Intimate History of Killing by Joanna Bourke

Intimate History of Killing by Joanna Bourke

In this study, the author uses the letters, diaries, memoirs, and reports of veterans from three conflicts - the First and Second World Wars and the Vietnam War - to establish a picture of the man-at-arms. She suggests that the structure of war encourages pleasure in killing, and that ordinary, gentle human beings in civilian life can become enthusiastic killers without becoming "brutalized" by the horrors of combat. She also contends that people find ways of creating meaning out of war, and that one way to do this is to find satisfaction in it, especially in the "primal" act of slaughtering an enemy that you can see and touch. She believes that violent and sadistic men are not the best killers, and that it is the men motivated by emotions like love and empathy that become the most lethal individuals on the battlefield. Bourke goes on to suggest that it is the feeling of guilt itself that may enable what soldiers believe to be legitimate killing, and presents evidence of the way in which combat could become atrocity in 20th century warfare.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781862072145
ISBN 10	1862072140
Titel	Intimate History of Killing
Autor	Joanna Bourke
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Hardback
Verlag	Granta Books
Erscheinungsjahr	1999-04-28
Seitenanzahl	576
Preise	Short-listed for WH Smith Annual Literary Award 2000, Short-listed for WH Smith Literary Prize 2000
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar