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"An autobiographical novel of the Great War's aftermath, """"Plumes"""" is the story of the personal trials of a soldier, returned from the front disabled and disillusioned, and of the wife and child he left behind. Richard Plume is a U.S. Marine whose combat injuries ultimately cost him a leg and much faith in his government and society. The novel relegates combat scenes to flashbacks and centers instead on the struggles Richard faces as he tries to carve out a humble but honest existence for his family in postwar Washington, D.C. Through Richard's tragic experiences, Stallings captures the tenor of the times, the faults and corruption inherent in the administration of veterans' aid, the economic crises faced by returned soldiers, and the personal and social hardships foisted on families in these circumstances. In the latter effort, Esme emerges as the novel's hero, the steadfast wife and mother who must shore up a life shattered by war. """"Plumes"""" was first published in 1924 and reprinted nine times by the following year. This edition is augmented with a new introduction by George Garrett assessing Stallings's literary career and critical reception and with a new afterword by Steven Trout contextualizing the medical and political realities of the novel."

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9781570036491

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A native of Macon, Georgia, U.S. Marine Captain Laurence Stallings (1894-1968) was wounded at Belleau Wood. On returning from duty, he coauthored the acclaimed Broadway play What Price Glory and later wrote or collaborated on numerous productions for stage and screen. George Garrett, professor emeritus of creative writing at the University of Virginia, is the author of thirty books and editor of nineteen others, including Death of the Fox, The Succession, and Entered from the Sun. Steven Trout is a professor of English at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. His books include Memorial Fictions: Willa Cather and the First World War and The Literature of the Great War Reconsidered: Beyond Modern Memory.

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