With the imminent threat of global war looming over Europe, fear and hostility cast a shadow over the continent. A war that would nearly decimate a generation of young people became a reality for writers, poets, scholars and artists who left an impression that would never be forgotten. The First World War proved to be a dark and tumultuous period in European history that would later serve as an inspiration for contemporary authors, whose writings explored the influences and effects of the Great War on the period. Through some of the iconic fictional literary works based on war, a broader understanding of the hardships and brutality involved is established using elements of verisimilitude. Verisimilitude can be defined as “the semblance of reality in dramatic or nondramatic fiction.” The technique attempts to present a realistic view of an event and evoke its credibility for readers. Verisimilitude originates from Aristotle's theory of mimesis which applied to artists who attempted to represent reality in their work. The word itself originates in the 17th century, and the technique became popular in 20th century novels. In a piece of historical fiction, its purpose may be to promote historicity and create a more powerful emotional connection between the reader and the text. Verisimilitude offers a platform to depict brutality in a realistic light. Two novels that depend significantly on the creation of verisimilitude are Timothy Findley's The Wars and Pat Barker's The Ghost Road. Both incorporate verisimilitude as a tool to engage and maintain a balance of realism within the fictional work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In The Wars the protagonist, a Canadian soldier named Robert Ross, struggles with internal conflicts of desire and remorse, while simultaneously fighting the real war in Europe. Findley tells much of the story through the eyes of a journalist trying to uncover the truth about Robert Ross using first-hand accounts from relatives and friends who knew Robert. The novel's complex narrative creates a nonlinear plot that revolves around both the journalist and Robert Ross. The journalist's method of telling the story produces an element of credibility as it provides more than one perspective on Robert's life. Findley integrates elements of verisimilitude to create a piece of historical fiction while still presenting the real underlying brutality on the battlefield. Similarly, The Ghost Road, achieves verisimilitude by following the story of Billy Prior and William Rivers, British citizens who play different roles in the war effort. Prior is a soldier from a small town in Scotland who experiences war first hand, similar to Robert Ross. Prior's experience in the trenches as a returning officer for his second mission in France gives him an edge but doesn't save him from the horrors that war brings to everyone. William Rivers, a psychiatrist working in a hospital ward in England, presents a non-linear plot that moves from the hospital to memories of his time with a tribe of headhunters in the Pacific. This allows Barker to tell two stories from the point of view of the same character, both inside and outside the war. Barker does this in an attempt to express the true futility of war, telling the story of what becomes a “lost generation” for Western Europe. To show the importance of this common theme, verisimilitude instigates a serious tone. Rivers' work in the hospital maintains a believable tone andoften dark, while his life with the headhunters incorporates elements of spirituality that The Wars doesn't address. The effective use of verisimilitude can contribute to the coherence of a novel and promote its credibility. Whether it's Barker's use of horrific, detailed imagery or Findley's explicit allusions and historical accuracy, both novels achieve verisimilitude. It is the specific techniques used by each author that distinguish the two war novels and their realistic perspectives. The Wars is full of vivid and detailed animal images, often accompanied by brutality. Findley evokes realism in these scenes through pity for the slaughter of innocent animals. During Robert's stay on the SS Massanabie, an injured horse is described with its "broken leg strained behind, so badly shattered that the bone was showing..." as it "healed and tried to get up but his efforts were completely useless." With bones on display and the horse wailing, a blend of visual and auditory imagery creates brutality paired with the realistic elements of the horse's suffering, evoking sympathy for the horse. The images drive verisimilitude as they increase the recognizable agony and also make the war more difficult to deal with. The horses become the symbol of the innocence and courage of the men on the front line, needlessly and brutally massacred in battle. The pain associated with animal suffering is presented in the character Rodwell, a soldier who fights alongside Robert in the trenches. Rodwell arrives at his new assignment to find soldiers "slaughtering rats and mice" and is forced to "witness the killing of a cat" (Findley 150). This sadistic behavior becomes a coping mechanism that distracts the men from the horrific conditions of the trenches and the brutal human events they witness. However, the continued pointless slaughter drives Rodwell to suicide, distinguishing him as the only soldier trying to stop this barbarity. Despite committing suicide, a characteristic normally associated with poor mental health, he is ironically presented as the sanest soldier in this situation. This highlights the extent to which war destroys a soldier's mental health, which the characters express by committing barbaric and atrocious atrocities. To maintain relatability, Findley includes two different methods of addressing the brutal elements of war through the use of animal imagery. The soldiers come from different age groups and social backgrounds, making it natural for each man to have different methods of dealing with brutality, making Findley's portrayal more believable. During the barn fire scene, Mickle says "a prayer for Robert Ross...for a quick death" and while Robert narrowly escapes, he utters "[the] dog" repeatedly before passing out (Findley 212) . Despite the unlikely event in which fifty horses are involved in a stable fire, Robert and Mickle continue to express common human values. However, they do not become barbaric savages as they represent a higher order of men with compassion and understanding of war. Compassion is the most important human characteristic that is often lost or forgotten in times of war, but which Robert and Mickle express in this scene. Robert's concern for the dog and Mickle's concern for Robert both create verisimilitude by expressing human values ​​despite brutal situations. They demonstrate a type of courage, which Findley doesn't often include in The Wars, but in doing so, Findley gives Ross and Mickle more altruistic qualities, allowing for a more sympathetic protagonist. Nature continues to play an important role in creating realism by adding common connections to a world full of absurd and realitieshorrible. The detailed description of the setting, particularly the adverse weather conditions, becomes another method Findley uses to create verisimilitude. It introduces a tumultuous setting in Belgium, where weather conditions make dealing with the war even harder. During the voyage to Europe, "[t]he storm that raged was real and wreaked havoc in every quarter of the ship... jugs of milk and water crashed and spun on the decks" (Findley 57). Here, the description of the ship's journey across the stormy Atlantic not only triggers common knowledge of the Atlantic climate, creating a sense of credibility, but also creates a pathetic fallacy and foreshadows the imminent dangers of war. This can also be seen as a metaphor for men going into battle and perhaps dying. Away from the front, Mrs. Ross attempts to cope with her son's involvement in the war by “…chas[ing] the storms” and enjoying “the pleasure of rain and snow” (Findley 151). Alongside the brutal conditions he imagines his son will have to endure, he unnecessarily exposes himself to adverse weather conditions. It is natural for a mother to grieve over the absence of her child; Findley uses his exposure to the elements as another form of foreshadowing and to continue the verisimilitude. In addition to weather, realistic descriptions of the physical environment, such as using historically accurate cities and regions, help build relatability and credibility. Upon Robert's arrival in France, Findley provides a description of Ypres and Flanders, stating that "[t]his rear, i.e. south-west, is the only physical landmark of note: Kemmel Hill" (Findley 75). Kemmel Hill is in fact located south-west of Ypres and was a key strategic point to control during the war. Findley's use of specific and authentic landmarks from the region allows him to advocate geographical and historical realism. This becomes useful later when Findley introduces the brutal war sequences, as they are made more believable by the realistic setting and support the element of historicity. Horrifying depictions of violence through visual images are perhaps the most effective technique for showing the brutality of war, especially when paired with verisimilitude. As the artillery barrage fell upon the men in their trenches, “…the earth reeled. Forward. Backwards. Forward. Half back... full of smoke and things started falling. Helmets, books, canned food…the pounding of guns was less a noise than a brutal sensation of being shot repeatedly” (Findley 121-122). This description employs three different forms of sensory imagery including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, all of which personify the artillery barrage as some sort of impending external force attacking the men. This highlights elements of the brutal conditions that the soldiers are forced to live and relive, in an attempt to connect the barrage to a recognizable experience. At the hands of the flamethrower, "[t]he ground was in flames [and] [t]roops were annihilated and others were brought forward... but no one believed it" (Findley 147). Despite publishing the novel long after flamethrowers were first used, Findley describes them as an incredible new invention that suits the reactionary soldiers who first experiment with this form of weaponry. Historical accuracy allows Findley to present the brutal image of destruction, without evoking much shock or doubt, and thus conveying verisimilitude. One of the most horrific cases in the novel occurs when Robert Ross is sexually assaulted by his own fellow soldiers. Robert found himself defenseless in a dark room while four men pulled on his “lipsuntil he thought his jaw was going to break... he lost all sense of gravity... someone hit him in the face... [all he could feel] was the shape of the man entering him and the terrible force of force with which it was made” (Findley 193). This bold and swift action evokes unease through shocking images that present the brutality soldiers face in war. The visual senses are compromised in this scene, and it is told only through kinesthetic imagery, which provides more disturbing descriptions of the reality of the situation. The depiction of the desperation and horror that Ross experiences occurs in a moment of utter confusion and chaos, making it the most brutal point in the novel. Findley's method of suspending the reader's disbelief relies on historicity and gruesome, detailed imagery, similar to that of Pat Barker. in The Ghost Road. However, Barker has a more scientific approach to the use of images. This begins through a description of the wounded soldier, Hallet, in the hospital with his "exposed eye [that] had sunk deep into his skull... [t]he herniated brain throb[ing], looking like a strange form of underwater life, perhaps the mouth of a sea anemone", making it clear that it is in a very critical condition. Barker interweaves medical terms with the use of simile, to create a clearer image of a hospital scene. A realistic hospital ward would understand the gory brutality of how these men were affected upon their return, and it was made evident by the horrified reactions of loved ones who visited. In the midst of the complicated war sequences, Billy Prior turns away from any sort of morality and uses a war-damaged local French boy to relieve his sexual tension. Prior recounts in his diary: "I took down his trousers and drawers and began to sniff and rummage around... A smell of chrysanthemums left in the water too long, then a deeper, friendlier smell..." ( Barker 248). This scene differs from the previous hospital scene in that it is a first-person account from Prior's diary and stimulates the olfactory senses with everyday flowers to divert attention from the heinous actions. In some ways, Prior takes a break from the war, but he still shows signs of having been affected by the blood and tragedy that the war has already brought upon him. After the counterattack on the front lines Prior writes: “[b]raining exposed, lots of blood, lots of non-blood stuff down the side of the neck. One eye gone... I was thinking, what's the point? He will die anyway” (Barker 196). While it may seem pessimistic, Prior bluntly tells the story in his diary as he honestly feels it will end with Hallet's death. Prior's matter-of-fact tone suggests that there is no escape for Hallet from the brutality he has endured. Much of the novel is set in William Rivers' hospital, where he is a therapist working with soldiers returning from terrifying experiences in the field. front. In the hospital, Rivers believes that "...the rules of medicine are one thing, the rules of ritual drama are another" but then a patient is diagnosed with the "rather unusually virulent" Spanish flu (Barker 53). . When Barker explores the "magical" or "witchcraft" element of Rivers' medical techniques, he also incorporates real medical cases to maintain a sense of balance. This brief inclusion of hard evidence is enough to counterbalance the magical realm and maintain the idea that Rivers is a real doctor who can actually help brutalized patients. A conversation in the infirmary between Rivers and Wansbeck begins with Rivers asking, "[what about the dream?" "It's not a dream." "The apparition, then." "Oh, we'll see each other quite a bit." “Do you ever miss a night?” A weaklingsmile” (Barker 224). The divergence of the conversation into the supernatural realm, which leaves behind notions of credibility, is attributed to Wansbeck's psychological state after the war. Barker maintains an element of verisimilitude in the way Rivers is somewhat skeptical about the apparition and also in the way Wansbeck does not indicate that it is an anomaly and continues to speak casually. These two elements combine to illustrate how soldiers can deal with the horrors and brutality they experience with mechanisms created by their own minds. A believable story is usually not controlled by figurative language, but rather by a collection of detailed and specific images. In addition to the brutal images mentioned above, common depictions of daily life in the hospital or on the battlefield help create and sustain a realistic setting. One Sunday morning, the soldiers have some free time and Barker describes the scene as the "[s]mell of frying bacon, the sound of pots and pans clanking here and there... a ray of sunshine on the ground and the straw seems like gold” and later describes him as “[the] ghost of Sunday morning at home” (Barker 177). In contrast to the scenes of blood and gore, this scene emulates typical civilian experiences. This juxtaposition expresses that war is often deceptive and that war is presented to the public as a lie, one of Barker's anti-war positions. It exposes the guilt that the soldiers feel, then uses contrast to show the sacrifices that the soldiers are not equipped to make. However, Barker does not completely bring them back to the comfort of home as he links this scene as a Sunday morning "ghost" at home. This presents the idea that only the crude remnants of what soldiers once had are safe on the battlefield. The opposite connection occurs at the beginning of the novel in England, when "the rivers turned to watch the sun swell and red as it set, a brutal and bloody disk, marked by steeples and chimneys..." (Barker 116). This time, a peaceful environment is depicted with images that evoke pain and fear, maintaining a realistic scene while at the same time creating a pathetic mistake with the war across the Channel. Linking both settings, Barker depicts an understanding between those at war and those at home. This portrayal is crucial in evoking compassion for young people who give their lives for a futile cause they never truly understand. When creating an illusion of reality, the use of a descriptive setting allows for relatability between civilians at home and those fighting in the war. The narrative style becomes one of the main distinguishing features between the two novels. Barker incorporates an unconventional writing style in which two protagonists' stories alternate between chapters. Prior's story is told partly in the first person as if he were writing a diary, as well as from the conventional third-person omniscient point of view. Rivers tells two stories at once, one about his current hospital job and one about his past experience with headhunters, but both are told in the third person. Prior's first-hand account reads like a war diary, recounting the brutal events from the character's first-hand perspective. This is the most direct development of verisimilitude as it allows the reader to experience hardship and horror through the eyes of the soldier. The closer and more in-depth narrative style allows for greater identifiability with the fictional character and, ultimately, produces verisimilitude. Findley uses a postmodern writing style in which readers interpret the story however they choose. A typical element of postmodernismit is self-reflexivity where the reader can connect various perspectives into a single story seen in the various witnesses the reporter asks about Robert Ross. In addition to narrative style, both authors also use different techniques to represent verisimilitude. In The Wars significant animal and natural imagery contributes to the verisimilitude shown, whilst The Ghost Road remains primarily focused on the human aspect of war. Of course, The Wars often develops aspects of human emotions and psychology; however, it also includes vivid animal imagery that sets it apart from The Ghost Road. Much of Findley's use of verisimilitude depends on an understanding of some of these animals and a basic knowledge of the geography and historical context of the First World War. This is seen, for example, with the names of the provinces, the climate, the reactions of animals, and the technology of the time. These universal connections with the reader evoke emotions and address psychological phenomena that occur among soldiers in a group context. In contrast, Barker occasionally focuses on spirituality, a feature that is not included in The Wars. However, rather than detract from the novel's credibility, Barker's inclusion of supernatural elements connects with the reader on levels beyond the emotional and physical. In The Ghost Road, a significant portion of the novel is devoted to developing the characters of Headhunter Island from Rivers' point of view and creating an empathetic connection with them. Coupled with the fact that the narrator tells the story by focusing on Rivers who is a doctor and uses scientific terms, the connection allows one to approach spiritual encounters with less judgment and disbelief. When preparing for the funeral of a respected tribesman, Ngea, the islanders placed “a diadem of shells around [his] skull and other shells in the sockets of [his] eyes” and began to pray for Ngea's good fortune in war . and beyond (Barker 206). This scene alludes to the war that the islanders believe the men fight in the afterlife. Wishing for Ngea's propitiousness illustrates war as an event in which individuals must survive on their own, allowing connections to be made to Prior's struggle in Europe. These connections contribute to the idea that war has universal themes of futility which Barker actively criticizes while maintaining verisimilitude even through the supernatural sequences. Since both authors were born after World War I, they required extensive research and understanding of the elements that tied the war stories together. , such as futility, brutality and chaos, as well as real history. Each of them was tasked with maintaining historical and scientific accuracy in order to produce credible war stories. Notably, in The Ghost Road, when Prior is asked if urine-soaked socks can really protect against gas attacks, he replies “no…but it didn't half distract you” (Barker 181). This is a contradiction to The Wars, when the men face a gas attack and "[t]he ammonia in their urine... turns the chlorine into harmless crystals that cannot be breathed" (Findley 141). Although both novels reference the same action, one might wonder which author more accurately presents these scientific details. In theory, Robert Ross was right that ammonia in urine should react with chlorine gas and crystallize it, and historically the Canadian military was able to survive many gas attacks before they had gas masks. However, according to Bert Newman of the Royal Medical Corps, after gas attacks in which soldiers used urine for protection, "you could see.