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Through our study of poems by British and American writers, we will follow the downward arc of patriotic fervor from the early days of World War (WW) I to its conclusion in cynicism and despair.
In Great Britain, WWI brought a slow dismantling of England’s dysfunctional class system and the crumbling of its colonial control. In the United States, an initial stance of neutrality was broken by the sinking of the Lusitania, among other causes. The entry of the U.S. into WWI in 1917 led ultimately to its greater involvement in international affairs. British poets (such as Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, and Isaac Rosenberg), along with American writers (such as Ernest Hemingway, Alan Seeger, Edith Wharton, and Amy Lowell), give voice to the lived experience of the estimated 40 million military and civilian casualties of that war, as well as to their own experiences.
The moderator will provide a list of poets, books, and other print or internet resources to guide participants in their choice of topic.
