Edmund Blunden

This course is about one of the leading British soldier poets of the First World War. Edmund Blunden (1896-1974) was a poet, essayist, and scholar, as well as a generous editor and supporter of other soldier poets. He helped bring to public view the poetry of Wilfrid Owen, Ivor Gurney, and Keith Douglas. We will read his important memoir of his long service on the Western Front, Undertones of War, and read in class and discuss a selection of Blunden’s poems and those of the poets he supported. 

Readings:

Edmund Blunden, Undertones of War, ISBN 978-0226061764. Copies of poems to be discussed will be provided by the instructor.

Bob Bunselmeyer taught undergraduate courses at four colleges. He has taught many literature and history courses at MSC.