The Naked and the Dead

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The Naked and the Dead is a 1948 World War II novel by Norman Mailer that follows an American platoon in the Pacific and is widely regarded as one of the greatest war novels of the 20th century.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II novel
novel
war novel
adaptedInto The Naked and the Dead (1958 film)
author Norman Mailer
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception major critical success on publication
debutWorkOf Norman Mailer
explores psychological impact of combat on soldiers
relationship between officers and enlisted men
filmAdaptationDirector Raoul Walsh
follows an American platoon
genre realist fiction
war fiction
hasFoilCharacters General Cummings and Lieutenant Hearn
hasMainCharacter Gallagher
General Cummings
Lieutenant Hearn
Martinez
Private Red Valsen
Roth
Sergeant Croft
Wilson
influenced later American war literature
inspiredBy Norman Mailer’s service in the Pacific during World War II
language English
literaryMovement postwar American realism
literaryPeriod 20th-century American literature
narrativePerspective third-person omniscient
notableFor naturalistic depiction of combat
use of profanity (e.g., "fug" as euphemism)
originalMediaType print
pageCount over 700 pages (first edition, approximate)
publicationDate 1948
publisher Rinehart & Company
setDuring World War II
setIn Pacific theater of World War II
settingDetail fictional Pacific island of Anopopei
structure divided into four parts
includes flashback sections called "The Time Machine"
subjectMatter U.S. Army operations in the Pacific
theme class conflict
dehumanization in war
existential anxiety
masculinity
power and authority
widelyRegardedAs one of the greatest American war novels of the 20th century

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
notableWork
The Naked and the Dead ("The Naked and the Dead (1958 film)")
adaptedInto

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