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Birdsong is a 1993 war novel by the English author Sebastian Faulks. Faulk’s fourth novel, it tells of a man called Stephen Wraysford at different stages of his life both before and during World War I. Birdsong is part of a trilogy of novels by Sebastian Faulks which includes The Girl at the Lion D'Or and Charlotte Gray which are all linked through location, history and several minor characters. [1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
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In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
A war novel is a novel in which the primary action takes place in a field of armed combat, or in a domestic setting (or home front) where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, or recovery from, war. ...
// Fiction (from the Latin fingere, to form, create) is the genre of imaginative prose literature, including novels and short stories. ...
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Hutchinson is a book publisher, and is a division of Random House. ...
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Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...
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Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...
A war novel is a novel in which the primary action takes place in a field of armed combat, or in a domestic setting (or home front) where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, or recovery from, war. ...
Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified - by Athelstan 967 AD Area - Total 130,395 km² 50,346 sq mi Population - 2007 estimate...
Cosette Dwyer is an amazing author. ...
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“The Great War †redirects here. ...
Charlotte Gray is a 1999 book by Sebastian Faulks. ...
The novel came 13th in a BBC poll called The Big Read which aimed to find Britain's favourite book.[2] The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ...
The Big Read was a 2003 survey carried out by the BBC, with the goal of finding the Nations Best-loved Book by way of a viewer vote via the Web, SMS and telephone. ...
Plot introduction
While the majority of the novel concentrates on Stephen's life in France before and during the war, the novel also focuses on the life of Stephen's granddaughter, Elizabeth, and her attempts to find out more about her grandfather's experiences in World War I. The story is split into seven sections which cover three different time periods: “The Great War †redirects here. ...
Synopsis Birdsong has an episodic structure which moves between three different periods of time before, during and after the war. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
France 1910 The first stage is set before the war in Amiens, France where Stephen Wraysford goes to learn about the manufacturing process at the Azaire's factory. He stays with the Azaire Family (René, Isabelle, Listette and Gregoire) and spends the early part of the novel visiting René’s place of work. Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. ...
It is revealed that Rene is embarrassed by his inability to father a child and beats his wife in anger. Lisette, a 16 year old child from Azaire’s first marriage, makes suggestive remarks to Stephen throughout the first section of the novel Stephen does not share these feelings. René’s friends Berard, Madame Berand and Aunt Elise come round for dinner on occasion.
Lucien Lebrun, one of Azaire's workers gives food to the families of workers which he gets from Isabelle, this occurs behind Rene's back.
Stephen and Isabelle conduct a passionate affair. When Rene finds out he tells Stephen that he will go to hell. Stephen and Isabelle run away together but Isabelle eventually returns to the family after feeling guilty for leaving René and the children. Isabelle is forgiven by the family. She becomes pregnent but does not inform Stephen of the pregnency and eventually raises the child with a German soldier called Max.
France 1916 We rejoin him some years later as a Lieutenant in the British Army and through his eyes, Faulks tells an incredibly vivid and moving story of the Battle of the Somme and Messines Ridge at Ypres in the following year. The energetic character describes in the first chapter of the novel contrasts this depiction of Stephen hardened by his experiences of war. During his time in the trenches, we learn of Wraysford's mental attitude to the war and the guarded comradeship he feels for his friend Captain Michael Weir and the rest of his men. However, Wraysford is regarded as a cold and distant officer by his men. Stephen refuses all offers of leave so committed is he to fighting on. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
Combatants British Empire United Kingdom Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British and 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10½ divisions (initial) 50 divisions (final) Casualties 419,654...
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Ypres municipality and district in the province West Flanders Ypres (French, pronounced generally used in English1) or Ieper (official name in Dutch, pronounced ) is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ...
His story is paralleled with that of Jack Firebrace, a former miner, employed in the British trenches to listen for the enemy and plant mines under the German trenches. Jack is particularly motivated to fight because of the love he has for his son John back home. Faulks describes how a soldier called Hunt is terrified of going underground as an exploding shell could trap the soldiers underground causing them to suffocate. Stephen is injured in this chapter but survives.
The troops are told to make an attack on the Hawthorne Ridge but the attacks seems doomed to fail with the senior officers being blamed. Gray states that Stephen should not tell his men that the attack will fail but to pray for them instead.
Stephen feels lonely and writes to Isabelle, feeling that he has no one else that he can express his feelings to. He writes about his fears that he will die. This section of the novel ends with a bombardment leaving scores of soldiers in No Man's Land. 29th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Division, Canadian Corps. ...
England 1978 Alongside the main story, there is the inquisitive narrative of Wraysford's granddaughter, Elizabeth, who unearths the stories of World War I and the remaining links to Wraysford's experiences at Marne, Verdun and the Somme. Elizabeth finds Stephen's journals and gets hope in order to try and uncover them.
France 1917 Weir is on leave and finds it impossible to communicate to his family how bad the war is. Stephen meets up with Isabelle and finds that her face has been disfigured by a shell. Stephen discovers that Isabelle is now in a relationship with the German soldier Max.
Stephen is able to return to England and feels relief at being able to enjoy the Norfolk countryside away from the trenches.
Stephen meets Isabelle's sister Jeanne and tells her how he dreads returning to the front line after leave.
Stephen's closest friend, Michael Weir is eventually killed by a sniper's bullet.
England 78-79 Elizabeth continues researching the war and talks to war veterans in a retirement home.
France 1918 The novel ends with Wraysford and Firebrace being trapped underground as the war ends and being rescued by Levi, a Jewish German soldier. An ending which is clearly inspired by- and deliberately echoes- Wilfred Owen's 1918 poem "Strange Meeting".The fact that the German soldier is Jewish should be seen as a debunking by the author of the Nazi lie that German Jews did not fight in the war and 'stabbed the Reich in the back. In the final chapters Jack dies but Stephen survives. Stephen and Jeanne eventually marry and settle in Norfolk. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination...
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, MC (March 18, 1893 – November 4, 1918) was an English poet and soldier, regarded by many as the leading poet of the First World War. ...
Strange Meeting It seemed that out of battle I escaped Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped Through granites which titanic wars had groined. ...
England 1979 Elizabeth has a baby and names him John, therefore keeping the promise which Stephen made to Jack when they were trapped in the tunnels under No Man's Land.
Characters
 Front cover of Birdsong published by Vintage in 2007 Image File history File links Size of this preview: 388 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (758 × 1170 pixel, file size: 310 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 388 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (758 × 1170 pixel, file size: 310 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ...
France: 1910 - Stephen Wraysford - The protagonist of the novel Stephen Wraysford goes to Amiens in France to learn more about the manufacturing process at René's factory. After an affair with Isabelle they leave Amiens before Isabelle returns.
- René Azaire - Factory owner in Amiens. He states that Stephen will go to hell for his affair with his wife Isabelle. Embarrassed by his inability to have a child with his wife he beats Isabelle making her want to leave her marriage
- Isabelle Azaire (Madame Azaire) née Fourmentier - René's wife. Isabelle has an affair with Stephen Wraysford while stuck in her unhappy marriage to René. However after this brief affair Isabelle agrees to return to René and she is forgiven by the family. She is the mother of Françoise by Stephen, though she raised her daughter originally with a German soldier named Max.
- Lisette - Sixteen years old. Lisette is attracted to Stephen and is nearer his age than Isabelle. She makes suggestive remarks to Stephen throughout his time at the house in Amiens.
- Gregoire - Another child from Rene's first marriage.
- Bérard - A pompous friend of Rene Azaire. He goes with the Azaires on a boat trip and considers it his role to conduct conversation by inviting people to speak.
- Madame Bérard - Bérard's wife.
- Aunt Èlise - Madame Bérard's mother.
- Margeurete - A maid employed by the Azaire household.
- Lucien Lebrun - A man who gives food to dyer's families that he gets from Isabelle.
- Meyraux - A supporter of a strike at René's factory.
Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. ...
France 1916, 1917 and 1918 - Jack Firebrace - A tuneller or "sewer-rat". He survived until 1918 when he became trapped while tunneling and died.
- John - Jack's child. He dies during the war.
- Captain Weir - An officer close to Stephen Wraysford killed by a German sniper.
- Jeanne Fourmentier - Isabelle's sister who forms a relationship with Stephen Wraysford.
Other soldiers - O'lone, Fielding, Shaw, Douglas, Wilkinson, Hunt Evans, Turner, Tyson, Byrne, Cpt Gray.
England: 1978 and 1979 - Elizabeth Benson - granddaughter of Stephen Wraysford. Elizabeth has a job in company which manufactures garments. She wants to find out more about World War I and her grandfathers actions. She does this by phoning elderly servicemen, visiting war memorials and translating Stephen's diary.
- Mark and Lindsay - Friends of Elizabeth.
- Françoise - Elizabeth's mother, the biological daughter of Stephen and Isabelle who was raised by her father and aunt Jeanne.
- Irene - A work colleague of Elizabeth.
- Bob - Irene's husband. He offers to translate Stephen Wraysford's war diaries for Elizabeth.
- Erich - A work colleague of Elizabeth.
- Robert - A man who works in Brussels whom Elizabeth has an affair with. Robert states that he will eventually leave his wife but is reluctant to do so.
- Stuart - A man whom Elizabeth has a brief romance with. This ends after Stuart asks Elizabeth to marry her after only a few encounters between them.
- John - Elizabeth's child and therefore Stephen Wraysford's great-grandson, named after John, Jack Firebrace's dead son.
Similar works Birdsong has often been named Sebastian Faulks' best work of fiction- it received an 'also mentioned' credit in The Observer's 2005 poll of critics and writers to find the Best British book of the last 25 years (1980-2005). His literary retelling of the events and attitudes towards the Battle of the Somme and life in the trenches is highly acclaimed and is often grouped with work from writers such as Erich Maria Remarque and Ernest Hemingway as a modern contrast to World War I literature.[citation needed] Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
Erich Maria Remarque (June 22, 1898 – September 25, 1970) was the pseudonym of Erich Paul Remark, a German author. ...
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ...
Other works by Faulks Font cover of Girl at the lion dor The Girl at the Lion DOr is a novel by the author Sebastian Faulks published by Vintage. ...
Front cover of A Fools Alphabet A Fools Alphabet is a 1993 novel by author Sebastian Faulks. ...
Front cover of The Fatal Englishman The Fatal Englishman is a novel by Sebastian Faulks published by Vintage. ...
Charlotte Gray is a 1999 book by Sebastian Faulks. ...
Cover of On Green Dolphin Street On Green Dolphin Street is a novel by the author Sebastian Faulks. ...
Human Traces (ISBN 0-09-179687-3) is a 2005 novel by Sebastian Faulks, best known as the British author of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray. ...
References - ^ http://www.bloomsbury.com/ReadersGroups/ReadersGuides.asp?isbn=9780099387916
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml
External links - Bloomsbury reading group guide to Birdsong
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