The Great War and Modern Memory

Paul Fussell has created a significant study on the effects of World War I on the human consciousness and attitudes. This book is an especially useful tool for students of modern literature, as Fussell cites many instances in which the impact of the war was and, in some cases still is, reflected in the literature. Fussell's arguments include one explaining the modern distrust of language, especially abstract nouns. Central to this argument is Hemingway's famous quotation from A FAREWELL TO ARMS in which he states, "abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments, and the dates." Fussell explores the War's myriad of adverse effects and skillfully reports his conclusions on their effects on the modern state of being in this study which is an indispensable tool for those interested in modern studies.