Paul Fussell's Impact On Literature

To convey a sense of life and memory within war society, Paul Fussell analyzes the British experience on the western front from 1914 to 1918. By doing this, he uses literature, such as poems, literary narratives, satires, memoirs, and letters. Fussell outlines his focus to that of trench life within the British war memory, asserting that this book extends beyond the war itself, instead, looking at the war’s impact on literature, society, and remembrance. Fussell claims that through literature, a more constructive memory of the Great War develops, a war that he argues has fundamentally altered the basis of language and literature when invoking memory. By using literary devices such as irony, metaphors, personification, and myths that provoke emotion, the poems and writings of soldiers conspire a form of remembrance that allows them to process the experiences of trench warfare. Fussell argues that by engaging with these literary devices and written sources, descriptions of emotional and psychological effects of combat, and the Great War’s impact on society becomes evident. By constructing a form of memory through literature, it offers a transparent look into

Fussell’s written source collection, from the War Imperial Museum in London, ranges from Great War troop papers to soldiers poems, and diaries. Along with these sources, Fussell’s use of public discourse like propaganda and rumors further formulate his argument. By proposing these themes with his primary sources and universal literature pre and post-war, the author demonstrates how soldiers remembered the atrocities witnessed and experienced on the front line. He engages specifically with “memoirs” of soldiers Sassoon, Blunden, and Graves, which give additional examples of organized narratives on the