Regeneration and Delusion
Explore how Pat Barker portrays the theme of escape in Regeneration and explain what this tells you about the effects of war.
“In peace, children inter their parents; War violates the order of nature and causes parents to inter their children.” ~ Herodotus (484BC – 430BC)
Regeneration is a novel that tells the story of soldiers of World War One sent to an asylum due to emotional tribulation.
Regeneration connects as a “back door into the present”, particularly with the theme of escape; and Barker chooses to portray this through her faction novel.
Inveterate indications of escape throughout the novel are emasculation, sex, death and a sense of reality.
It is genuinely hard to be sure what the majority of people in Britain knew about the war and battles like the Somme from the media of the day. The newspapers and their reporters offered a wide range of styles and opinions – as they still do – but often walked a difficult line between patriotic support for the war and a desire to convey its terrible nature. An extensive atmosphere of patriotism was generated by insincere information such as the propaganda. The media were supercilious, dehumanising the Germans to attract more soldiers, promising them that they would gain rare opportunities such as travel.
Men, as well as women, were disillusioned. The reality of war was distorted and no longer became a heroic affair. Sassoon may be disillusioned when he mentions that this war may have been justified “...when it started...” (Pg. 13).
The authenticity of world war one was erroneous to the world surrounding the war. What the world saw was a picture that was glorified by the continuous mendaciousness made by the government and the commanding officers themselves.
In Regeneration the reader is presented with Sassoon’s ‘Soldier’s Declaration’ (Pg.3) written in July 1917 to declare that the war is futile. Sassoon’s declaration, a “wilful defiance of military authority”, clearly and logically states his
“In peace, children inter their parents; War violates the order of nature and causes parents to inter their children.” ~ Herodotus (484BC – 430BC)
Regeneration is a novel that tells the story of soldiers of World War One sent to an asylum due to emotional tribulation.
Regeneration connects as a “back door into the present”, particularly with the theme of escape; and Barker chooses to portray this through her faction novel.
Inveterate indications of escape throughout the novel are emasculation, sex, death and a sense of reality.
It is genuinely hard to be sure what the majority of people in Britain knew about the war and battles like the Somme from the media of the day. The newspapers and their reporters offered a wide range of styles and opinions – as they still do – but often walked a difficult line between patriotic support for the war and a desire to convey its terrible nature. An extensive atmosphere of patriotism was generated by insincere information such as the propaganda. The media were supercilious, dehumanising the Germans to attract more soldiers, promising them that they would gain rare opportunities such as travel.
Men, as well as women, were disillusioned. The reality of war was distorted and no longer became a heroic affair. Sassoon may be disillusioned when he mentions that this war may have been justified “...when it started...” (Pg. 13).
The authenticity of world war one was erroneous to the world surrounding the war. What the world saw was a picture that was glorified by the continuous mendaciousness made by the government and the commanding officers themselves.
In Regeneration the reader is presented with Sassoon’s ‘Soldier’s Declaration’ (Pg.3) written in July 1917 to declare that the war is futile. Sassoon’s declaration, a “wilful defiance of military authority”, clearly and logically states his
Bibliography: Barker, Pat – Regeneration (England, 1991. Viking) Reusch, Wera – ‘A backdoor into the present’ an interview with Pat Barker, Germany. Lolapress (Translated from German) Nixon, Rob – An Interview with Pat Barker (England, February, 1992)