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University of the Arts London

Between The Wars: An Activist Novel

Abstract

dc:description

The first part of this thesis, Between The Wars, is a novel based on the life and work of pacifist and social reformer Muriel Lester. It is an interrogation of the beliefs that inspired her, the christian pacifist movement she was a part of, and the challenge of living out the values of peace through two world wars. The novel is also an exploration of the relationship between activism and fiction, and the possibility of representing Lester's ideas in fictional form. The second part of the thesis discusses the process of writing an activist novel that seeks change and yet allows, indeed encourages, the reader to question its beliefs. Idealistic, complex, unflinching, and yet ultimately likeable, Muriel Lester is a challenge to the familiar narratives of 20th century history. Yet the closer to her activism the novel gets, the less certain it becomes, the more it casts itself into question.

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Martin-Carey, Alex

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
Martin-Carey, Alex <https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/view/creators/Martin-Carey=3AAlex=3A=3A.html> (2016) Between The Wars: An Activist Novel. PhD thesis, University of Kent.
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk:25014

Chain of custody

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University of the Arts London
Base URL
ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/cgi/oai2
Last updated
2026-07-24
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OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Martin-Carey, Alex. Between The Wars: An Activist Novel. 2016. https://doi.org/10.22024/UNIKENT/01.02.57153