Men of War: Masculinity and the First World War in Britain

Genders and Sexualities in History

by Jessica Meyer

Exploring how understandings of masculinity were constructed by British First World war servicemen through examination of their personal narratives, including letters home from the front and wartime diaries. This book presents a nuanced investigation of masculine identity in Britain during and after the First World War.

Genres: World War I, History

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2009

Reviews

[Madeline]

I read this whole damn book just to verify two quotes for Jarica’s book, so hell if I’m not going to get my goodreads credit for it! (The kicker is, neither of the quotes were in the book).

In terms of a real review: Meyers has done some superb research for this book. Her engagement with contemporary sources is incredibly thorough and detailed. I greatly appreciate her bibliographic approach to WWI, and this is a great book for learning about the war through letters, diaries, etc.

[Ellie Pilcher]

Really useful for my history degree but also incredibly interesting and easy to follow! Not like any other textbook I have read before, I actually enjoyed it!

[Nanette]

Well researched book that delves into what constituted "manliness" during the Edwardian period and how such ideals were stretched to their limits during the Great War.

Meyer uses a variety of materials to allow those who experienced war first hand, to explain and deal with the horrors and everyday life they experienced both during and after their return home.