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	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781862072145
ISBN 10	1862072140
Title	Intimate History of Killing
Author	Joanna Bourke
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Granta Books
Year published	1999-04-28
Number of pages	576
Prizes	Short-listed for WH Smith Annual Literary Award 2000, Short-listed for WH Smith Literary Prize 2000
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable