The generation of 1914 / Robert Wohl.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wohl, Robert.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Youth--Europe--History.

Youth.

Conflict of generations.

World War, 1914-1918--Influence.

World War, 1914-1918.

Youth in literature.

Europe--Intellectual life--20th century.

Europe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 307 p., [28] p. of plates ) illustrations, portraits

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, 1979.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The generation of 1914 holds a special place in memory, affection, and myth. In this irresistible and moving book, Robert Wohl rescues it from the shadows of legend and brings it fully into the realm of understanding. He tells the story of the young men--the middle class elite of five European countries, France, Germany, England, Spain, and Italy, to recreate the generational consciousness that united them as well as the unique national experience that made them different. These were men born at the end of the nineteenth century when the world of reason was disintegrating into a world of irrationality. They were destined to rule but their lives were interrupted by the greatest of wars, leaving them searching for identity and historical continuity. Wohl recaptures this search through novels, poems, autobiographies, memoirs, sociological treatises, philosophical essays, university lectures, political speeches, conversations when recorded, letters, personal notebooks, and newspaper articles. His book is a brilliant study of European mentalities, both collective and individual. Probing behind ideas to find the experience that inspired them, Wohl illuminates in unexpected ways the origins of World War I and its impact on its participants. His exploration of the consciousness of generational unity and the power of the generational bond enables him to place in a novel context the spread of pessimism and despair, the waning of liberal and humanitarian values, the rise of Communist and Fascist movements, and the sudden eruption of violence in Europe's progressive countries between the two world wars.

Contents:

Introduction: In Search of the Lost Generation 1. France: The Young Men of Today 2. Germany: The Mission of the Young Generation 3. England: Lost Legions of Youth 4. Spain: The Theme of Our Time 5. Italy: Giovinezza! Giovinezza! 6. Wanderers between Two Worlds

Notes:

Transferred to digital printing.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674045309

0674045300

OCLC:

923110582