Comparing Love And Sex In Birdsong And Regeneration

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The characters in ‘Birdsong’ by Sebastian Faulks and ‘Regeneration’ by Pat Barker are all affected by World War 1 in one way or another. Both ‘Birdsong’ and ‘Regeneration’ focussed on the Great War which started in 1914 and ended in 1918. Often in World War 1 literature, the horrific events that took place seem to take precedence over the central ideas and effects the war had on the men. One of the key areas that have been overlooked is that of love and sex. Although both Birdsong and Regeneration present the horrors of World War 1, the authors also look at the affects of war on relationships. It will be interesting to see how love and sex is nuanced as the relationships experienced during this time have many complications. Both authors portray relationships between men as the most important form of love during the Great War. On the battlefield, love between men is an accepted and desirable occurrence as it means that soldiers have something to fight for and their friendships give them the strength to carry on. In ‘Birdsong’, we see a close bond between Stephen and Weir. Stephen and Weir enjoy an unlikely but intense friendship: ‘Weir alone made the war bearable’. This shows how important Weir was to Stephen’s life during the war. He was his closest companion and his friendship alone was enough to help Stephen to get through the war. Weir also relied on Stephen: “You’ve been a marvellous friend to me Stephen. I’ll never forget when we lay in the shell hole and you talked to me”. This shows how they both needed each other to survive the war and they were aware that their friendship gave them strength to carry on. Similarly, in ‘Regeneration’ we see a close bond between Graves and Sassoon. Candice Axtell has suggested that “Graves is placed in Regeneration for the reader to grasp the theme of love between men” . I agree with her as Sassoon’s relationship with Graves

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