All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque. 1929.
When I started this blog I said to myself that I wasn't going to write about books I'd read for Uni. But then I realised that I have little time for anything else, so I'm temporarily ignoring this decision and dedicating my first post to a book that, despite being a compulsory read, is one that I found to be both compelling and harrowing, enjoyable yet heartbreaking.
I read All Quiet on the Western Front during the first week of my War Writing module and have recently written an essay on the novel, so please excuse me if I sound like I'm regurgitating a literary anthology of pretentious bullshit, but that's what gets you the marks!
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who shares my weird fascination with warfare. You know what I'm referring to - horrified, but at the same way detached enough to want to learn more and delve deeper into the incomprehensible suffering that surrounds the subject of War.
Remarque's novel tells the story of Paul, a young soldier conscripted straight from school and the narrative follows his regiment's progression as they are stationed in France, along the Western Front. When I first read the novel I was doing my usual skim reading exercise (I have so many books to get through and I often just pick them up without even looking at the author's name!) and I failed to acknowledge the nationality of these men until about half way through, as I read this -
'We Germans fear God and no one else in the world' (59)
I know that sounds ridiculous. I mean, I should've picked it up from the names and the places they constantly discuss, but I think that it also highlights a crucial point that Remarque was trying to make in his novel - that the trench life experience was the same for everyone, irrespective of nationality. His portrayal of the 'everyman' soldier is what makes his novel so accessible. Once I'd realised it was from a German perspective, I expected to feel differently about the characters, but I didn't. At all. And I think the reason for this is that they are all depicted as ordinary men, who don't want to be at war and who are fighting for the sole purpose to survive:
'Kropp...reckons that all declarations of war ought to be made into a kind of
festival...[where] the ministers and generals of the two countries would have
to come into the ring, wearing boxer shorts, and armed with rubber truncheons
and have a go at each other. Whoever is left on his feet, his country is declared
the winner. That would be simpler and fairer that things are out here, where
the wrong people are fighting each other' (29)
The novel is filled with questions surrounding the futility of war. Which is exactly why it was banned in Germany by the Nazi Party, forcing Remarque to flee to America before the outbreak of WWII.
If you're expecting a novel filled with heroic conquests and constant action, then this probably isn't the war narrative for you. But if you want a realistic portrayal of trench warfare mingled with the mundane and insignificant life of a soldier, then this is an excellent representation of both. It's a real eye opener and, although I won't give away the ending, it is one that I will always remember.
Let me know if you get a chance to read it - I'd love to know what you thought!
Love Alice x
Just before I sign off, I thought I'd add this clip of the final scene from Blackadder Goes Forth which is so funny yet exceptionally moving:
I read All Quiet on the Western Front during the first week of my War Writing module and have recently written an essay on the novel, so please excuse me if I sound like I'm regurgitating a literary anthology of pretentious bullshit, but that's what gets you the marks!
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who shares my weird fascination with warfare. You know what I'm referring to - horrified, but at the same way detached enough to want to learn more and delve deeper into the incomprehensible suffering that surrounds the subject of War.
Remarque's novel tells the story of Paul, a young soldier conscripted straight from school and the narrative follows his regiment's progression as they are stationed in France, along the Western Front. When I first read the novel I was doing my usual skim reading exercise (I have so many books to get through and I often just pick them up without even looking at the author's name!) and I failed to acknowledge the nationality of these men until about half way through, as I read this -
'We Germans fear God and no one else in the world' (59)
I know that sounds ridiculous. I mean, I should've picked it up from the names and the places they constantly discuss, but I think that it also highlights a crucial point that Remarque was trying to make in his novel - that the trench life experience was the same for everyone, irrespective of nationality. His portrayal of the 'everyman' soldier is what makes his novel so accessible. Once I'd realised it was from a German perspective, I expected to feel differently about the characters, but I didn't. At all. And I think the reason for this is that they are all depicted as ordinary men, who don't want to be at war and who are fighting for the sole purpose to survive:
'Kropp...reckons that all declarations of war ought to be made into a kind of
festival...[where] the ministers and generals of the two countries would have
to come into the ring, wearing boxer shorts, and armed with rubber truncheons
and have a go at each other. Whoever is left on his feet, his country is declared
the winner. That would be simpler and fairer that things are out here, where
the wrong people are fighting each other' (29)
The novel is filled with questions surrounding the futility of war. Which is exactly why it was banned in Germany by the Nazi Party, forcing Remarque to flee to America before the outbreak of WWII.
If you're expecting a novel filled with heroic conquests and constant action, then this probably isn't the war narrative for you. But if you want a realistic portrayal of trench warfare mingled with the mundane and insignificant life of a soldier, then this is an excellent representation of both. It's a real eye opener and, although I won't give away the ending, it is one that I will always remember.
Let me know if you get a chance to read it - I'd love to know what you thought!
Love Alice x
Just before I sign off, I thought I'd add this clip of the final scene from Blackadder Goes Forth which is so funny yet exceptionally moving:
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