Revisiting the Myth of Dunkirk: Lissa Evans’s Their Finest Hour and a Half
Revisiting the Myth of Dunkirk: Lissa Evans’s Their Finest Hour and a Half

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to explore how the myth of Dunkirk is depicted in one of contemporary British historical novels, Lissa Evans’s Their Finest Hour and a Half (2009). With reference to relevant examples from the novel, it is asked if the myth is cultivated or debunked. The article poses the question whether the novel evokes nostalgia for national unity, conveys a hopeful message about more equal opportunities for women than before the war, or reassesses history in a tragicomic manner. Three aspects addressed in Their Finest Hour and a Half are taken into consideration, namely, first, women’s role in myth-making; second, soldiers’ attitude towards uplifting myths surrounding the evacuation of Dunkirk; third, the impact of propaganda films on those living in the 1940s and facing the harsh reality of the war.

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