Memoirs of an Infantry Officer is a book written by Siegfried Sassoon about World War I. This fictional account of Siegfried’s life during and immediately after the war was first published in 1930. Not long after its release, it was renowned as a classic, and it was even more successful than its predecessor, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man--Sassoon’s first book in his trilogy of autobiographical war novels. This particular book, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer covers the period of time from 1915 to 1917; Sassoon’s time on the front line, the Battle of the Somme, his time recovering from wounds and injuries, his protest about the war, and finally ends with him being sent to Craiglockhart.
This book starts where Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man leaves off. Sassoon had signed up to be an officer just before WWI was declared and he was given a relatively safe job behind the front line, but he was not content with that. George Sherston is the narrator and is Siegfried Sassoon’s alter ego in the book. In the beginning of the book, Sherston is in Army School learning and relearning the art of open warfare that the military keeps expecting to reappear. The action in the book has started to heat up, and there are murmurings of a “Big Push” in the near future. In December 1915, the allied armies agreed on a “Big Push”, or the idea that interlocking …show more content…
Sherston writes the statement on behalf of all soldiers. He mentions the sufferings of the troops and how the war has turned from a war of defense and liberation into a war of aggression and conquest. Sherston mentions that he can no longer be a part of it. Once Sherston is finally called back into war, he replies to the colonel saying he refuses. He was not shy with his anti-war attitude, and it was a dangerous move. Sherston was well aware that there was a possibility of being court-martialed or even executed for speaking out against the war and the high-ranking
This book starts where Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man leaves off. Sassoon had signed up to be an officer just before WWI was declared and he was given a relatively safe job behind the front line, but he was not content with that. George Sherston is the narrator and is Siegfried Sassoon’s alter ego in the book. In the beginning of the book, Sherston is in Army School learning and relearning the art of open warfare that the military keeps expecting to reappear. The action in the book has started to heat up, and there are murmurings of a “Big Push” in the near future. In December 1915, the allied armies agreed on a “Big Push”, or the idea that interlocking …show more content…
Sherston writes the statement on behalf of all soldiers. He mentions the sufferings of the troops and how the war has turned from a war of defense and liberation into a war of aggression and conquest. Sherston mentions that he can no longer be a part of it. Once Sherston is finally called back into war, he replies to the colonel saying he refuses. He was not shy with his anti-war attitude, and it was a dangerous move. Sherston was well aware that there was a possibility of being court-martialed or even executed for speaking out against the war and the high-ranking