Millions like us: British women's fiction of the Second World War

World War II saw women fully involved and experiencing work outside the home. Their sense of the temporary nature of this new role is reflected in the fiction of the era, where the heroine's work remained a prelude to her return to domesticity. Their relative freedom is also seen in the portrayal of women fulfilling a range of roles at one time - mother, worker, home-maker. From the Blitz to secret surveillance, from film and radio to letter-writing, women wrote about it all and this text offers a criticism of the work produced during that period. A range of authors are discussed including: Elizabeth Bowen; Olivia Manning; Rosamond Lehmann; Rose Macaulay; and Stevie Smith.