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The essay gives an overview of Australian war literature, its writers and major works. Unlike most European literatures which depicted the 'Great War' in rather bleak terms and saw the soldiers as victims rather than heroes, Australian war literature celebrated the 'Digger', the heroic prototype as 'the birth of a latter-day Achilles' and glorified the soldiers: 'Self-congratulation was the norm rather than the exception in Australian literature of the Great War' (342). Gerster argues that this trend continued through World War II and Vietnam literature, and even in recent times 'the cult of the Australian soldier has never had such widespread, unquestioning support' (345-346).
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Last amended 24 Feb 2009 14:39:30
339-348
'Legends of the Terrible, Laughing Men' : The Australian Literature of War
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