Irony In Edmund Blunden's Undertones Of War

Why does Edmund Blunden imbue his memoir Undertones of War with irony? To understand the intent and extent of his stylistic choices, one has to understand the context of the work. Written following his experiences as a soldier during the First World War, Undertones of War was written as a recollection of Edmund Blunden’s personal experiences as a soldier. As a memoir, Blunden projects his own feelings and opinions into his writing, detailing both the emotions he felt in the moment of his experience as a soldier and those he felt while reflecting on the war. Instead a triumphant tale of heroism, the memoir is almost cynical and very down-to-earth, contradicting the uplifting genre of war writing which often seeks to put its heroes on god-like …show more content…
As such, the memoir is filled with both reflection and descriptions of his emotions while in the heat of battle. Blunden discusses his feelings towards the war effort paired with his observations of the events around him. Narratively, the memoir lacks structure, at least in terms of plot. Instead of acting as linear description of events, Blunden recounts his experiences episodically. The chapters do not lead into or connect to each other, but contain passages filled with detailed imagery and flowing prose. The combination of Blunden’s clear recollection of vivid events and writing prowess give the work its power over the reader. Blunden’s ability to describe horrifying events with artistic grace is captivating and haunting. Many critics have lauded his writing style, claiming the “delicacy with which it deploys the properties of traditional English literary pastoral in the service of the gentlest (though not always the gentlest) kindest of irony” (277) to be the major factor that elevates the quality of the work. However, in order to understand why the irony in the work is integral to its success, one most clearly understand what irony is in the literary sense that Blunden uses it, and the effect it has on the