Ford Madox Ford: Prose and Politics

Critical studies of Ford Madox Ford have generally been formalist in approach, seeking to demonstrate the novelist’s technical innovations. In this book, Dr Green acknowledges Ford’s success as a revolutionary technician, but argues also the importance of the particular historical context in which he wrote. This 1981 text shows for the first time how Ford responded to the astonishingly rapid changes in European politics and culture before, during, and after the First World War. Ford’s critical reputation is firmly established. His greatest achievements are undoubtedly The Good Soldier and the war quartet, Parade’s End. Though Dr Green also considers in some detail Ford’s lesser-known fiction and the non-fictional prose, his main purpose is to provide a fresh context in which to view the major novels. As Ford’s reputation as an essayist, editor and novelist continues to grow, this book makes a major contribution to our appreciation of his art.