"British" World War One Poetry: An Introduction

The poetry of World War One has been some of the most important and influential work of the twentieth century. It has shaped our attitudes to war, and has remained ingrained in British cultural consciousness. In this collection world-leading experts revisit this important body of work to provide deeper insights into some of the most read British soldier poets, as well as providing new perspectives and introductions to a more expansive canon. This series was produced as part of the Faculty of English Spring School (3-5 April 2014) and is aimed at members of the public, particularly those who have read some World War One poetry and are now seeking a deeper critical appreciation.

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Episodes

Edmund Blunden

Margi Blunden, daughter of Edmund Blunden, talks about her father and his work.

Sep 22, 2014•32 min

Impact of the 1914 – 1918 Poets

Adrian Barlow looks at the impact of World War One poets in the years immediately following the War, in late 20s and early 30s, and as we embark on the 100 year anniversary of the conflict. Adrian Barlow is the President of the English Association and series editor of Cambridge Contexts in Literature. Previously he was Director of Public and Professional Programmes at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education.

Sep 22, 2014•58 min

Poetry of the Empire

World War One was a conflict of empire, not of nation. In this lecture Dr Simon Featherstone looks at four distinctive poets who provide a version of empire that is much more nuanced than the imperial rhetoric of the established canon. Dr Simon Featherstone is Principal Lecturer in Drama Studies at De Montfort University with a specialism in postcolonial studies; Englishness; national identities; and war poetry.

Sep 22, 2014•44 min

Siegfried Sassoon

Meg Crane looks at the war poems of Siegfried Sassoon, framed by the first and last (non-war) poems of his literary career. Meg Crane is a teacher and President of the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship.

Sep 22, 2014•51 min

'Earth Voices Whispering’: Reading Ireland’s Poetry of WWI: An Introduction

Professor Gerald Dawe relates the Irish poetry of World War One to the history of Ireland itself and explores why the first anthology of Irish WW1 Poetry was only published in 2008. Professor Gerald Dawe is the Director of the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing and Director of M.Phil in Creative Writing at Trinity College Dublin. He is the editor of the first anthology of Irish war poetry 'Earth Voices Whispering: Irish war poetry 1914-1945 (2008)'.

Sep 22, 2014•1 hr

David Jones

Often overlooked, Dr Stuart Lee introduces David Jones and his seminal work 'In Parenthesis'.

Sep 22, 2014•15 min

Wilfred Owen

Professor Jon Stallworthy, editor and biographer of Wilfred Owen, introduces one of the most notable poets of World War One.

Sep 22, 2014•47 min

Isaac Rosenberg: ‘Fierce Imaginings’ – the Private and the Poet

Author and editor, Jean Liddiard, presents the life and work of Isaac Rosenberg.

Sep 20, 2014•59 min

Ivor Gurney: A Poet born out of War

Dr Philip Lancaster presents the life of literary musician Ivor Guney, and introduces some the key themes in his poetry. Philip Lancaster is a writer and composer, a leading textual and critical scholar specialising in early twentieth century music and poetry, and a solo baritone and consort singer. He is a current Finzi Scholar, and a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.

Sep 20, 2014•56 min

Manuscripts

In this short talk Dr Stuart Lee introduces some of the primary sources of World War One poetry: manuscripts. Visit Oxford's online First World War Poetry Digital Archive to explore the manuscripts of the major British World War One poets (http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit).

Sep 20, 2014•13 min

Poetry vs. History

What place do the poets and their work have in the historical analysis of the War? Dr Stuart Lee takes a look at the debate.

Sep 20, 2014•15 min

‘On your lips my life is hung’: Robert Graves and War

Dr Charles Mundye takes a look at how Robert Graves' experiences and feelings about War that influenced his poetic career. Dr Charles Mundye is Head of Academic Development at the Department of Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University. He has research interests in British and American literature of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and is President of the Robert Graves Society.

Sep 18, 2014•49 min

Women Poets

Dr Jane Potter looks at a range of women poets who wrote during, and in the years that followed, World War One. Dr Jane Potter's research and teaching focuses on book and literary history. Her monograph Boys in Khaki, Girls in Print: Women's Literary Responses to the Great War 1914-1918 (OUP 2005; paperback 2007) was joint winner of the 2006 Women’s History Network Book Prize and she has published widely on many aspects of war literature, book history, and women's writing. She is a trustee of th...

Sep 18, 2014•41 min

Edward Thomas: Edwardian War Poet

Dr Guy Cuthbertson takes an in-depth look at the poet Edward Thomas.

Sep 15, 2014•52 min

Popular Poetry

Dr Stuart Lee discusses the popular poetry of the War years and the formation of the canon in the years that followed.

Sep 15, 2014•17 min

Georgians and Others

Dr Stuart Lee gives a short introduction to the poetry movements that led up to the War.

Sep 15, 2014•17 min

The Early Poets

Dr Alisa Miller looks at the popular poets in the early years of the War and the way that the press and publishing worlds created a commercial culture in support of the conflict. Alisa Miller is Research Fellow at the University of Chichester. Her work is concerned with how individuals understand and reconcile war as both a private and a public experience, and the cultural artifacts that they create in order to explain and contextualise extraordinary experience of violence.

Sep 14, 2014•48 min

War Poetry

Dr Mark Rawlinson explores the relationship between War and War Poetry using Owen's famous 'Preface' as the starting point. Dr Mark Rawlinson is a Reader in English Literature at the University of Leicester, working on nineteenth- and twentieth century literature, especially narrative fiction and poetry. His research has a particular focus on the literature of war.

Sep 14, 2014•48 min

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