Wilfred Owen and the Harsh Reality of the First World War

Seminar paper in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, language: English, abstract: This term paper will deal with the poetry in the First World War. Particular attention will be paid to the British war poet Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) wrote many poems to process experiences he made while fighting in the trenches. Most of his poems were published posthumously.

In the first part of the term paper, some characteristics of English poetry from the Great War will be identified. At that time, the so-called Georgian movement was distinguished. Consequently, in the second part the main aspects of this movement will be clarified, and it will be shown how Owen was influenced by the Georgians. In the third part, some details about Wilfred Owen and his short but excellent poetic career will be given. Poems of Wilfred Owen will be analysed regarding how he conveys the harsh reality of war in his poems, and his attitude towards war. Owen was one of the persons who were diagnosed with the so called ¿shell shock¿. Therefore, his mental illness and being part of the war had a significant impact on his poems. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967), another well-known English war poet, had a huge influence on the writings of Owen, too. They met at hospital to recover from shell shock. That is why there will be references to Sassoon in the term paper.

The overall results will be summed up in a conclusion. The question(s) from the beginning will be answered and there will be a short view on potential future research topics.