Title: Just what war is
First published: 1997
Description: A stimulating study of two of the finest soldier-authors in American literature, Just What War Is explores the Civil War writings of John William De Forest and Ambrose Bierce. Michael W. Schaefer argues that, among the many Civil War veterans who wrote memoirs, novels, and stories based on their own experiences in combat, De Forest and Bierce stand alone in their efforts to create an unromanticized portrayal of war in literature.

While exploring issues of literary realism in general, Schaefer examines the struggle of these two major writers to represent the moral and human dimensions of combat.
Subjects: American War stories, American fiction, Combat in literature, Criticism and interpretation, Historiography, History, History and criticism, Literature and the war, Realism in literature, United States Civil War, 1861-1865, War in literature, War stories, American, United states, atomic energy commission, Tennessee valley authority, Nuclear energy, Energy policy, Economic development projects, United states, history, civil war, 1861-1865, literature and the war, Knowledge and learning, War, Statesmen, Biography, Government policy, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Development and Resources Corporation, Knowledge, Wars
Places: United States
People: Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?), John William De Forest (1826-1906)
Time periods: 19th century, Civil War, 1861-1865
LC classification: PS374.C53 S33 1997