The futility and madness of the First World War was the spur for some of the most moving poetry ever written, but the young men who brought the voice of reason to the Great War were themselves part of a long tradition of war poetry. This program traces the development of the art of war poetry from Anglo-Saxon times to the early 20th century and the works of Brooke, Owen, and Sassoon. Using extensive feature film footage as well as contemporary images, the program brings a new vitality to the checkered tales of heroism, cowardice, luck, valor, and misery which together form the experiences of war over the centuries. Jon Stallworthy of Oxford University, one of the world’s foremost authorities on war poetry, analyzes the works. (60 minutes)