Testament of Youth
Encyclopedia
Testament of Youth is the first installment, covering 1900–1925, in the memoir
of Vera Brittain
(1893-1970). It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with Testament of Experience, published in 1957, and encompassing the years 1925–1950. Between these two books comes Testament of Friendship (published in 1940), which is essentially a memoir of Brittain's close colleague and friend, Winifred Holtby
. A final segment of memoir, to be called 'Testament of Faith' or 'Testament of Time' was planned by Brittain but remained unfinished at her death.
Testament of Youth has been acclaimed as a classic for its description of the impact of World War I
on the lives of women and the middle-class civilian population of Great Britain. The book shows how the impact extended into the postwar years. It is also considered a classic in feminist literature for its depiction of a woman's pioneer struggle to forge an independent career in a society only grudgingly tolerant of educated women.
In the foreword, Brittain describes how she originally intended to write of her experiences as a novel but was unable to achieve the objective distance from her subject necessary. She then tried to publish her original diary from the war years but with all names fictionalised. This too proved unworkable. Only then did she decide to write her own personal story, putting her own experiences in the wider historic and social context. Several critics have noted the cathartic
process by which she deals with her grief
in the writing.
The narrative begins with Vera's plans to enter the University of Oxford
and her romance with Roland Leighton
, a friend of her brother Edward. Both were commissioned as officers early in World War I, and both were subsequently killed, as were several other members of their social circle.
The book's main subject is Vera's work as a Voluntary Aid Detachment
nurse, nursing wounded in London, Malta and at Etaples in France. It also describes how she returned, disillusioned, to Somerville College, Oxford after the war and completed her BA degree. It covers the beginning of her career in journalism, writing for Time and Tide
and lecturing for the League of Nations
. She visits the graves of her brother Edward in Italy and her fiancé Roland in France. Together with Winifred Holtby she toured the defeated and occupied regions of Germany and Austria in 1923.
It concludes with her meeting her husband George Catlin
and their eventual marriage in 1925.
The diaries on which the book is partly based, Chronicle of Youth, edited by Alan Bishope, were published in 1981. In 1998, the war letters which Brittain also drew on in her autobiography were published in an edition by Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge
. Entitled Letters from a Lost Generation, their appearance was met with considerable acclaim.
which aired in 1979, starring Cheryl Campbell
as Vera Brittain, Peter Woodward
as Roland Leighton and Emrys James
and Jane Wenham
as Vera's parents.
In 1998, to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Armistice
, a fifteen-part radio dramatisation of the letters on which Testament of Youth was partly based was broadcast on BBC Radio Four. Entitled Letters from a Lost Generation, it was dramatised by Mark Bostridge and starred Amanda Root
as Vera Brittain and Rupert Graves
as Roland Leighton.
In 2009 it was announced that a feature film adaptation of Testament of Youth was in development by BBC Films and Heyday Films. This has the support of the Vera Brittain Estate, Brittain's daughter Shirley Williams, and Brittain's biographer Mark Bostridge who is acting as consultant. Casting has yet to be announced.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of Vera Brittain
Vera Brittain
Vera Mary Brittain was a British writer, feminist and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the best-selling 1933 memoir Testament of Youth, recounting her experiences during World War I and the beginning of her journey towards pacifism.-Life:Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Brittain was the...
(1893-1970). It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with Testament of Experience, published in 1957, and encompassing the years 1925–1950. Between these two books comes Testament of Friendship (published in 1940), which is essentially a memoir of Brittain's close colleague and friend, Winifred Holtby
Winifred Holtby
Winifred Holtby was an English novelist and journalist, best known for her novel South Riding.-Life and writings:...
. A final segment of memoir, to be called 'Testament of Faith' or 'Testament of Time' was planned by Brittain but remained unfinished at her death.
Testament of Youth has been acclaimed as a classic for its description of the impact of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on the lives of women and the middle-class civilian population of Great Britain. The book shows how the impact extended into the postwar years. It is also considered a classic in feminist literature for its depiction of a woman's pioneer struggle to forge an independent career in a society only grudgingly tolerant of educated women.
In the foreword, Brittain describes how she originally intended to write of her experiences as a novel but was unable to achieve the objective distance from her subject necessary. She then tried to publish her original diary from the war years but with all names fictionalised. This too proved unworkable. Only then did she decide to write her own personal story, putting her own experiences in the wider historic and social context. Several critics have noted the cathartic
Cathartic
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic...
process by which she deals with her grief
Grief
Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
in the writing.
The narrative begins with Vera's plans to enter the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and her romance with Roland Leighton
Roland Leighton
Roland Aubrey Leighton , was a British poet and soldier, immortalised in Vera Brittain's memoir, Testament of Youth....
, a friend of her brother Edward. Both were commissioned as officers early in World War I, and both were subsequently killed, as were several other members of their social circle.
The book's main subject is Vera's work as a Voluntary Aid Detachment
Voluntary Aid Detachment
The Voluntary Aid Detachment was a voluntary organisation providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals, in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The organisation's most important periods of operation were during World War I and World War II.The...
nurse, nursing wounded in London, Malta and at Etaples in France. It also describes how she returned, disillusioned, to Somerville College, Oxford after the war and completed her BA degree. It covers the beginning of her career in journalism, writing for Time and Tide
Time and Tide (magazine)
Time and Tide was a British weekly political and literary review magazine founded by Margaret, Lady Rhondda in 1920. It started out as a supporter of left wing and feminist causes and the mouthpiece of the feminist Six Point Group. It later moved to the right along with the views of its owner...
and lecturing for the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. She visits the graves of her brother Edward in Italy and her fiancé Roland in France. Together with Winifred Holtby she toured the defeated and occupied regions of Germany and Austria in 1923.
It concludes with her meeting her husband George Catlin
George Catlin (political scientist)
Sir George Edward Gordon Catlin was an English political scientist and philosopher. A strong proponent of Anglo-America cooperation, he worked for many years as a professor at Cornell University and other universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. He preached the use of a natural...
and their eventual marriage in 1925.
The diaries on which the book is partly based, Chronicle of Youth, edited by Alan Bishope, were published in 1981. In 1998, the war letters which Brittain also drew on in her autobiography were published in an edition by Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge
Mark Bostridge
Mark Bostridge is a British writer and critic. He was born in 1960 and educated at the University of Oxford, where he was awarded the Gladstone Memorial Prize.His first book was Vera Brittain: A Life, co-written with Paul Berry and published in 1995...
. Entitled Letters from a Lost Generation, their appearance was met with considerable acclaim.
Publishing history
- First published Victor Gollancz (28 August 1933)
- Victor Gollancz, London (1940)
- Wideview Books (1970) ISBN 0860680355
- Virago Press (1978) ISBN 8606803553
- Fontana (1979) ISBN 0006357032]
- Seaview Books. (1980) B010174; 661
- Penguin Group (USA) (1980) ISBN 0872236722
- Putnam Pub Group (1980) ISBN 0872236722
- Penguin Classics (May 31, 2005) ISBN 0143039237
- Publisher: Virago Press Ltd (2004) ISBN 0860680355
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (2009) ISBN 297858317
Adaptations
The book was the subject of a five part dramatisation on BBC2BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
which aired in 1979, starring Cheryl Campbell
Cheryl Campbell
Cheryl Campbell is an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early years:Cheryl Campbell was educated at Francis Bacon Grammar School, St Albans; London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
as Vera Brittain, Peter Woodward
Peter Woodward
Peter Woodward is an English actor, stuntman and screenwriter. He is probably best known for his role as Galen in the Babylon 5 spin-offs Babylon 5: A Call to Arms, Crusade and Babylon 5: The Lost Tales....
as Roland Leighton and Emrys James
Emrys James
Emrys James , was a Welsh Shakespearean actor. He also performed in many theatre and TV parts between 1960 and 1989, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and Jane Wenham
Jane Wenham
Jane Wenham was the subject of what is commonly but erroneously regarded as the last witch trial in England. The trial took place in 1712 and was reported widely in printed tracts of the period, notably F...
as Vera's parents.
In 1998, to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
, a fifteen-part radio dramatisation of the letters on which Testament of Youth was partly based was broadcast on BBC Radio Four. Entitled Letters from a Lost Generation, it was dramatised by Mark Bostridge and starred Amanda Root
Amanda Root
Amanda Root is an English stage and screen actor and a former voice actor for children's programmes.Root known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion and the British TV comedy All About Me, as Miranda, alongside Richard Lumsden in 2004 and when she was a...
as Vera Brittain and Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
as Roland Leighton.
In 2009 it was announced that a feature film adaptation of Testament of Youth was in development by BBC Films and Heyday Films. This has the support of the Vera Brittain Estate, Brittain's daughter Shirley Williams, and Brittain's biographer Mark Bostridge who is acting as consultant. Casting has yet to be announced.
Other sources
- The making of a peacenik Mark Bostridge, The Guardian August 30, 2003. Brittain's biographer, reviews "Testament of Youth". Accessed May 2008
- Testament of Youth, Vera Brittains Literary Quest for Peace By Linda S. Coleman Popular Press (1997). Accessed June 2008
- Mourning through Memoir: Trauma, Testimony, and Community in Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth. by Richard Badenhausen in Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 49, 2003. Extract accessed June 2008