Writing War: Literature from the First World War to Present Conflicts - Einzelansicht

 The course will now definitely take place online. The maximum number of particpants is 30.

War Literature is one of the oldest genres of western literature. Yet especially for Anglophone war literature most of the fundamental developments arguably happened in the 20^th century. The First World War did not only shape modern warfare but also had a great impact on how war was depicted in writing. For the first time many of those who wrote literature about the war were also those who fought (and sometimes fell) on the battlefields. With each new conflict in the 20^th and 21^st century, the portrayal of war in media and art changed and evolved. In this course we will be analysing and discussing selected works that emerged from past and present conflicts. Recurring themes will be: identity, relationships between combatants and non-combatants, killing and dying, masculinity as well as the question of the impossibility to convey war.

Most of the literature will be made available on Moodle. One of the sessions will be devoted to war photography, its ethics and role in our societies. Due to the nature of the topic please be prepared to deal with very graphic material every week.