Goodbye to All That

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. World War I had a profound effect on all aspects of cultures in many countries, including literature of the period. Around this time, modernism, as a genre and artistic tradition, first began to emerge. How did WWI affect books, plays, and other writing of the period? What characterizes modernist literature?

Teaching Suggestion: Modernist works of art are characterized by a break from traditional form and function. Thematically, modernist works tend to be infused with the disillusionment that pervaded the period, in the wake of the devastation of WWI. Unlike earlier traditions, modernism focused on the inner lives of its subjects.

• History’s “How World War I Changed Literature” gives an overview of the general shift in mood and tone as a result of the war.
• Britannica’s “The Literature of World War I and the Interwar Period” defines the main works and primary authors of this period.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced learners, one differentiation suggestion would be to ask students to compare and contrast the various literary contributions by nationality. For instance, how did American literature written in the wake of WWI compare with British literature like Goodbye to All That? Students should be encouraged to draw upon their own knowledge and/or conduct their own independent research to develop their answer to this question, but to help begin this discussion, you can have students read The University of Delaware’s entry on “The First World War and Literature” on their British Literature Wiki.

2. In modern times, the term “shell shock” can refer to any surprising or shocking experience. However, were you aware that the origins of this phrase have their basis in World War I? What do you know about where the term originally comes from?

Teaching Suggestion: The term “shell shock” was first coined during the Battle of Loos in 1915 to describe the medical symptoms that soldiers began reporting after being exposed to explosions from artillery shells. These symptoms could include tinnitus, amnesia, headaches, tremors, dizziness, and a hyper-alertness to noise. Though it was first thought to be a physical condition, eventually it was recognized as, primarily, an “emotional disorder.” “Shell shock” is, in many ways, the precursor to modern-day understandings of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

• PBS’s “From Shell-Shock to PTSD, a Century of Invisible War Trauma” charts the evolution of how we understand the psychological effects of combat.
• The Conversation’s “What World War I Taught Us About PTSD” describes how the concept of “shell shocked” helped lay the foundation for research on PTSD.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

1929 may seem like the distant past, but odds are, if you look back in your own family tree, you may be able to find your own connection to WWI. Draw out your family tree as best you can or select another prominent figure in your life (a close friend, a teacher, etc.) and try and research how, exactly, they are connected to the war.

Teaching Suggestion: Be aware that students may come from family situations that may prevent them from accessing their family tree—there may be gaps in their records due to adoption, family trauma, or a variety of other reasons. As such, please approach this prompt with sensitivity, and be prepared to have students find their connection to WWI via another prominent figure, if need be. Emphasize that, whether working from a biological family tree or a non-related individual, the purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate how the legacy of WWI can still be found in the present.

• The National Archives “Genealogy Research in Military Records” is a public forum for accessing a variety of public records related to military service.
• Family Tree magazine’s “10 WWI Genealogy Websites to Search for Your Ancestors” provides another series of options for researching family history related to the First World War. Encourage students to use only the free services linked on the page.