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Essay from the year 2015 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1, , language: English, abstract: World War I left significant traces in contemporary US-American novels. Many leading authors embraced the war theme and produced novels reflective of their own attitudes and experiences. Patriotism and idealism first predominated novel writing, later they gave way to pacifism and realism. The generations of writers were struggling for adequate ways to convey the horrors of modern warfare to their readers. Whereas the older authors lacked experiences at the front and fell back on well-proven means of expression, their younger colleagues had been to the front and tried new forms of representation. Given the literary and historical developments of the following years, it comes as no surprise that the novels of the traditionalists soon fell into disrepute and the anti-war novels of the former soldiers and the protest novels of the modernists found more and more appreciation.