The problem of war and peace in European literature of the 20th century

Aim. The aim of the article is to identify and arrange the patterns of influence of the consequences of the wars of the 20th century on literature as one of the characteristic manifestations of the socio-cultural activity of the community involved in destructive military actions, and the influence of these literary works on modernity. Methods. The research employed the following methods: collection and analysis of works of war literature, cross-sectional expert rating analysis, content analysis and drawing analytical conclusions. Results. The study was focused on two lists of literary works about the First and Second World Wars. According to the rankings, Erich Maria Remarque - Der Weg zurück (about the First World War) and Anne Frank - Het Achterhuis (about the Second World War) are the leaders. Stylistic dynamics showed a change from generalized moral reflections to personal experiences of military horrors. The results confirmed the impact of military conflicts on literature and its interaction with other socio-cultural phenomena. Conclusions. The authors’ appeal in the war literature of World War II to the personal experiences of the potential reader through the mediation of autobiographical literary works contributes to a fundamental revision of the moral and ethical norms of the post-war society. The academic novelty is a comprehensive analysis of the impact of global military conflicts on European literature and their role in the modern world. The results of the study can be used in literary studies, education and cultural studies for a better understanding of the influence of military conflicts on literature and the formation of a humanistic worldview. The prospects for further research direction focus on increasing the sample of empirical data through content analysis of a larger number of master works of war literature.