This early work by Caroline Spurgeon was originally published in 1917 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Poetry in the Light of War' is a work of literary criticism on poetry written during wartime. Caroline Spurgeon was born on 24 October 1869, in India. She was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College, England and at King's College, London and also University College London. Spurgeon went on to become an esteemed literary critic, and was actually the first female professor of English literature. From 1900 onwards she lectured on the subject and was only the second female professor in England at the time. Through her various professional activities inside her own department, she participated in the academic literary-critical renaissance of the twenties and early thirties. She was an active militant in favour of women's eligibility to academic degrees and also advocated for more opportunities for foreign women to study in British Universities.