Similarities/Differences in treatment of historical figures

In the novels 'Regeneration' and 'CCM' both Barker and de Bernieres use their characters to challenge society’s views on homosexuality. Similarly, they both explore the effects that societies views have on the men who are homosexual and how they are dealt with (Sassoon,Rivers,Graves and Carlo)
However, Barker portrays characters such as Sassoon and Rivers as more dominant figures who appear to us to be very patriarchal and poses more masculine qualities, where as de Bernieres presents Carlo as having more feminine characteristics like being reflective, sensitive and emotional. An example of this is the mere fact that Carlo writes letters, not to other people, but to himself and these letters include his personal and emotional thoughts and feelings about the war and his love for Francesco.

Another noticable difference between the two authors is that style in which the novels are writen in order to present historical figures. While Barkers style is more serious, de Bernieres is much more of a mockery especially towards characters like Mussolini in chapter2. When discussing the topic of the homosexuality of the characters, Barker is much more evasive, as in the reader almost has to guess and speculate that characters such as Sassoon and Rivers are in fact homosexual. It is not made perfectly clear to us or discussed openly although there are certain hints and suggestions that lead us to this conclusion. De Bernieres on the other hand is much more open to the notion of homosexuality, the simple fact that he titles his chapters with Carlo as "L'Omosessuale" shows this. Carlo as a character also willing admits to being in love with a man.