Memoirs of an Infantry Officer is a novel by Siegfried Sassoon, first published in 1930. It is a fictionalised account of Sassoon's own life during and immediately after World War I. Soon after its release, it was heralded as a classic and was even more successful than its predecessor, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man.
Sassoon's account of his experiences in the trenches during World War I, between the spring of 1916 and the summer of 1917, creates a picture of a physically brave but self-effacing and highly insecure individual. The narrative moves from the trenches to the Fourth Army School, to Morlancourt and a raid, then to and through the Somme. The narrator, George Sherston, is wounded when a piece of shrapnel shell passes through his lung after he incautiously sticks his head over the parapet at the Battle of Arras in 1917. He is sent home to convalesce and, while there, arranges to have lunch with the Editor of an anti-war newspaper, the Unconservative Weekly. He determines to speak out against the war, though this contravenes military regulations and could result in his execution. The book finishes as George Sherston prepares to attend 'Slateford War Hospital' (Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh) after a medical board had decided he was suffering from shell shock. The book portrays Sherston's emotional and intellectual coming of age, as he learns "that he is but one insignificant person caught up in events beyond anyone's comprehension".[1]
Reviews
"A book of deep beauty and abiding significance. A book which will, I hope and believe, be read by millions". – Harold Nicolson[citation needed]
"Those who in future really want to understand the atmosphere of the years 1916 and 1917, and the conditions of life, will turn back to this book". – The Daily Telegraph[citation needed]
Sassoon presented his own experiences in novelistic form, and therefore opted to use pseudonyms in place of names in his "George Sherston" trilogy (George Sherston being Sassoon's alter ego). Other notable characters in the book include Sassoon's contemporary Robert Graves, who appears in the book as 'David Cromlech', and 'Dick Tiltwood' (Sassoon's pseudonym for the Welsh soldier David Cuthbert Thomas). Both men convalesced at Somerville College, Oxford during the war.
References
^Dominic Harman, "‘The Truth About Men in the Front Line’: Imagining the Experience of War in Memoirs of the Western Front" University of Sussex Journal of Contemporary History, 2 (2001). Accessed 2 April 2015
^Memoirs of an Infantry Officer: Paul Hogarth Illustrates Siegfried Sassoon (WWI) 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2 April 2015
External links
Memoirs of an Infantry Officer at Faded Page (Canada)
originally archived from
January 31, 2023
memoirs, infantry, officer, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Memoirs of an Infantry Officer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Memoirs of an Infantry Officer is a novel by Siegfried Sassoon first published in 1930 It is a fictionalised account of Sassoon s own life during and immediately after World War I Soon after its release it was heralded as a classic and was even more successful than its predecessor Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man Memoirs of an Infantry OfficerAuthorSiegfried SassoonCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenreFictionalised autobiographyPublisherFaber and FaberPublication date1930Preceded byMemoirs of a Fox Hunting Man Followed bySherston s Progress Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Reviews 3 Influence 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksSynopsis EditSassoon s account of his experiences in the trenches during World War I between the spring of 1916 and the summer of 1917 creates a picture of a physically brave but self effacing and highly insecure individual The narrative moves from the trenches to the Fourth Army School to Morlancourt and a raid then to and through the Somme The narrator George Sherston is wounded when a piece of shrapnel shell passes through his lung after he incautiously sticks his head over the parapet at the Battle of Arras in 1917 He is sent home to convalesce and while there arranges to have lunch with the Editor of an anti war newspaper the Unconservative Weekly He determines to speak out against the war though this contravenes military regulations and could result in his execution The book finishes as George Sherston prepares to attend Slateford War Hospital Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh after a medical board had decided he was suffering from shell shock The book portrays Sherston s emotional and intellectual coming of age as he learns that he is but one insignificant person caught up in events beyond anyone s comprehension 1 Reviews Edit A book of deep beauty and abiding significance A book which will I hope and believe be read by millions Harold Nicolson citation needed Those who in future really want to understand the atmosphere of the years 1916 and 1917 and the conditions of life will turn back to this book The Daily Telegraph citation needed Influence EditIn 1981 Paul Hogarth produced illustrations for the book which were the subject of an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum during 2014 2 Notes EditSassoon presented his own experiences in novelistic form and therefore opted to use pseudonyms in place of names in his George Sherston trilogy George Sherston being Sassoon s alter ego Other notable characters in the book include Sassoon s contemporary Robert Graves who appears in the book as David Cromlech and Dick Tiltwood Sassoon s pseudonym for the Welsh soldier David Cuthbert Thomas Both men convalesced at Somerville College Oxford during the war References Edit Dominic Harman The Truth About Men in the Front Line Imagining the Experience of War in Memoirs of the Western Front University of Sussex Journal of Contemporary History 2 2001 Accessed 2 April 2015 Memoirs of an Infantry Officer Paul Hogarth Illustrates Siegfried Sassoon WWI Archived 2015 04 04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2 April 2015External links EditMemoirs of an Infantry Officer at Faded Page Canada A review of the novel originally archived from Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Memoirs of an Infantry Officer amp oldid 1109777327, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
