Bettina Breitenberger

Sassoon's Changing Attitude Towards War. from Pro-war Feelings to Anti-war Stances Bettina Breitenberger

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Augsburg, language: English, abstract: This term paper is concerned with the thesis that Siegfried Sassoon's attitude towards war changed during the years of World War I. In the following the question on how this transformation affected his poetry will be examined. Based on the analysis of the poems "Absolution", which Sassoon wrote before any front line experience, and "Survivors", written two years later, it is investigated how they differ in form, style and content. The results are interpreted as evidence for a change from pro-war feelings to anti-war stances. It is furthermore suggested that Siegfried Sassoon's changing attitude towards war is an advantage for the reader in regard to his ability to get an idea how life-changing the experience of war is