AUTHORING WAR: The Literary Representation of War from the Iliad to Iraq

📘 Book Details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

• Author: Kate McLoughlin

• Language: English

• Edition: Not specified

• ISBN: 9781107003903

• Pages: 232

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches

📝 About The Book

Authoring War by Kate McLoughlin is a groundbreaking and ambitious exploration of war writing across literary genres and historical periods. From the epic poetry of Homer to contemporary narratives surrounding the 'War on Terror', McLoughlin offers a sweeping analysis of how writers from various cultures have confronted the immense challenges of depicting violence, trauma, and loss.

This scholarly yet accessible study emphasizes the centrality of literary form in shaping the experience of war on the page. War writing, as McLoughlin argues, involves deep questions of knowledge, language, time, and space—problems that transcend individual conflicts and resonate across centuries. Through close rhetorical analysis, she draws compelling parallels across genres and time periods: juxtaposing Byron’s Don Juan with Heller’s Catch-22, and pairing English Civil War poetry with letters from World War II.

Inventive, rich in critical insight, and global in scope, Authoring War redefines the field of war literature and opens new paths for interdisciplinary discussion. A vital resource for students, researchers, and anyone interested in the representation of war, this book is a landmark contribution to literary and cultural studies.