The Literature of Absolute War: Transnationalism and World War II

This book explores the literature of absolute war in connection to World War II, addressing theoretical, historical, and literary questions. It identifies the main features of the language of absolute war and how it gravitates around fundamental semantic clusters. It also delves into the different poetics that articulate the writing on absolute war, focusing on traditional realism, traumatic realism, the fantastic, and catastrophic modernism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 281 pages
Publication date: 29 September 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This groundbreaking book delves into the literature of absolute war in the context of World War II, offering a transnational and comparative perspective. It addresses a range of theoretical, historical, and literary questions, shedding new light on the nature of absolute war, the literature of the 1939-1945 World War, and modern war writing in general. Through its analysis, it identifies the key characteristics of the language of absolute war and how it revolves around fundamental semantic clusters such as horror, terror, and the specter.

The Literature of Absolute War explores the diverse responses of literary authors to the profound and seemingly insurmountable challenges posed by absolute war to epistemology, ethics, and language. It also delves into the various poetics that articulate the writing on absolute war, with a particular focus on four literary practices: traditional realism, traumatic realism, the fantastic, and catastrophic modernism.

By examining these practices, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the literature of absolute war and its impact on the human experience. It provides valuable insights into the ways in which writers have attempted to grapple with the horrors of war and convey the profound emotional and psychological toll it takes on individuals and societies.

This book is a must-read for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the study of war, literature, and the human condition. Its innovative approach and insightful analysis make it a valuable contribution to the field of military and literary studies.

ISBN-13: 9781108817035