Dear John - Love and Loyalty in Wartime America

In this sweeping history, Carruthers explores the infamous 'Dear John' letter, providing a compelling analysis of intimate relationships from WWII to today. Written in lively and engaging prose, and incorporating vivid personal experiences, this unique study explores the challenges of keeping love alive in wartime.

List of contents

Introduction: Picking up the pieces; 1. The marital and the martial; 2. Rules of engagement, or 'write right!'; 3. Technologies of proximity; 4. 'That's all she wrote': Telling Dear John stories; 5. 'The modern Penelope': Aanalyzing the waiting wife; 6. Emotional injury: Causes and consequences; 7. Severed ties and suicide; Conclusion.

About the author

Susan L. Carruthers is Professor of US and International History, University of Warwick. The author of six books, including The Good Occupation: American Soldiers and the Hazards of Peace, she taught for fifteen years at Rutgers University-Newark, and has held visiting fellowships at Harvard, Princeton, and the Woodrow Wilson Center. She was a finalist for the 2017 PEN Hessell-Tiltman prize.

Summary

In this sweeping history, Carruthers explores the infamous 'Dear John' letter, providing a compelling analysis of intimate relationships from WWII to today. Written in lively and engaging prose, and incorporating vivid personal experiences, this unique study explores the challenges of keeping love alive in wartime.

Additional text

'… an eye-opening study of wartime romances and breakups.' Publishers Weekly

Product details

• Authors: Susan L. Carruthers, Susan L. (University of Warwick) Carruthers, Carruthers Susan L.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2022
• EAN: 9781108830775
• ISBN: 978-1-108-83077-5
• No. of pages: 336
• Series: Military, War, and Society in Modern American History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; HISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies), HISTORY / Military / General, HISTORY / Social History, military history, Social & cultural history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Second World War, Social and cultural history, History of the Americas, Modern warfare, c 1940 to c 1949, c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General