What is Death of a Hero?
{{italic title}} '''''Death of a Hero''''' is a [[book]] by [[Richard Aldington]]. It was his first [[novel]], published in 1929. It is thought to be partly about his own life. The story is set during [[World War I]]. ==Plot== ''Death of a Hero'' is the story of a young English [[artist]] named George Winterbourne who enlists in the [[British Army|army]] at the beginning of World War I. The story is told by an unnamed [[narrator]], who speaks in the [[first person]]. The narrator claims to have known and served with the main character. The story is divided into three parts. ===Book I=== The first part details George's family history. His father, a middle-class man from England's countryside, marries a poor woman who falsely believes she is marrying into a monied family. After George's birth, his mother has a series of lovers. George is brought up to be a proper and patriotic member of English society. He is encouraged to learn his father's insurance business, but fails to do so. After a disagreement with his parents, he relocates to London to become an artist and live a socialite lifestyle. ===Book II=== The second section of the book deals with George's London life. He ingrains himself in socialite society and engages a number of trendy philosophies. After he and his lover, Elizabeth, have a pregnancy scare, they decide to marry. Although they do not have a child, the marriage endures. They decide to leave their marriage open. George takes Elizabeth's close friend as a lover, however, and their marriage begins to fall apart. Just as the situation is becoming particularly heated, England declares war on Germany. George decides to enlist. ===Book III=== George trains for the army and is sent to France. (No particular location in France is mentioned. The town behind the front where George spends much of his time is referred to as M---.) He fights on the front for some time. When he returns home, he finds that he has been so affected by the war that he cannot relate to his friends, including his wife and lover