But the question we have to ask ourselves is, why was the novel given that title in the first place. The novels epigraph and the ending sing the same tune. Take a look at the last two paragraphs of the book. See a complete list of the characters in all quiet on the western front and indepth analyses of paul baumer, kantorek, and corporal himmelstoss. Chapter one of all quiet on the western front is the dawn of the greatest war novel in history. Taglines plot summary synopsis plot keywords parents guide. This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death. All quiet on the western front is an antiwar novel told from the point of view of paul baumer, a german soldier in world war i.
Paul and his friends volunteered to join the army after being swept up by the patriotic speeches of their teacher. It will be the first time they have seen him since they gave him a beating, and they consider what they will say to him. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Free study guideall quiet on the western front by erich. The book describes the german soldiers extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front. Dead quiet on the western front going out on a high. The answers range from seeking out women, getting drunk, and. All quiet on the western front is considered to be one of the 100 best and most important novels ever written. The film all quiet on the western front was named after the novel it was based onwhich just happens to be titled all quiet on the western front. Paul baumer, a sensitive teenager, serves as central intelligence, the prototypical young infantryman whose youth is snatched away. By 1933 all quiet on the western front was being publicly burned by the nazis. Choose from 500 different sets of all quiet on the western front chapter 9 flashcards on quizlet.
We meet paul, tjaden, muller, albert and a few other young guys, all of whom volunteered to be soldiers and are just now beginning to question the wisdom of the. In the first chapter, the indepth scene description created by erich maria remarque virtually takes you back and drops you off in a time of war, conflict, and struggle. Before 1930, the academy gave two awards for a film as a whole, best picture, production and best picture, unique and artistic production. Erich maria remarque all quiet on the western front. Character analysis himmelstoss as a result, the tormentor is sent to the front to fight alongside the men he intimidated with his petty drills and sadistic punishments. The most loved and hated novel about world war i history. In many ways, the style and structure of all quiet on the western front reflects how world war i differed from previous wars with its use of trench warfare, rapidfire weapons, and nerve gases. All quiet on the western front by erich maria remarque. All quiet on the western front summary book reports. All quiet on the western front may have been the first runaway international bestseller, but its utter lack of progerman propaganda and honest, downbeat look at. All quiet on the western front summary, characters, analysis.
All quiet on the western front is a novel by erich maria remarque that was first published in 1929. Remarques all quiet on the western front, the fate of main character paul baumer relates remarques ultimate thoughts on war and how the soldiers view of war differs from others. Learn all quiet on the western front chapter 9 with free interactive flashcards. His first novel, all quiet on the western front, was published in germany in 1928. Killing the bugs one by one is too timeconsuming, so they have rigged up a contraption involving a tin lid and a candle. Pauls tone is established from the beginning of the novel as desensitized and jaded when conveying the horrors he and his platoon have endured. The phrase comes from the final passage of the book. An unquiet life erich maria remarque and all quiet on the. Life on the western front during world war one a dispassionate look at the numbers of the horrendous casualties sustained by the armies of the allies and the central powers on the western front in ww1, clearly indicate that these casualties figures are far inferior to what might be anticipated if, indeed, total war had reigned in every location, 24 hours a. All quiet on the western front all quiet on the western front could definitely be considered an antiwar novel the changes the characters in the novel subjected themselves to throughout the book allow the reader to view the negative effects soldiers went through during, as well as after the war. It was banned in australia until 1941, in france from the war. Get ready for one of the most searing, upsetting antiwar books youll ever read. All quiet on the western front book summaries, test.
The men are infected with lice from living in the squalor of the camp and trenches. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of all quiet on the western front and what it means. All quiet on the western front erich maria remarque. The record of several schoolmates who represent a generation destroyed by the dehumanization of world war is trench warfare, all quiet on the western front tells of their enlistment in the army at the urging of their teacher, kantorek, whose wisdom they trusted. Wheen fawcett crest this book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. When the novel begins, the second company of the german army has just returned to their camp after two weeks of fighting on the frontlines.
Propaganda minister joseph goebbels launched a smear campaign, ridiculing the book and questioning remarques war. After the publication of his forth novel, remarque moved to. The setting weaves back and forth between the warfront and the camp where baumer stays. Summary and analysis preface the author explains that he is merely trying to characterize his generation, the young men who fought the great war and who were destroyed by it. Before dying, muller gives paul his pocket book and his boots the very same boots that once belonged to kemmerich. The book was a success and remarque followed it with the road back in 1931. Paul and several of his friends from school joined the army voluntarily after listening to the stirring patriotic speeches of their teacher, kantorek. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in all quiet on the western front, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. All quiet on the western front is narrated by paul baumer, a young man of nineteen who fights in the german army on the french front in world war i. All quiet on the western front is the story of one young man fresh out of school who is sent to the front line with his classmates and must survive the horrors of war. It sold a million and a half copies its first year in print, and was translated into 29 languages. The book is about paul baumer, a young german man who had just finished school.
All quiet on the western front summary, characters. Through the hazardous years following the war he worked at many occupations. Chapter 1 five miles from the fron tlines, paul baumers unit in the german infantry, the. Remarque takes us away from the action long enough to introduce the characters and setting, produce the initial tone of the narrator, set in motion various themes to be illustrated shockingly, and string. This study guide consists of approximately 17 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of all quiet on the western front. He published all quiet on the western front around a decade later, and although the book was burned by the nazis in 1933 as an alleged betrayal of the german frontline soldier, its popularity grew such that it sold over 250,000 copies in a week. Then they begin a discussion about what they would do if peace were suddenly to occur. An antiwar novel set during world war i, it relies on remarques personal experience in the war to depict the eras broader disillusionment.
All quiet on the western front chapter 1 course hero. All quiet on the western front, novel by german writer erich maria remarque, published in 1929 as im westen nichts neues and in the united states as all quiet on the western front. It describes in vivid detail what life was like for the common soldiers during the war. A year after it appeared in vossiche zeitung, im westen nights neues appeared in english as all quiet on the western front.
Paul and many of his friends were convinced to join the army because of kantorek, who was their teacher. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. They are enjoying uncharacteristically plentiful food and an abundance of cigars and cigarettes. All quiet on the western front report, book reports, free. The book is an account of paul baumers experiences in battle and his. Remarques all quiet on the western front is a masterpiece. All quiet on the western front tells the story of paul baumer, a nineteenyearold school graduate who, along with his entire class, enlists in the military to fight for germany in world war i. Critique of erich maria remarques all quiet on the western front. I picked this book up a few days ago, having never read it, and having it found it for free on one of those take a book leave a book shelves. All quiet on the western front was the first film to win a best picture oscar. A maleconscious critique of erich maria remarques all quiet on. All quiet on the western front translated from the german by a.
I refer to it as a book because to call it a novel suggests something less horrific in terms of subject matter than. The boys attitude to war in all quiet on the western. Playing the man and not the ball, they accused him of being a. The novels protagonist is a german solider, which gives those on the opposing side a distinctive look into their enemys point of view. All quiet on the western front is set during world war i, behind the german frontlines where paul baumer is assigned. I refer to it as a book because to call it a novel suggests something less horrific in terms of subject matter than what we find in all quiet on the western front. All quiet on the western front is a novel set during world war i. After the publication of his forth novel, remarque moved to porto ronco, switzerland. The powerful conclusion of all quiet on the western front. The task remarque sets for himself suggests the heavy personal burden that consumed his private thoughts for a decade following his own departure from the western front. All quiet on the western front is told from the point of view of paul baumer, a young soldier of 19. Start studying all quiet on the western front chapters. A major reiterated theme of remarques novel all quiet on the western front focuses on b.
As the novel begins, he and his company are taking an afternoon rest five miles behind the front lines. Paul is both the narrator and the main character, and the book begins when pauls unit second company is at rest a few miles behind the front lines. All quiet on the western front is known as one of the literary masterpieces of the twentieth century. Written by erich maria remarque, the novel is a unique look at the reality of war, specifically trench warfare. The book is an account of paul baumers experiences in battle and his short career as a soldier, and it is primarily concerned with the effect of war on young men. Adorned with a twitching red mustache and aware that his role as drill instructor leaves him open to a vengeful shot in the back, he opens the way for insubordination by. All quiet on the western front is narrated by paul bumer, a young german soldier fighting in world war i. All quiet on the western front tv movie 1979 cast and crew credits. I have a deep interest in the first world war in particular and ive never read anything not even a poem that deals with war in such a way as this. All quiet on the western front erich maria remarque brian murdoch, the translator, has given us in his afterword an excellent starting point for discussing this book. A book on the war is readily exposed to criticism of a political character, but my work should not be so judged, for it was not political, neither.
As the men try to remove the lice from their bodies, they digest the news that himmelstoss has been sent to join them. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. This novel follows paul baumer and his classmates who all enlisted at 18 years of age, encouraged. All quiet on the western front was banned in italy until 1956. All quiet on the western front summary supersummary. A brilliant success, selling more than a million copies, it was the first of many literary triumphs. Nothing new in the west is a novel by erich maria remarque, a german veteran of world war i. All quiet on the western front by erich maria remarque is a 1929 novel about a young german man fighting in the trenches of world war i. In all quiet on the western front, remarque used his knowledge and memories of world war i to write a moving novel about a young soldier serving in the war. Book summary the record of several schoolmates who represent a generation destroyed by the dehumanization of world war is trench warfare, all quiet on the western front tells of their enlistment in the army at the urging of their teacher, kantorek, whose wisdom they trusted. Analysis the first chapter of all quiet on the western front sets the tone quietly for the violent and often gruesome story to follow. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Erich maria remarque, author of all quiet on the western front. After simultaneous literary and commercial success it was granted the most notorious of.
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