Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning, and the First World War

by Jonathan Franklin William Vance

This text examines the myriad ways in which Canadians remembered and celebrated their participation in the Great War. Collectively these memories offered explanations and consolations to Canadians and instilled in them the hope that a new sense of national identity could be born out of war.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, War, World War I, Military History

319 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Emerson Stokes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, the Canadian dream… smashed in its youth, ridiculed in its dotage and replaced after death. The 19th century failed to make Canada and the 20th century failed to make Canadians.

I’ve had to read many a book or article on Canada for my university classes. The academic literature going from at least the 1990s-2010s have painted to me a view of the nation of Canada that can only be summarized by words like depression or loss. This is one such book.

Regardless of how far from the truth the “Great War Myth” was or how much its authors failed to realize its nation-building goals, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for their attempt at trying. It is better to have a shoddy narrative than no narrative at all, for a story with no plot has nothing else to build off of and will list like an abandoned ship in the sea until it capsizes because of its disrepair and instability. Right now, that’s what Canada feels like.

[Jordan Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic piece of literature that looks at myth and meaning making after the conclusion of what is probably the most brutal war of the twentieth century. The author discussing the First World War as something akin to a Holy War and a defense of Christendom was fascinating, especially when analyzed in a Canadian context. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Canadian history.

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vance delves into how Canadians remembered the First World War. It traces the multiple discourses, both Christian and secular, that shaped this national memory through an analysis of physical monuments and graves, holidays, symbols and phrases, and Canadian literature.

[Michael Primiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched perspective on ways of remembering Canada’s part in the war but I wish he delved into if certain stories/beliefs of people following the war were valid or not based on what happened in the war

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best history books I have read. I read this both out of general interest and in preparation for research I am doing on First World War commemorative place names. Vance presents a thought-provoking thesis on why a traumatized nation needed the creation of national myths and to memorialize the lost immediately after the First World. Grassroots, community-led efforts to create memorials combined with a federal government directed effort to use the war to strengthen the country. Amongst the most-provoking chapters is the one describing why so many immigrant populations and aboriginal people volunteered for service, hoping that a show of loyalty to the country would result in a the recognition for a more equitable society afterward – spoiler, it didn’t work. Published in the mid-1990s, the book is perhaps getting a bit dated. However, it is an excellent piece of scholarship and should be an essential source for anybody looking at Canada’s cultural development, First World War history and the psychology of grief and commemoration.

[AskHistorians]

It examines in a specifically Canadian context the many ways in which the war is now remembered. Vance is one of the best cultural historians going, at the moment, and this work has gained a substantial reputation Canadian historical circles.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! I had to read it for a History class but I didn't mind it in the least!