France At War: On the Frontier of Civilization
'France At War: On the Frontier of Civilization' Summary
The collection of journalistic pieces is preceded by a poem, "France", that had been published before the outbreak of war (in 1913) which has a more overblown jingoistic feel to it than the reflections on war itself. The poem does, though, show Kipling's love of France, as well as his sense of the destiny of imperial dreams.
Kipling himself was an ardent and effective writer of propaganda directed primarily against German treatment of civilians. The "rape of Belgium" in 1914 and the sinking of the Lusitania earlier in 1915 were particularly shocking. In Kipling's eyes such "total war" was a renunciation of civilisation. The heat of his reaction is associated with his militarism. Although not a soldier, Kipling was educated at the United Services College (a school for the sons of officers which prepared students to enter Sandhurst and Dartmouth - the British army and navy officers training establishments). His writing is deeply imbued with notions of military service as honorable and, among civilised people, restrained and governed by rules.
Kipling encouraged his son John to enlist, and perhaps used his connections to get John enlisted despite poor eyesight and two earlier refusals. John died on 27th September 1915, just ten days after these articles were published (6th -17th September 1915).
Thus Kipling's account (not least in view of his reputation today as a supporter of British imperialism, and his jingoism) is still interesting one hundred years later as we try to understand our ancestors' experience.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1915Author
Rudyard Kipling
Britain
Kipling's writing has strongly influenced that of others. His stories for adults remain in print and have garnered high praise from writers as different as Poul Anderson, Jorge Luis Borges, and Randal...
More on Rudyard KiplingDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle
The White Company is a historical adventure by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, set during the Hundred Years' War. The story is set in England, Fran...
The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
The book, which enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I, is an early example of the espionage novel and was extremely influential i...
Aunt Jo's Scrapbag by Louisa May Alcott
A collection of short stories by Louisa May Alcott that were written with the intent to entertain the whole family and to fill children's heads with w...
Essays on Paul Bourget by Mark Twain
Paul Bourget was born in Amiens in the Somme département of Picardy, France. His father, a professor of mathematics, was later appointed to a post in...
A Holy Life: The Beauty of Christianity by John Bunyan
Written in the late 1600s by John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, this treatise exhorts Christians to holy living. Bunyan takes as his text...
The Rider on the White Horse by Theodor Storm
The Rider on the White Horse is a novella by German writer Theodor Storm. It is his last complete work, first published in 1888, the year of his death...
The Parasite by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Parasite is an 1894 novelette by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Parasite makes use of a form of mind control similar to the mesmerism of the Victoria...
Culture and Anarchy by Matthew Arnold
According to his view advanced in the book, "Culture is a study of perfection". He further wrote that: "[Culture] seeks to do away with classes; to ma...
Southern Horrors : Lynch Law In All Its Phases by Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Thoroughly appalled and sickened by the rising numbers of white-on-black murders in the South since the beginning of Reconstruction, and by the unwill...
The Fates of the Princes of Dyfed by Cenydd Morus
Step into a world of medieval chivalry, where the fate of kingdoms hangs in the balance and the destinies of princes intertwine with the threads of ti...
Reviews for France At War: On the Frontier of Civilization
No reviews posted or approved, yet...