La Grande Guerra dalla parte delle donne nella poesia inglese

Abstract

For many decades following the end of the Great War, in England great credence was given to the decisive role played by women in encouraging their “young men” to enlist in search of glory through the sacrifice of their young lives. Thus, in maintaining silence, women were thought to have been insensitive to the suffering of men. In their verses, however, the young soldier-poets spoke out eloquently against the horrors of war.
Notwithstanding, an analysis of women’s poetry, for the most part published after the end of the war – leads us to hold that the study of their works ‘adds a new dimension to the established canon of war literature and a new way to understand the truth about war'. Therefore, while not discounting the fact that the propaganda, the censorship and the initial championing of the cause by women did, indeed, contribute to the enthusiasm of young men to take part in the conflict, it can be affirmed that the poetry written by women can be considered complementary to that written by men.
In women’s poetry, the themes of remorse for the loss of young lives, physical and moral destruction and the deception to which young men had fallen victim were all present and are extensively examined in the essay.