Modern Classics Journeys End
Modern Classics Journey’s End by R C Sherriff, published by National Geographic Books on October 3, 2000, is a poignant exploration of life in the trenches during the First World War. This edition spans 96 pages and is presented in English. The narrative centers on a group of British officers, particularly focusing on the experiences of Raleigh, an eighteen-year-old officer, as he encounters the stark realities of war and the transformation of his friend Stanhope.
Readers will find that Journey’s End offers an unflinching portrayal of the psychological and emotional challenges faced by soldiers on the front line. The play delves into themes of camaraderie, conflict, and the harsh truths of warfare, making it a significant work in the drama genre. Sherriff’s writing reflects his own experiences as a soldier, providing a historical context that enhances the understanding of the characters’ struggles. This edition invites readers to engage with a critical perspective on war, making it a noteworthy addition to discussions surrounding history and conflict.
Official synopsis Publisher
Hailed by George Bernard Shaw as ‘useful [corrective] to the romantic conception of war’, R.C. Sherriff’s Journey’s End is an unflinching vision of life in the trenches towards the end of the First World War, published in Penguin Classics.
Set in the First World War, Journey’s End concerns a group of British officers on the front line and opens in a dugout in the trenches in France. Raleigh, a new eighteen-year-old officer fresh out of English public school, joins the besieged company of his friend and cricketing hero Stanhope, and finds him dramatically changed. Laurence Olivier starred as Stanhope in the first performance of Journey’s End in 1928; the play was an instant stage success and remains a remarkable anti-war classic.
R.C. Sherriff (1896-1975) joined the army shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, serving as a captain in the East Surrey regiment. After the war, an interest in amateur theatricals led him to try his hand at writing. Following rejection by many theatre managements, Journey’s End was given a single performance by the Incorporated Stage Society, in which Lawrence Olivier took the lead role. The play’s enormous success enabled Sherriff to become a full-time writer, with plays such as Badger’s Green (1930), St Helena (1935), and The Long Sunset (1955); though he is also remembered as a screenplay writer, for films such as The Invisible Man (1933), Goodbye Mr Chips (1933) and The Dam Busters (1955).
If you enjoyed Journey’s End, you might like Robert Graves’s Goodbye to All That, available in Penguin Modern Classics.
‘Its unrelenting tension, and its regard for human decency in a vast world of human waste, are impressive and, even now, moving’
Clive Barnes
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