A Man Could Stand Up —

Summary

There are not many English novels which deserve to be called great: Parade's End is one of them. — W. H. Auden

A Man Could Stand Up — is the third of four installments in Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End tetralogy, which follows Christopher Tietjens, a wealthy British landowner and the last British Tory; his unfaithful wife, Sylvia; and his mistress, Valentine Wannop.

Opening on Armistice Day (November 11, 1918), A Man Could Stand Up — serves as the climax of the series. Highlighting the tension between traditional values and a rapidly changing social order, the novel details Christopher and Valentine's trials as the post-war world takes shape around them.

Unique among other war fiction of the time, the Parade's End tetralogy privileges not the conflict of World War I itself, but the impact the war had on its participants and upon society writ large. With it's publication, Ford hoped to contribute to the obviating of all future wars. Parade's End is often referred to as one of the greatest 20th century novels, and one of the best depictions of war in literature. The 2012 television adaptation, written by Tom Stoppard and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and seven BAFTA Television Awards.