Editing Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man (section)

==Background==
Prior to its publication, Siegfried Sassoon's reputation rested entirely on his poetry, mostly written during and about [[World War I]].  Only ten years after the war ended, after some experience of journalism, did he feel ready to branch out into prose.  So uncertain was he of the wisdom of this move that he elected to publish ''Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man'' anonymously.  It is a depiction of his early years presented in the form of an [[autobiographical novel]], with false names being given to the central characters, including Sassoon himself, who appears as "George Sherston". Sassoon was motivated to write the work by a war incident, when a fox was loose in the trenches and one of his friends shot and killed it. However, the book draws heavily on his pre-war life, with riding and hunting being among the favourite pastimes of the author.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/65301/the-siegfried-line|title=The Siegfried Line|author=Peter Green|date=February 20, 2006|magazine=New Republic|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref>

Much of the material for the novel came from Sassoon's own diaries. He said he was inspired by the work of [[Marcel Proust]], saying, "A few pages of Proust have made me wonder whether insignificant episodes aren't the most significant". In particular, his relationship with "Aunt Evelyn", a fictionalised representation of his mother [[Theresa Sassoon|Theresa]], is revealed as having been a major influence in his upbringing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jan/21/memoirs-of-a-fox-hunting-man-reading-group|title=Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man's ambiguous idyll|website=The Guardian|author=Sam Jordison|date=21 January 2014|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref>