British literature during world war I and II

The Twenties of the Twentieth century. The 1920s were not a tranquil period for Britain. Massive unemployment was created by the return of hundreds of thousands of veterans to civilian life. English literature changed in both form and subject matter between the end of World War I in 1918 and the beginning of World War II in 1939. The terrible destruction of World War I left many people with the feeling that society was falling apart. The 20th century English literature is remarkable for a great diversity of artistic values and artistic methods. Following the rapid introduction of new modes of thought in natural science, sociology and psychology, it has naturally reacted to absorb and transform this material into literary communication. Fundamental political, social and economic changes in the world and, particularly, in Great Britain deeply affected the creative writing of the new century.The works of such writers as H.F.Wells, Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy, Arnold Bennet, Joseph Conrad, E.M. Forster, Katherine Mansfield showed an earnest desire to express the feelings and thoughts of the British people. It was the basis o f their approach to literature. That’s why their works became a new investment in the heritage o f English realism and stimulated its further development. In the short-story genre the art of Katherine Mansfield is a significant contribution to the traditions of English realism. 2. English Literature in the 1930s and A new generation of realist writers, among them Richard Aldington, John Boynton Priestley and Archibald Joseph Cronin appeared on the literary scene between 1930 and World War II. The world economic depression that began in the late 1920s had catastrophic effects in highly industrialized and heavily populated Britain. In two years exports and imports declined 35 percent, and unemployment reached three million. The Second World War, which began in September, 1939, with Hitler’s invasion of Poland, was disastrous for Britain and her allies. During 1939 and 1940 Nazi Germany mastered Europe. Only Britain under the leadership of Winston Churchill remained to oppose Hitler But Britons heroically withstood the bombardment o f their cities. With the entry of the United States into the war, and the failure of the German invasion o f the Soviet Union, the tide began to turn. Although Britain and her allies were eventually victorious, the postwar years were extremely hard. The country was nearly bankrupt, and recovery was slow. Of the new poets writing during this period, the most important and influencial was W.H.Auden. During the 1930s, which he characterized as a “low, dishonest decade,” Auden was the acknowledged leader of a circle of writers who aligned themselves with the political left and attempted to expose the social and economic ills of their country. Although they considered themselves the creators of a new poetic tradition, the influence of Hopkins, Yeats, and Eliot on these young writers is great. Especially, it may be observed in their use of precise and suggestive images, ironic understatement, and plain speech.
Answer the questions.
1. Is English literature and British literature the same?
2. What is the concept of Lost Generation literature?
3. What is the impact of the First and Second World Wars on literature?
4. What new literary trends developed in this period?