Inspirational Quotes by Paul Fussell (American Historian)

Paul Fussell, Jr. (1924–2012) was an American literary scholar and social historian. His writings cover various topics—from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America’s class system.

Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Fussell attended Pomona College in 1941. He served in the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II and was wounded in fighting in France. His experiences provided the impetus for his war volumes, which reveal how commonly held romantic notions of war and heroism were dispelled by the bloody realities of combat. (He once wrote that Steven Spielberg’s film Saving Private Ryan should be made into a 20-minute short called ‘Omaha Beach: Aren’t You Glad You Weren’t There?’)

After the war, Fussell returned to Pomona, finished his B.A. degree (1946–47,) and completed his MA (1949) and PhD (1952) at Harvard University. He embarked on a teaching career in Connecticut College 1951–54, Rutgers University 1955–83, and the University of Pennsylvania 1983–94. He initially concentrated on conventional academic subjects, producing such works as Poetic Meter and Poetic Form (1965; rev. 1979) and Samuel Johnson and the Life of Writing (1971.)

Fussell delved into the horrors of war and the cultural impact of conflict, most notably in his “accidental masterpiece,” The Great War and Modern Memory (1975; National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award, 1976,) which critically examined art and literature before and after World War I.

Fussell’s later works include Abroad: British Literary Traveling between the Wars (1980) on the literature of travel, Class: A Guide Through the American Status System (1983) on class structure and distinctions, BAD; or, The Dumbing of America (1991) about notions about society.

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