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Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front

Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front

Written by web.admin on . Posted in Paperback, Study Guides.

Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front

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Paperback edition of our study guide, on Erich Maria Remarques’s novel, provides an essential resource for students and teachers. The novel, which is renowned as one of the greatest anti-war novels ever written, offers excellent scope for inclusion in comparative work. Our Study Guide provides examples of how Remarque and other authors and poets of the First World War use different styles and devices within their stories and poems to demonstrate their thoughts and themes.

This Literature Study Guide comprises an in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summary of the main events which take place in this novel. These clear and concise notes are particularly useful for revision, refreshing a student’s knowledge and understanding of the story.

Essential to the comprehension and analysis of any novel, our Study Guide focuses on the characters of Paul Bäumer, Katczinsky, Kropp, Himmelstoss and Kantorek, reflecting how the war and their experiences have an impact on their personalities.

Greatly valued by customers is our ‘Themes’ section. This chapter of the Guide explains the main themes of All Quiet on the Western Front. Topics covered are ‘Waste and Futility’, ‘Comradeship’, ‘Complacency at Home’ and ‘Horror of War’.

And, considered by many to be the key asset of our Notes, the ‘Comparisons’ section helps students compare and contrast various aspects of All Quiet on the Western Front with other popular literature of the First World War. This includes the poetry of Robert Nichols, E A Mackintosh, Isaac Rosenberg and Wilfred Owen, the play Journey’s End by R C Sherriff and the novels Strange Meeting by Susan Hill, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, Regeneration by Pat Barker and The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West.

A biography of Erich Maria Remarque, including his childhood, brief war experience and his life afterwards, is also included.

Useful suggestions for further reading are provided, with brief descriptions, for titles that we believe enhance one’s understanding of the novel.

Key Features

Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front

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Details

  • Writer

    W Lawrance

  • ISBN

    978-1-910603-0-79

  • Format

    Paperback

  • Extent

    84pp

  • Published Date

    30 November 2014

  • Edition

    Second

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The Schlieffen Plan

The Final Straw

Written by Lawrance, W on . Posted in Featured Posts, History.

Germany’s plan to quickly win the war in the West, before turning her full attention to the Eastern Front, known as the Schlieffen Plan, essentially involved a speedy attack through neutral Belgium and into Northern France. It was then anticipated that the German army would encircle Paris and turn back on itself, trapping the French army on the border between France and Germany. The final straw, however, came with the German invasion of Belgium – a country whose neutrality Great Britain had sworn to protect. Therefore, on 4th August 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany.

Right until the last minute, the Germans had doubted that Britain really would defend Belgium, but in this instance it was not just a matter of British pride, but also a desire to teach the Germans a lesson. The general populations of each country firmly believed that they had right (and in most cases, God) on their side, so civilian support was strong. Most agitators abandoned, or suspended their campaigns until the end of the conflict, so while war was breaking out all over Europe, internally, many countries were more at peace than they had been for years.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie

Detonation

Written by Lawrance, W on . Posted in Featured Posts, History.

On 28th June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie were assassinated during a state visit to Sarajevo. Their murderer, Gavrilo Princip, although born in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, was also a Serb. Austria-Hungary, therefore, used the assassination as an excuse to issue the Serbian government with a demand that a full investigation should be carried out. Serbia denied responsibility for the assassination and refused to comply. Austria-Hungary, keen to dispose of the perceived Serbian threat once and for all, then approached her ally, Germany, to seek support. Germany, in fact, offered a ‘blank cheque’, stating that she would back her neighbour in any action against Serbia. Both countries knew that Russia would support the Serbs, so a show of joint strength was essential.

Austria-Hungary then issued the Serbian government with a series of demands, knowing that some of these would be unacceptable. Serbia, having received support from Russia, rejected the ultimatum. On 28th July 1914, Austria-Hungary, therefore, took the next step and declared war on Serbia. From this moment on, events began to move on quickly. Russia announced the mobilisation of her vast army, forcing Germany, who regarded this as a direct threat against her ally, to declare war on Russia on 1st August. France, bound by its treaty with Russia, was also drawn into the conflict.