Paul Fussell’s book is an unusual contribution to the Modern Library Chronicles series. Whereas most volumes provide short introductions to their respective subjects, as other reviewers have noted, this is not a straightforward military history of the war with Germany. Instead, Fussell offers a mu...
Much praise has - rightfully - been given to this book. And I can't add more to what has already been said and written about it.What I can say is that it is one of those books that leaves me with a lasting impression I can only recommend it as a 'must read' to any who study the Pacific War - any war...
Two and a Half Men is bad television, but Downton Abbey is BAD television. The difference as explained by Fussell is that "bad" is just poorly executed while "BAD" is also pretentious. A dinner at Burger King might be bad, but a dinner at a pompous bistro where more effort is put into the creative...
"The Great Was and Modern Memory" examines world war I through its literature. It's an interesting topic, and I've recently become interested in the first world war. This not a light read. It's also not something to pick up if you aren't already familiar with the literary works of the era. I'm f...
Fussell's preparation for war was limited. ROTC was “a wonderland” of marching and snappy uniforms. Nothing was mentioned of “tree bursts and Graves Registration” or trench foot, nor that first-aid kits were adequate for bullet holes but hardly for a “foot blown off by a Schumine.” They soon realize...
A very good friend of mine, a history teacher, amd I used to have a running battle over Truman's use of the atomic bomb. I argued that given the time and the context of the decision, Truman had no choice. Ken argued that the sole purpose was a political decision to scare the Russians. Both views ar...
The opinion of a grumpy aging white man that everything is going to hell in a handbasket. Which is worse: those who say everything is getting worse, or those who say everything is getting better?
Although Paul Fussell remarks (famously) in Abroad that “we are all tourists now, and there is no escape" (46), it is clear from his book that the quip is ironic and does not refer to the way he views himself. In fact, Fussell creates three categories of voyagers: the traveler, the tourist, and the ...
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