Brian O. Murdoch Book order

Exploring the existential struggles in an age marked by war and destruction, this study delves into three significant twentieth-century German plays. It examines how characters confront the absence of salvation, highlighting the profound challenges of living amidst chaos. The analysis offers insights into the themes of mortality and meaning, reflecting the broader human experience in a tumultuous historical context.

Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front remains the archetypal example of an anti-war novel, and one that has become synonymous with the Great War. Yet the tremendous and enduring popularity of Remarque’s work has to some extent eclipsed a plethora of other German anti-war writers. In order to provide a more rounded view, this volume offers a selection of essays published by Brian Murdoch over the past twenty years. A new introduction provides the context for the volume and survey recent developments in the subject, the essays that follow range broadly over the German anti-war literary tradition, telling us much about the shifting and contested nature of the war.

The masterpiece of the German experience during World War I, considered by many the greatest war novel of all time—with an Oscar–winning film adaptation now streaming on Netflix. “[Erich Maria Remarque] is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank.”—The New York Times Book Review I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. . . . This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army during World War I. They become soldiers with youthful enthusiasm. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught breaks in pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another . . . if only he can come out of the war alive.

Exploring the works of Remarque, this analysis presents his novels as a profound chronicle of the 20th century, emphasizing their deeper significance beyond simply mirroring historical events. The examination reveals how his storytelling captures the complexities of human experience amidst turmoil, making his narratives resonate with timeless themes of loss, resilience, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.

New view of Remarque's novels as a chronicle of the century yet more than a mere reflection of historical events.

Focusing on the complexities of collective memory, this book examines the impact of twentieth-century wars through diverse perspectives and disciplines. It draws from discussions at a 2000 conference at Stirling University, delving into how memory can be constructed or influenced. The exploration of themes such as remembering and forgetting offers insights into the ways societies process and memorialize their pasts.

Exploring the presentation and accessibility of the book of Genesis, this work delves into how it is communicated to audiences who cannot read the original texts. It examines the methods used to convey its themes and narratives, as well as the potential interpretations and reactions from these readers. The focus is on bridging the gap between ancient scripture and contemporary understanding, highlighting the significance of translation and adaptation in making Genesis relevant to modern audiences.

In The Germanic Hero Brian Murdoch looks at the role the warrior-hero plays within a set of predetermined political and social constraints. the hero is not a sword-wielding barbarian, bent only upon establishing his own fame; such fame-seekers (including some famous medieval literary figures) might even fall outside the definition of the Germanic hero, the real value of whose deeds are given meaning only within the political construct. Individual prowess is not enough. The hero must conquer the blows of fate because he is committed to the conquest of chaos, and over all to the need for social stability. Brian Murdoch discusses works in Old English, Old and Middle High German, Old Norse, Latin and Old French, deliberately going beyond what is normally thought of as 'heroic poetry' to include the German so-called 'minstrel epic', and a work by a writer who is normally classified as a late medieval chivalric poet, Konrad von Wurzburg, the comparison of which with Beowulf allows us to span half a millennium.