War, Nation and Europe in the Novels of Storm Jameson

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The novels of Storm Jameson and their depictions of Britains relationship to Europe around the Second World War represent a crucial departure from the work of her contemporaries. As the first female President of English PEN, Jameson led her countrys wartime literary community through turbulent times in history by focusing on European rather than pointedly British experiences of war. War, Nation and Europe in the Novels of Storm Jameson is a timely critique situated within the historical and theoretical contexts so fundamental to understanding her work. Presenting previously unpublished archival material that documents her work as an ambassador for British writers during a time of national upheaval, Katherine Cooper reveals how the novelists pacifism and evolving attitudes to war and peace were underpinned by her overarching vision for the post-war world. Drawing comparisons to the works of Virginia Woolf, Arthur Koestler, Graham Greene and others, this study shows how Jamesons novels gesture towards prevalent internationalist perspectives and reshapes how we view the literary history of the period.

Reviews

An astute and thoughtful study, focusing intelligently on the creative tension between Storm Jamesons allegiance to European humanist values and her Yorkshire conservatism, and on her perception of gender politics in relation to nationalism. * Janet Montefiore, Professor Emerita of 20th century English Literature, University of Kent, UK *

Author Bio

Katherine Cooper is Senior Research Associate at the University of East Anglia, UK.