“Walk the unchristian ways of Christendom” : the tragedy of Christianity in Wilfred Owen’s poetry

Abstract

In his Introduction to the Devout Life, St Francis de Sales emphasises how every individual is expected to live a virtuous life regardless of their state. Soldiers must also shoulder this responsibility, and to prevent the army from living a devout life would be heretical for de Sales. St Joan of Arc would concur, as she encouraged her soldiers to be virtuous and moral, even wielding her sword to drive out a prostitute from the army camp. Consequently, within the military and the battlefield, a soldier may by some means live virtuously, find “spiritual springs” in the world’s salt waters, and remain untainted by fleeing temptation. The underlying message is that righteousness and piety can prosper with those who partake in war.