“Old Soldiers Never Die, They Simply Fade Away” The Modernist Mythopoeia and the War Myth in David Jones’s In Parenthesis (original) (raw)

Written as a final paper for the "Modernism" course, taught by Dr. Sarah Walters (Ghent 2014) In this essay, I will argue that in In Parenthesis, David Jones juxtaposes a heroic, pre-industrial war mythopoeia with the horrors of modern warfare in such a way that it is evident that honour and heroism do not belong on the battlefields of the Great War. In order to do this, I will provide a basic introduction to modernist mythopoeia and the War Myth that was created during and after the Great War. Secondly, I will discuss the heroic, pre-industrial war mythopoeia by analysing Dai Greatcoat’s boast from Part IV. Thirdly, I will contrast this boast with the copious descriptions of modern warfare, taking from Part II and Part VII.