Vera Mary Brittain, Testament of Youth

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First published in 1933, fifteen years after the end of World War I, Vera Brittain’s

Testament of Youth

became an instant success and helped to define autobiography in the 20th Century; in 1979 the BBC produced a film based on the story, which was aired in the UK, and on PBS

Masterpiece Theater

in the U.S. The book remains the only major account of World War I written by a woman. After numerous attempts to write her story through poetry and fiction, Brittain finally realized that the best way to represent her experience was through life writing. She wrote in the Foreword to

Testament of Youth

: “Only, I felt, by some such attempt to write history in terms of personal life could I rescue something that might be of value, some element of truth and hope and usefulness, from the smashing…

1452 words

Citation: Ockerstrom, Lolly. "Testament of Youth". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 June 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13579, accessed 19 March 2024.]

13579 Testament of Youth 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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