lives in London's East End. '

About this edition

• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1847250440
• ISBN 13: 9781847250445
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344