The Good Soldier (Norton Critical Editions)

The Good Solider: A Tale of Passion by Ford Madox Hueffer (later, Ford Madox Ford) is set just before World War I. The “good solider” of the title is Captain Edward Ashburnman, a retired Indian army veteran, who — along with his wife Leonora — from relationships with two Americans, John and Florence Dowell. The novel follows the unraveling of Ashburman’s and Dowell’s marriages through a series of flashbacks and deals with issues, such as adultery, betrayal, and moral confusion, which often go unmentioned in polite society. The Good Soldier was originally titled The Saddest Story, a reference to the first line: “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” However, with the onset of the war, the publisher requested a title revision. Ford sarcastically suggested The Good Soldier, as he himself had already enlisted in the war, and the name stuck. Ford left to serve in World War I as an infantry solider later on in 1915, the same year the book was published. The Good Solider is ranked 30th on Modern Library’s list of “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

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