I’ve just added another paper to the list on the right. It’s one I delivered to an Arnold Bennett conference a few years ago. The topic of the conference was Bennett’s friendships – a good topic, since he had a talent for making friends and interesting acquaintances.
My paper is about Bennett’s friendship with the psychologist/anthropologist WHR Rivers, one of the most interesting men of his time. They met through Siegfried Sassoon, and found they had much in common. My paper suggests that Rivers’s ideas were a major influence on Riceyman Steps (especially on the depiction of Joe’s shell-shock, but not just that), and also on the story ‘Elsie and the Child’, which is a sort of short sequel to Riceyman Steps.
If I were writing the paper today, I’d probably also consider Bennett’s 1928 novel Accident, which also deals with trauma.
The paper can be read HERE.
P.S. There seems to be a problem with posting comments to the blog. I’m working on this.
Great War Fiction 
