What does the author claim was her purpose in writing her memoir? Does she succeed in fulfilling her goals?
What are some instances in which she disagrees with or distances herself from her former self? How does this "double consciousness" add to the tone and effectiveness of her autobiography? (enables her to reinterpret events in the light of later revelations, for example, about the conduct of the war)
What purposes do poetry and music serve throughout the narrative?
How old was she at the beginning of her narrative? During her year in Oxford? At the end of the book?
What features characterized the Buxton of her upbringing? What do we learn of her family circumstances and the character of her parents? Of Brittain's own character? (very determined, often angry, restless at restrictions on women at the time, intense, idealistic)
What characterized her relationship with her brother Edward? (close; he refused to go to Oxford unless she was permitted to go)
What was her relationship with the contemporary women's movement? (actively feminist) What restrictions/limitations on the lives of young women of her time does she face?
What obstacles did she face in attending Oxford? Was she given proper guidance or tuition to help with her exams?
What subjects seem to have been prioritized in the bestowal of awards and prizes? (composition in classical languages, as seen in the prizes awarded Roland)
Under what conditions do her brother, betrothed and friends go to war? Do they enlist as common soldiers? (no, seek commissions) What attitudes are they expected to/do they assume toward the war before leaving? (according to Roland, a noble cause) Are they exposed to any alternate views of Britain's entrance into a war with Germany? Do they understand the possibilities for the war's duration?
What effect does Brittain believe the war had on the women's movement?
According to the introduction, what parts of the Testament were censored? (her husband objected to the parts concerning him, and also perhaps to the revelation of her closeness to Winifred Holtby)
What were Brittain's attitudes toward the value and justice of Britain's cause in the First World War at the time? What seem to be her later beliefs about this war and about war in general? Did these change? (originally felt the war might be justified as fought in the service of "civilization," later came to believe it was dehumanizing and indefensible; after the war reflects that the heroism of her friends is itself a gift to the world, even if the war itself is evil; later comes to believe that their deaths will have been in vain unless she can carry into the future a message of internationalism and brotherhood)
What are some predilections and values shared by Roland and Vera? (poetry, high ideals) What restrictions on their courtship would not have been in force 50 years later? How do her parents feel about her engagement to Roland? (at first her father had objected to his lack of money, but softens)
What attitudes toward war are conveyed in Roland's letters? (loves her, doesn't want to die, doesn't want to kill anyone) Do his responses change over time? (fears death rather than romanticizes it)
Why might they have been drawn toward Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm?
What motivates Brittain to become a war nurse? What does she believe are some mistakes made in using the labors of V. A. D.'s? How does she respond to her war service?
What propels the plot? (intense dread that those she loves may die) Does Roland's death come as a surprise in the narrative? (has built up to it carefully, 236; similarly with Edward)
Why does she expect that before his death Roland will have left a message for her or someone else? (romantic view of death; he would have lost consciousness)
Could this book have been written about the experience of World War II, or is there something distinctive about this time and place?
How does she react to Germany's peace overtures in 1915-16? Will she later change her mind?
What are some bad effects of the government's/ society's attitude toward women doctors? (insufficient number of doctors to perform needed services; government had rejected their offers of help, 195)
What are some evidences of class differences seen throughout the Testament? (her peers become officers, not enlisted men; even German prisoners are segregated by rank; her family has several servants and when her mother collapses the family moves from their home--the father never considers doing his wife's work; she is startled at conditions under which even middle class people live when she travels as a lecturer; alters her view of politics when she sees the conditions under which the urban poor live)
What role is played in the narrative by various forms of transportation and communication? (letters, telegrams, trains, boats, parcels) What are some signs of new technology? (gramophone)
What insights does she gain from her time nursing in a German ward? Can she speak German? (at a basic level)
What is added to the narrative by her account of the network of support and correspondence between friends? (the effect is that of a compound protagonist; these young persons represent a generation)
Testament of Youth, 440-to end
What environments seem to bring out Brittain’s best powers of description? (excellent descriptions of places such as Malta)
What psychological reaction does she have to Edward’s death?
What is her response to the general rejoicing at war’s end? What assessment does she now make of the whole venture? 470-472 (sees England's efforts as a candle in the great darkness)
Are her views on religion bound up with her views on the war? What has changed in her view about the desirability of an earlier peace treaty?
How does she respond to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles? (feels it is a betrayal of idealism) Does she think those she had loved would agree? (yes, they had died in vain)
What does she now want to study at Oxford, and what does she hope to gain from this? (wishes a wider focus on world history as a context for European and British history) To what extent are her desires frustrated? (focus is more on English and European history than world history)
What causes her to feel alienated after her return to Oxford? What public debate exacerbates her sense of exclusion? (over whether travel or formal education are more valuable)
How do you interpret her distaste for younger undergraduates and her fears that she is becoming disfigured? (sense of inner turmoil, need to process her immediate past, PTSD, survivor's guilt, sense of isolation) What are other signs of mental confusion? (fears mirrors, dislikes sight of her own face, unhappy dreams, feels angry and depressed)
What are her first publication efforts? Her first remunerated journalism? What impediment does she confront in writing for the Oxford Chronicle?
What changes in university policy enable her to obtain her degree? (women permitted to take B. A. degrees at Oxford)
What common interests seem to prompt her friendship with Winifred Holtby? What healing pilgrimage do they take together? (visit graves of Edward and Roland)
What occupations and activities does she pursue on leaving Oxford?
What are some satisfactions of her residence in Bloomsbury? (loves independence and privacy, 546)
What subjects does she teach and from what perspective? (history, contemporary events)
What does she recall from her lectures for the League of Nations? (556, cold, unattractive lodgings)
How do she and Winifred respond to the Russian Revolution and the rise of Communism?
What are some important elements of her writing career? Is she able to support herself? (only partly; she writes journalism for Time and Tide)
What are her reflections on the congress of the League of Nations that she attends? (564) What international incidents preoccupy her? (Mussolini had invaded Corfu--after which a commission formed to adjudicate sided with Italy)
What motivates Brittain's switch from the Liberal Party to Labour? (condition of populace, 576)
What incident causes Brittain and Holtby to be evicted from their quarters? (visit by a Liberal politician after 10 p. m.)
What are some feminist causes for which she and Winifred fight? (acceptance of women doctors into medical schools, raising of age of consent from thirteen, 585, occupations for married women, 610)
What fate befalls the respective novels of Winifred and Vera? (597; Brittain's first book a best seller, 601)
What are some features of her romantic life? (608, at first not interested in courtship or romance) Why is she taken with her political science correspondent? (he is a good critic of her books, a feminist, like her is British although he works in an American university; he is persistent and writes fervent, serious letters and shares her interests in politics and social reform; she responds to his letters, 615 ) Are there similarities in their backgrounds and allegiances? (she is Quaker-leaning and he Catholic by conversion; he has also attended Oxford)
What is her attitude toward marriage? (621, worried that it may prevent her independence)
What is the purpose of her trip with Winifred to Europe after she has become engaged? (623. wishes to see the effects of the war in the countries Britain had defeated) What conclusions regarding WWI does she finally arrive at? (643, 645, pacifism)
What characterizes her courtship with George Catlin? (often by letter)
What final uncertainties about her future does she face? (656, 657; preoccupied with the conflict between remaining faithful to her past and seeking a new future; worries that marriage will limit her independence)
Are there instances in the book where Brittain's attitudes or beliefs seem inconsistent or contradictory? Is this a flaw, or an indication of honesty?
What are some unusual or marked features of Brittain's attachments which affect the narrative? (seems capable of deep attachments and friendships with both men and women--her ties with Edward and Winifred seem as important to the book as those to Roland)
Does the book end well? Has it resolved/dealt with some of the major issues which motivated its writing?
What are some features of Brittain’s style? (varied, changing in tone, self-critical)
(page numbers from Penguin edition)