User:Sidoora

Literature played a large role in shaping the views of soldiers and civilians in the years post world war one.

Robert Graves: "Goodbye to All That." "Goodbye to All That" is an autobiography of Robert Graves, a British soldier who served as a lieutenant during the first world war. It contains insight as to a personal experience of the Battle of Loos and Battle of Somme. The contents are not patriotically induced and speak about real war tragedies. He was severely wounded and thought to be dead during the Somme offensive, on July 20, 1916, although he survived. This, and many more personal wounds contributed to his post war trauma, which got so difficult that he started being haunted by ghosts and nightmares. Also, there was insight as to atrocities on German POWs. Many were killed before making it to POW camps for a variety of reasons, such as revenge for dead relatives and jealousy that they were reaching safe places. This could have had the effect of changing people's perspectives about the patriotic nature of the war. On that, Graves mentions how any sentiment of patriotism was wiped out in the trenches, and gives mention to post war trauma. However, his works are more individually based rather than fact based which meant that the book may not be able to define all soldier experiences (it wasn't only about war, but also experiences prior to the war). Overall, this book inspires a new way of thought, by using an exaggerated and occasionally comic perspective to a serious event, although it is shown that Graves became more aware about the world around him and about what patriotism entails (an idea often discussed).

Erich Remarque: "All Quiet on the Western Front." The author, Erich, was born in Osnabruck, Germany 1898. He was drafted to the army in 1916 during the first world war, and was wounded by a shrapnel in the leg, arm, and neck (July 31, 1917) which was the end of his military career. He published the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" in 1929 which is about ordinary German soldiers on the front during WW1. It was a book that delved away from romanticism in war and focused on the violence and brutality of it, making it an antiwar text that recorded the daily horrors experienced in the war. Overall, this text was significant because it was a popularized text globally despite the fact that it was about German soldiers (the enemy). This text connected with soldiers in other nations who had experienced horrors through the duration of the war. It gave more insight and perspective as to the minds of german soldiers and humanized them in the eyes of some British and American citizens. However, the book was banned in nazi Germany during the first world war for being anti patriotic, which represented critical reception to the book. It faced nazi opposition and was often burned during this time period, prompting opposition from the author for this time period as well, furthering an anti war sentiment. Overall, the book resonates with a variety of soldiers however it contained a political undertone that nazi Germany did not approve of.

George Coppard: "With a Machine Gun to Cambrai." George Coppard was born in Brighton, United Kingdom 1898. At the start of the First World War, he lied about his age and decided to join the army. When in France, he became part of the machine gun squad and fought in the front line for most of the war. He published the book “With a Machine Gun to Cambrai” in 1969. The book is a memoir which talks about Coppards experiences in the war. The book is based off of the diaries Coppard kept during the war during the time he was serving in France. The book offers his personal perspective on the battles he fought in, including the battle of Somme, the battle of Loos, and the battle of Arras. His book is one of the only books written by a private soldier instead of an officer. It gives a clear and horrible image of life in the trenches. As a result, veterans were able to relate to the subject matter discussed in the book, which makes it more reliable in understanding how the daily life of soldiers was and the struggle they went through. Ordinary people were more able to understand the effects of the war and how it could lead to shell shock, a PTSD associated with WW1.