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After he and his lover, Elizabeth, have a pregnancy scare, they decide to marry. Although they do not have a child, the marriage endures. They decide to leave their marriage open. George takes
Elizabeth's close friend as a lover, however, and their marriage begins to fall apart. Just as the situation
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George trains for the army and is sent to France. (No particular location in France is mentioned. The town behind the front where George spends much of his time is referred to as M—.) He fights on the front for some time. When he returns home, he finds that he has been so affected by the war that he
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The first part details George's family history. His father, a middle-class man from
England's countryside, marries a poor woman who falsely believes she is marrying into a monied family. After George's birth, his mother has a series of lovers. The portrait of George's parents is believed to be based
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To my astonishment, my publisher informed me that certain words, phrases, sentences, and even passages, are at present taboo in
England. I have recorded nothing which I have not observed in human life, said nothing I do not believe to be true. At my request the publishers are removing what they
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is the story of a young
English artist named George Winterbourne who enlists in the army at the beginning of World War I. The book is narrated by an unnamed first-person narrator who claims to have known and served with the main character. It is divided into three parts.
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George is brought up to be a proper and patriotic member of
English society. He is encouraged to learn his father's insurance business, but fails to do so. After a disagreement with his parents, he relocates to London to become an artist and live a socialite lifestyle.
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as a result. When
Aldington first published his novel, he redacted a number of passages to ensure the publication of his book would not be challenged. He insisted that his publishers include a disclaimer in the original printing of the book with the following text:
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The casualty rate among officers is particularly high at the front. When a number of officers in George's unit are killed, he is promoted. Upon spending time with the other officers, he finds them to be cynical and utilitarian. He loses faith in the war quickly.
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believe would be considered objectionable, and are placing asterisks to show where omissions have been made. In my opinion it is better for the book to appear mutilated than for me to say what I don't believe.
142:, discussion of sexuality and graphic descriptions of the war and of trench life. There was extensive censorship in England and many war novels had been banned or
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Aldington, a veteran of World War I, claimed that his novel was accurate in terms of speech and style. It contained extensive colloquial speech, including
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The second section of the book deals with George's London life. He ingrains himself in socialite society and engages a number of trendy philosophies.
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At the end of the book there is a poem written from the point of view of a veteran comparing World War I to the
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is becoming particularly heated, England declares war on
Germany. George decides to enlist.
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on his own parents, whom he disliked. One critic called the characters "parodic monsters".
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The story ends with George standing up during a machine-gun barrage. He is killed.
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Aldington's portrayal of society contains "clumsily satirical portraits" of
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cannot relate to his friends, including his wife and lover.
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200:Robert Crawford (22 January 2015).
55:in 1929, and thought to be partly
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231:Robert Irwin (18 February 1999).
296:British autobiographical novels
16:1929 novel by Richard Aldington
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291:Novels set during World War I
265:The Banned Books of England
170:Aldington, Richard (2013).
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301:Chatto & Windus books
233:"Top Grumpy's Top Hate"
237:London Review of Books
206:London Review of Books
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306:Novels about artists
268:. Allen. p. 45.
286:1929 British novels
262:Alec Craig (1937).
53:Chatto & Windus
202:"Lithe Pale Girls"
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311:1929 debut novels
183:978-1-101-60293-5
176:. Penguin Books.
45:Richard Aldington
41:World War I novel
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36:Death of a Hero
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47:. It was his
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63:Plot summary
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101:T. S. Eliot
49:first novel
280:Categories
157:References
134:Censorship
128:Trojan War
105:Ezra Pound
140:profanity
29:Paul Nash
111:Book III
88:Book II
247:27 May
216:27 May
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144:burned
75:Book I
39:is a
249:2019
218:2019
178:ISBN
103:and
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43:by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
