"British" World War One Poetry: An Introduction
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"British" World War One Poetry: An Introduction
The poetry of World War One has been some of the most important and influential work of the twentieth century. It has shaped our attitudes to war, and has remained ingrained in British cultural consciousness. In this collection world-leading experts revisit this important body of work to provide dee...
Recent Episodes
18 episodes
Edmund Blunden
Margi Blunden, daughter of Edmund Blunden, talks about her father and his work.
Impact of the 1914 – 1918 Poets
Adrian Barlow looks at the impact of World War One poets in the years immediately following the War, in late 20s and early 30s, and as we embark on th...
Poetry of the Empire
World War One was a conflict of empire, not of nation. In this lecture Dr Simon Featherstone looks at four distinctive poets who provide a version of...
Siegfried Sassoon
Meg Crane looks at the war poems of Siegfried Sassoon, framed by the first and last (non-war) poems of his literary career. Meg Crane is a teacher and...
'Earth Voices Whispering’: Reading Ireland’s Poetry of WWI: An Introduction
Professor Gerald Dawe relates the Irish poetry of World War One to the history of Ireland itself and explores why the first anthology of Irish WW1 Poe...
David Jones
Often overlooked, Dr Stuart Lee introduces David Jones and his seminal work 'In Parenthesis'.
Wilfred Owen
Professor Jon Stallworthy, editor and biographer of Wilfred Owen, introduces one of the most notable poets of World War One.
Isaac Rosenberg: ‘Fierce Imaginings’ – the Private and the Poet
Author and editor, Jean Liddiard, presents the life and work of Isaac Rosenberg.
Ivor Gurney: A Poet born out of War
Dr Philip Lancaster presents the life of literary musician Ivor Guney, and introduces some the key themes in his poetry. Philip Lancaster is a writer...
Manuscripts
In this short talk Dr Stuart Lee introduces some of the primary sources of World War One poetry: manuscripts. Visit Oxford's online First World War Po...
Poetry vs. History
What place do the poets and their work have in the historical analysis of the War? Dr Stuart Lee takes a look at the debate.
‘On your lips my life is hung’: Robert Graves and War
Dr Charles Mundye takes a look at how Robert Graves' experiences and feelings about War that influenced his poetic career. Dr Charles Mundye is Head o...
Women Poets
Dr Jane Potter looks at a range of women poets who wrote during, and in the years that followed, World War One. Dr Jane Potter's research and teaching...
Edward Thomas: Edwardian War Poet
Dr Guy Cuthbertson takes an in-depth look at the poet Edward Thomas.
Popular Poetry
Dr Stuart Lee discusses the popular poetry of the War years and the formation of the canon in the years that followed.
Georgians and Others
Dr Stuart Lee gives a short introduction to the poetry movements that led up to the War.
The Early Poets
Dr Alisa Miller looks at the popular poets in the early years of the War and the way that the press and publishing worlds created a commercial culture...
War Poetry
Dr Mark Rawlinson explores the relationship between War and War Poetry using Owen's famous 'Preface' as the starting point. Dr Mark Rawlinson is a Rea...