Examining the experiences of the soldiers who found artistic expression in their poetry for the horrors of warfare, this guide also looks at the historical, political, and social background which shaped the poetry of the war. Five major war poets are looked at in detail--Ivor Gurney, Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Siegfried Sassoon, and Edward Thomas. A lively and authoritative text, supported by carefully chosen pictorial and literary evidence, makes this book the ideal companion for young students of these influential poets.