Books with title The Return of the Soldier

The Return of the Soldier is the first novel written by British author Rebecca West. Published in 1918, it was also the first novel about the repercussions of the war for returning soldiers and the first and only novel written by a woman about the war during the war. The returning soldier is Chris Baldry, an upper class English gentleman who returns from the trenches suffering from shell shock and memory loss. He is stuck at age 20, has lost his memory of the ensuing fifteen years, which encompass his marriage and the loss of his son, and is fixated on a woman with whom he had once had a summer fling. The story is told from the somewhat limited and unreliable perspective of his cousin Jenny in a non-linear, modernist style. A sense of displacement and uncertainty is pervasive, as is the influence of memory and sexual desire. The reappearance of Margaret, the summer lover, along with the efforts of a psychoanalyst and key artifacts of the past lead to Baldry’s eventual recovery. The Return of the Soldier was neglected in Rebecca West’s extensive oeuvre but has become acknowledged as a masterpiece that treats a difficult and elusive subject realistically and without undue sentimentality. It was made into a film by the same name in 1982 starring Alan Bates as Chris Baldry and co-starring Julie Christie, Ian Holm, Glenda Jackson and Ann-Margret.

When Captain Chris Baldry, a World War I soldier, is sent home with a severe case of shellshock amnesia, he is a stranger to his wife, Kitty, and his adoring cousin, Jenny. Recoiling from the horrors of war and disillusioned with years of superficial married life, his mind has regressed fifteen years, where his heart may take refuge once again in the magic circle of his youth and of his first love, Margaret Allington. In this lyrical and poignant story of a wounded man and the three concerned women who seek to heal him, Rebecca West explores the complexity of the mind and its subtle strategies for coping with life's painful realities. Only when Chris has the courage to face one pivotal moment of truth in his married life will he be able to awaken from his boyish fantasy and become, indeed, "every inch a soldier."

When Captain Chris Baldry, a World War I soldier, is sent home with a severe case of shellshock amnesia, he is a stranger to his wife, Kitty, and his adoring cousin, Jenny. Recoiling from the horrors of war and disillusioned with years of superficial married life, his mind has regressed 15 years into the past, where his heart may take refuge once again in the magic circle of his youth and of his first love, Margaret Allington. In this lyrical and poignant story of a wounded man and the three concerned women who seek to heal him, Rebecca West explores the complexity of the mind and its subtle strategies for coping with life's painful realities. Only when Chris has the courage to face one pivotal moment of truth in his married life will he be able to awaken from his boyish fantasy and become, indeed, "every inch a soldier".

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ <title> The Return Of The Soldier<author> Rebecca West<publisher> Garden City Pub., 1918

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