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When the war started in Europe in 1914, the United States military was desperately undermanned and underequipped. Prior to the country’s entry into the conflict, there was a pervading fear of a German invasion of the United States. The paranoia was further fed by what is now called “invasion literature.” Between 1914 and 1917, dozens of works appeared that raised the spectre of a German invasion. In these long-forgotten novels, millions of German soldiers are storming the beaches of the Atlantic coast and capturing New York, Boston, and Washington. This paper examines invasion literature and brings to light such examples of the genre as John Bernard Walker’s America Fallen! (1915), Cleveland Moffett’s The Conquest of America (1916), and Thomas Dixon’s The Fall of a Nation (1916).

In November 2018, the centenary of the end of "the war to end all wars" was commemorated all around the world. World War I affected millions of people and had a profound impact on literature and culture. The paper discusses Dalton Trumbo's 1939 pacifist novel Johnny Got His Gun and its late 20th century legacy. Although the novel was published long after the war's end, it remains one of the most powerful anti-war statements. Contrary to more famous World War I novels it does not deal with the disillusionment of the post-war generation. The story of a quadruple amputee which takes place entirely in the main protagonist's head is a claustrophobic and nightmarish journey into the mind of a young boy trapped in himself, imprisoned in darkness. The novel frequently fell out of favor during the 20th century but it enjoyed its share of popularity in Czechoslovakia, thanks to Trumbo's communist sympathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early nineteenth century visitors of the Appalachian frontier were shocked by the violence they encountered. In the antebellum backcountry, a “rough and tumble" fight was the accustomed method for settling even minor disagreements. What made this fighting style unique was the emphasis on maximum disfigurement of the opponent and amid pulling hair, biting off lips, tearing off noses and choking, gouging out an opponent's eye became the essence of rough and tumble. The popularity of this fighting style was attested by the presence of numerous one-eyed men along the Appalachian frontier and the winners of such fights were celebrated in the region's oral folklore. The article traces the reflection of this violent phenomenon in various works of antebellum popular fiction, including a series of humorous pamphlets known as Crockett Almanacs which were published between 1835 and 1856. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents author's views on sub-genre of war comics produced by firm EC Comics including stories written by military comic artist Bill Mauldin.