The Image of the English Gentleman in Twentieth-Century Literature

'Lucid, persuasive, and highly accessible ...Christine Berberich's penetrating and sometimes controversial analyses show how deep-rooted the idea of the gentleman still is in English literature and culture'. Patrick Parrinder, University of Reading, UK ’Another excellent book on the subject ... there is a particularly delightful chapter on Siegfried Sassoon's First World War trilogy ... (Berberich) always has interesting and novel things to say on the subject. ’ A.N. Wilson, The Daily Telegraph ’Berberich's critical analysis is based on sound evidence and thorough knowledge of her subject. As a survey of Sassoon and Powell in particular, this book gives a good grounding in the nuances of the social history that are so important to an understanding of any aspect of the English class system in literature.’ The Times Literary Supplement ’In lucid and astute interpretations, Berberich foregrounds literary texts as repository of both stereotypical ideas of Englishness and commonalities inherent in the English character. Equally, the book has the merit of marrying structure and content, rigor and empathy, eloquence and systematicity. Its didactic and methodical character recommends it as a suitable coursework bibliography.’ American, British and Canadian Studies ’... whatever historical resonance may infuse the figure of the gentleman, Berberich makes a memorable and often brilliant case for its continuing vitality ... In fact, the single greatest merit of Berberich’s study may lie in her ability to read the seemingly simple figure of the English gentleman in such an astute, imaginative, and many-sided manner, ultimately demonstrating... that the ideal of the gentleman "has not only fashioned men throughout the decades but has itself proven to be - in both meanings of the word - a fashionable ideal".’ Modernism/Modernity ’Ultimately the strength of Berberich’s book is in her treatment of the gentleman as he appears in the half century betw