I've been writing an essay about literature during the First World War,and this has been bugging me so much. I just simply don't understand how poets such as Jessie Pope etc, could be so ignorant to the fact that they were urging young men to run headlong into their graves. Were they aware of their actions? Did they know and just continue writing? Or were they just totally ignorant to it all?
You might also be interested in the "white feather" campaign by British women during WWI. I can't seem to locate the largest thread here where this was discussed in depth (it's possible that it was deleted, because for some reason it seemed a moderator took umbrage at women being critiqued by several users using modern standards and sensibilities with regard to gender equality). Hopefully someone else can locate it.
Here are some related threads: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1kq756/i_am_an_englishman_its_the_middle_of_ww1_what_is/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1q365r/did_any_of_the_women_involved_in_the_ww1_white/