British Literature Of The Blitz: Fighting The Peoples War

British Literature of the Blitz This page intentionally left blank British Literature of the Blitz Fighting the People’s War Kristine A. Miller © Kristine A. Miller 2009 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2009 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin's Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–57365–9 hardback ISBN-10: 0–230–57365–7 hardback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Kristine, 1966– British literature of the Blitz : fighting the people’s war / Kristine A. Miller. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–57365–9 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0–230–57365–7 (alk. paper) 1. English literature – 20th century – History and criticism. 2. World War, 1939–1945 – Great Britain – Literature and the war. 3. War and literature – Great Britain – History – 20th century. 4. War in literature. 5. Ideology in literature. I. Title. PR478.W67M56 2009 820.9⬘358—dc22 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne 2008029948 For my family and in memory of Bette Miller, Marian Sigler Wessell, Nils Yngve Wessell, and James Gindin This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Illustrations viii List of Abbreviations ix Acknowledgments x Introduction: Fighting the People’s War 1 1 Mobile Women in Elizabeth Bowen’s War Writing 26 2 Immobile Women in Rosamond Lehmann’s War Writing 59 3 Real Men in Henry Green’s War Writing 83 4 No Escape in the Detective and Spy Fiction of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Graham Greene 116 5 The Film-Minded Public 152 Notes 189 Bibliography 197 Index 209 vii List of Illustrations 5.1 The Gentle Sex, © ITV plc/Granada International, 1943 5.2 Millions