Jirí Pondelícek

Lions Led by Donkeys: Portrayal of World War I in British Literature in the 20th Century Jirí Pondelícek

The First World War is one of the biggest traumas for the British people. The war killed more British citizens than The Second World War and hugely affected British economy. Unlike the war against the Nazi Germany, it is not what may be called ?just war? and the doubts about its meaning have been growing over the last century. Some historians even claim that it was the biggest mistake of modern history. The atrocities like those of the trench warfare and mass mechanized killing had never been experienced thus far. The war has inspired many writers both those who fought it and those who have not experienced it. Today, we can trace an increased amount of novels which dealt with the war or use it as a background. This may be, to some extent, caused by the growing interest in the historic novel as such. The writers who have not fought in the war deal with the topic differently. Almost a century has passed since the guns fell silent in 1918 and this time has had an impact on the perception of the war. Last veterans of the war have already died and the war has become a subject of books rather that of a living memory.