Writing War in Britain and France, 1370-1854: A History of Emotions (Themes in Medieval and Early Modern History)

Book Details

• Author: Stephanie Downes

• Publisher: Routledge

• Language: English

• Edition: 1

• ISBN: 9781138314139

• Pages: 244

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.0 inches

About the Book

Writing War in Britain and France, 1370–1854: A History of Emotions is a pioneering collection that delves into how war has been emotionally experienced, expressed, and recorded through writing across nearly five centuries. Edited by Stephanie Downes, this insightful volume assembles leading scholars from medieval to Romantic studies to investigate how literature and historical narratives shaped and reflected the emotional dimensions of war in Britain and France.

Through a wide array of literary genres, documents, and sites of cultural production, the book uncovers how war has been depicted not merely as a political or military event but as a deeply emotional human experience. From heroic valor to grief, from patriotism to trauma, these essays examine the evolving emotional languages through which war has been constructed and interpreted.

Spanning conflicts from the Hundred Years’ War to the Napoleonic era, and covering literary forms such as chronicles, poetry, letters, and memoirs, the volume highlights the complex interplay between war, emotion, and the written word. It explores how different social, political, and historical contexts shaped the way war was written about and remembered, and how these emotional narratives influenced public perception and historical memory.

This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of war literature, the history of emotions, and cultural studies. With its interdisciplinary scope and rich historical insight, Writing War in Britain and France offers a compelling look into the emotional life of warfare and the narratives that have defined it across centuries.