British Writers of the Thirties

by Valentine Cunningham

This wide-ranging study of British writers and poets of the 1930s--including Auden, Isherwood, Spender, Waugh, and Greene-- examines the masterpieces of that momentous decade, not in linguistic isolation, but in the contexts--social, political, historical, ideological, and personal--in which
they were composed. Cunningham maps out the dominant images and concerns, nothing less than the central obsessions and imposing images of the '30s imagination. He analyzes the obsession with violence, the "destructive element" of post-World War consciousness; the cult of youth, of schools and
schoolmasters; the infatuation with heroes--flyers, mountaineers, and racing car drivers--and the related concern about "being small," weak, or neurotic in an age of mass politics. In order to illustrate this kaleidoscope of themes, Cunningham examines not only the canonical texts, but also "minor"
forms and writings, including detective stories, films, and popular songs, showing how these neglected genres also illuminate the work of this period.

Genres: Criticism

532 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Thank God for books as an alternative to conversation.” ―W.H. Auden

This is a dense but very good consulting reference book (very academic) of the mostly male writers and literature of the 1930's in Britain. Valentine Cunningham was a professor of English literature at the University of Oxford when he wrote this book in 1988. He is known to have a deep understanding of that era (1930's) in Britain and it shows in his writing.

W.H. Auden, T.E. Lawrence, Christopher Isherwood, George Orwell, Stephen Spender, Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene were the highlights in this book for me. The author spends most of the book creating for the reader what British history and culture expected of their men in uniform, at school and work, in literature and in high society. The 1930's consumed these authors as well as the European politics/leftism/ WWI apathy, anti-semitism, male decadence and the Spanish Civil War. He also covers the era's symbols, types and icons in literature. As to be expected the book covers the “old boy” network, school loyalties, the obsessions with status/class and the active dislike of women (especially mothers) in general. He includes snippets of the authors writing and poems and uses them as examples or to make a point in his literary history.

Most of these writers had some distasteful habits and prejudices that are impossible for this reader (or most readers) to ever understand. The author does not think to highly of most of them, he finds them cruel, hypocritical and immature. Some of them projected themselves as having leftist sympathies but were in reality the exact opposite. Evelyn Waugh was spoiled and just about hated anyone who wasn't upper class and Catholic. Graham Greene was also pretty hateful especially towards the Jews but generally seemed to detest most races( which also included his readers in his vitriol.) I already knew this about these two authors but wasn't prepared for Christopher Isherwood's silly ill-guided political ideals and racism in his diaries and it seemed that only Auden and Spender refrained themselves from expressing these nasty and confused feelings on paper. Maybe because both of them had Jewish lovers? These fabulous writers and poets, with the exception of Auden and Spender, seemed to be pretty miserable human beings who hadn't grown up.

This is not the kind of book to just sit down and read in one sitting but more of a reference book for writers and researchers who are interested in literature in a particular period in Britain. It is very well-researched and worthy of being in most libraries. Four stars.

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good on the Auden-Isherwood circle, terrible at acknowledging any of the female writers of the period,