Paradigms of Death: Poetic Interpretation of the First World War in the Works of W. Owen

The article deals with the impact of the First World War on the historical and literary development of Great Britain, with an emphasis on the transformation of literary discourse and a detailed examination of the specific phenomenon of war poetry, called ‘trench poetry’. Analyzing the processes that took place in the literature of that time, the authors of the article note the mythologization of the events that became a turning point in history. The process of mythologization consists in using personal memories, autobiographies, and memoirs. The distinctive features of that period also include the dramatic break with the past, the contrast of positions, the realization of the impossibility of going back. The article explores the poetic works of Wilfred Owen, which stand out for their unique poetic interpretation of the tragedy of the war experience. Owen's poetry becomes an expression of the true feelings of a soldier, captures the horror and absurdity of armed conflict. The most important role in the poetic legacy of the author is played by the images of death, which serve as a symbolic expression of the physical death and destruction of the moral guidelines of mankind. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the semantics of death images and related motifs. The lyrical ‘I’ acts as an active witness to the events taking place, although sometimes the author resorts to changing the perspective of the presentation, trying to look at what is happening from different angles. However, a change of the perspective does not change the lyrical hero's attitude to what is happening. In W. Owen's poetry, war deprives a person of the senses not only literally but also figuratively. He can no longer enjoy this life, therefore, in the author's perception, the contrast between life and death is not presented as a strictly binary opposition, death is often perceived by the hero as a force with greater sincerity and empathy compared to life.