I always want to pick a fight with voiceovers, and there are a few opinions here which get delivered as fact. Even so, it's a terrific advert not only for the archive, but for First World War poetry in general. People love hearing about the Somme mud staining letters from the Front. As for those random metal objects which stopped bullets, I'm reminded of Housman's hope that A Shropshire Lad, handily placed in a breast pocket, might one day save a soldier's life: think of the publicity and the sales! So it was corny in 1916 and it's corny now, but that doesn't stop us gawping. Wonderful to see it all.
It really is a great resource. I am currently researching a PhD in WW1 literature and am interested in signs of psychological trauma. The archive provides an opportunity to look for these signs in a selection of manuscrpits without actually travelling to all the collections.
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited about ur blog and wanna wish u best of luck
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