Universty of Maryland Keywords Marguerite Duras French Literature Discussion

Based on the book found above, I did an advanced search and found a book review from Caroline Anstey in International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944–)2, a review from John Bauman in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,3 and a review from Cyril Black in Slavic Review.4 While I only had to find one book review, I believe that reading multiple reviews will help create an objective perspective about the book.

“It was forty-two years ago that Winston Churchill made his famous speech in Fulton, Missouri, in which he popularized the phrase ‘Iron Curtain.’ This speech, according to Fraser Harbutt, set forth the basic Western ideology of the coming East-West struggle. It was also a calculated move within, and a dramatic public definition of, the Truman administration’s concurrent turn from accommodation to confrontation with the Soviet Union. It provoked a response from Stalin that goes far to explain the advent of the Cold War a few weeks later. This book is at once a fascinating biography of Winston Churchill as the leading protagonist of an Anglo-American political and military front against the Soviet Union and a penetrating re-examination of diplomatic relations between the United States, Great Britain, and the U.S.S.R. in the postwar years. Pointing out the Americocentric bias in most histories of this period, Harbutt shows that the Europeans played a more significant part in precipitating the Cold War than most people realize. He stresses that the same pattern of events that earlier led America belatedly into two world wars, namely the initial separation and then the sudden coming together of the European and American political arenas, appeared here as well. From the combination of biographical and structural approaches, a new historical landscape emerges. The United States appears at times to be the rather passive object of competing Soviet and British maneuvers. The turning point came with the crisis of early 1946, which here receives its fullest analysis to date, when the Truman administration in a systematic but carefully veiled and still widely misunderstood reorientation of policy (in which Churchill figured prominently) led the Soviet Union into the political confrontation that brought on the Cold War.”5

Anstey, Caroline. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944–) 63, no. 3 (1987): 502–503.

Bauman, John. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 495 (1988): 147–148.

Black, Cyril. Slavic Review 47, no. 4 (1988): 744.

Harbutt, Fraser J. The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

I chose the topic of the Iron Curtain Speech because I believe that the speech had a significant impact on the formation of NATO due to the realization that Russia was indeed an adverse threat to the western countries – Europe in particular. The speech also addresses that the Russian people should be supported, but that the communist government cannot be trusted. Ultimately, I chose this book because it supports these ideas, but it also recognizes the idea that Churchill pushed for an alliance between America and Europe because he recognized the United States’s military power and dominance in the world. In my belief, this topic should be analyzed and discussed as it still remains impactful today.

1 Fraser J. Harbutt, The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).

https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e025xna&AN=143685&site=eds-live& scope=site.

2 Caroline Antsey, International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944–) 63, no. 3 (1987): 502–503.

3 John Bauman, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 495 (1988): 147–148.

4 Cyril Black, Slavic Review 47, no. 4 (1988): 744.

5 Fraser J. Harbutt, The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).

I checked out our collections of eBooks and it appears that if you have chosen Duras, this is the best book. It comes with some bonuses because it addresses other French writers as well. Duras appears 313 times – so you should be able to get a grasp of her life. When you prepare your final PowerPoint, you can also point to the reception history of Indochine  the brilliant adaptation of Duras' novella. There are two accessible chapters – one on Duras and one on Linda Le… Malraux can be a little abstract. But, since you just need to cover five chapters, the intro and conclusion, I think this book works. It has all of the parts!

Step 1 – Keyword Searching – Pick a Topic – Search for an eBook in the UMGC Library.1.      The book must be a monograph or a scholarly biography.2.      What is a monograph? A monograph is a book published by one author, on one topic, using primary and secondary sources.3.      What is a scholarly biography? A scholarly biography is a book by a single author focusing on one person, using archival sources.Please select one of the following topics, or run the book title by me before beginning the assignment.       Marguerite Durás