Prof. Susan Carruthers, '"Dear John": Love, Letters, and Loss in Wartime America'

The episodes keep coming! In episode six of Lent Term, Susan Carruthers, Professor of American Studies at Warwick University, talks to PhD student Clemency Anderson about her work and experiences as a historian. At the centre of discussion is Professor Carruthers' fascinating paper "Inventing the 'Dear John': Romance, Rupture, and Recuperation in World War II America", which focuses on the discourses surrounding women ending relationships with male soldiers by mail during World War 2.Subjects also touched on include the fragmentary nature of the archive, its relationship to feeling in wartime, and tropes of veterans' own modes of storytelling.If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback, get in touch via @camericanist on Twitter or [email protected]. Spread the word, and thanks for listening! See you next week!