Chapter 19 Summary and Analysis

Graves again found England otherworldly. His mother forced him to attend a long church service. He sat in the pew and detested the service, and distracted himself by composing Latin epigrams. Over the next several days, he visited the dentist and then underwent an operation on his nose. During his recovery, he purchased a tiny cottage from his mother and lived in it for a few days, pretending to be an established poet far from the war. After he recuperated somewhat, he rejoined the 3rd Battalion at Litherland, near Liverpool. In July of 1916, he returned to the Royal Welch Fusiliers Regiment in France and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion. He spent time in the trenches around Givenchy and, once again, received a chilly reception from the troops because of his German middle name. The local English units participated in numerous...