Publisher's Synopsis
"Old Lies" looks at the way in which various aspects of war, from trench warfare in 1916 to the nuclear threat in the years since 1945, are depicted in literature. Whithead aims to show how the cult of machismo is perpetuated in societies throughout the world, how a strong "macho" protagonist is central to many story lines and how toughness, as a male virtue, fosters violence. He also discusses books concerned with various forms of protest against war, and the role of women in both war and peace.
