Pen and Ink

The First World War reflected in English literature Over a thousand years ago, the world was plunged into a deep war, the First World War. The cities were being destroyed, people were left without homes, jobs or family and only sadness, hatred, and anger was felt. The United Kingdom was present in this war, being on the side of the Allies, and sometimes, when people wanted to escape the sound of gunshots and the harsh reality that surrounded them, they decided to pour this suffering into writing. Thanks to this decision, today we have war literature that has allowed us to better understand the war, and how those who were involved in it felt. Poetry was the genre that was most cultivated during the years of war. “There was no really good true war book during the entire four years of the war. The only true writing that came through during the war was in poetry. One reason for this is that poets are not arrested as quickly as prose writers” – Ernest Hemingway, in “Men at War” Since poetry...

Women in literature and anonymity throughout history When picking up a novel written decades or centuries ago, it was not uncommon to find “Anonymous” instead of the name of the author. In fact, between 1660 and 1750 approximately 50% of published prose fiction did not list an author on the title page, while a further 20% appeared under a pseudonym or tagline. Or perhaps, the only names that come to your mind are those of male authors, such as Ellis Bell, George Eliot or A. M. Barnard. Well, these are all actually pseudonyms for currently very well-known female writers who, at the time, felt the need to shield themselves behind these pen names. A great number of authoresses showed their opinion on this matter: "I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman," wrote Virginia Woolf. Poet Katharine Bradley, known under her pen name Michael Field, wrote “[We women] have many things to say the world will not tolerate from a wo...