Looking at the Onlookers: The Attitudes of Women\u27s WWI Poetry

The poems concerning WWI written by women reflect different attitudes about the concept of war and can be grouped into categories based on their stances toward the Great War. The most familiar feminine voice in the poetry of WWI illuminated a nationalistic and glorified view of war, where fighting (and dying) for a just cause outweighs any possible loss of life or limb. Running counter to this sentiment is a strain of poetry that calls into question the jingoistic and ill-informed opinions of the former group. Alongside these antipathetic groups there was a third, more meliorated, set of voices. These women took on active roles in the war industry, and wrote about how their occupations affected their views on war. A careful consideration of the depth and diversity of not just feelings, but intellectual positions, on the war seen in these poems will inevitably lead us to the conclusion that female poetry written during this time deserves the same recognition and attention given to WWI poetry written by men