Retreat: A Story of 1918.

Retreat, a Story of 1918 by Charles R. Benstead was first published in England in 1930, as the genre of Great War fiction was shifting from positive accounts of combat heroism toward narratives of disillusionment and loss. Benstead's novel spans both phases through its tragic portrayal of an army chaplain driven to madness when his orthodox values hold no sway against the bloody realities of war and through its heartening vision of how devotion to duty can fortify soldiers' sense of purpose and self-worth in the absence of spiritual faith. In this theater of battle, Benstead captures the cruel injustices of the war as he knew it and the inadequacies of religion to address the harsh circumstances on the front.