War and Literary Studies

This is the first volume to provide a systematic overview of the core concepts in contemporary scholarship of war literature.

Anders Engberg-Pedersen (Edited by), Neil Ramsey (Edited by)

9781316511480, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 January 2023

350 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 3 cm, 0.76 kg

War and Literary Studies poses two main questions: First, how has war shaped the field of literary studies? And second, when scholars today study the literature of war what are the key concepts in play? Seeking to complement the extant scholarship, this volume adopts a wider and more systematic approach as it directs our attention to the relation between warfare and literary studies as a field of knowledge. What are the key characteristics of the language of war? Of gender in war? Which questions are central to the way we engage with war and trauma or war and sensation? In which ways were prominent 20th century theories such as critical theory, French postwar theory, postcolonial theory shaped by war? How might emergent concepts such as 'revolution,' 'the anthropocene' or 'capitalism' inflect the study of war and literature?

Part I. Origins and Theories: 1. War and classical Athens Edith Foster
2. War and Chinese culture Huiwen Helen Zhang and Haun Saussy
3. War and romantic thought Wolf Kittler
4. War and critical theory Max Pensky
5. War and French theory Anders Engberg-Pedersen
6. War and media studies Geoffrey Winthrop-Young
7. War and postcolonial thought Santanu Das
Part II. Foundational Concepts: 8. War and language Nil Santiáñez
9. War and modernist aesthetics Paul Sheehan
10. War and historicity Elizabeth Krimmer
11. War and sensation Sarah Cole
12. War and civilians Mark Rawlinson
13. War and trauma Neil Ramsey and Anders Engberg-Pedersen
14. War and religion Peter Madsen
15. War and gender Margot Norris
Part III. Emerging Concepts: 16. War and drones Debjani Ganguly
17. War and humanitarianism Eleni Coundouriotis
18. War and capitalism Neil Ramsey
19. War and revolution Jan Mieszkowski
20. War and biopolitics Arne de Boever
21. War and nuclear criticism Adam Piette
22. War and the personality of power Brian Massumi.

Subject Areas: War & combat fiction [FJM], Literary reference works [DSR], Literary studies: from c 1900 - [DSBH], Literary theory [DSA]