No Man's Land: Combat and Identity in World War I

by Eric J. Leed

Based on the firsthand accounts of German, French, British, and American front-line soldiers, No Man's Land examines how the first modern, industrialized war transformed the character of the men who participated in it. Ancient myths about war eroded in the trenches, where the relentless monotony and impotence of the solder's life was interrupted only by unpredictable moments of annihilation. Professor Leed looks at how the traumatic experience of combat itself and the wholesale shattering of the conventions and ethical codes of normal social life turned ordinary civilians into 'liminal men', men living beyond the limits of the accepted and the expected. He uses the concept of liminality to illuminate the central features of the war the separation from 'home': the experience of pollution, death, comradeship, and 'the uncanny': and the ambivalence of returning veterans about civilian society. In a final chapter Professor Leed assesses the long-term political impact of the front experience. He finds that the end of hostilities did not mean the end of the war experience as much as the beginning of a process by which that experience was framed, institutionalized, celebrated and relived in political action as well as in fiction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War I, European History, Politics, Military History

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1979

Reviews

[Paolo Nardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://speloncalibro.blogspot.it/2016...

[Hank Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book which completely transformed how I view military service in an industrial era, completely disillusioning me of the preconceived “benefits” I figured it could hold.

[Stephanie Larocque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read many of the books and memoirs referenced in this novel, it was an enjoyable experience to see them brought together in this well researched psychological analysis of the effects modern warfare had on soldiers. The scope of the novel – from the concept of identity and self-purpose to industrialized warfare and the machine power behind it – was masterfully written in a full-circle, seamless manner.

This would make for a compelling read to accompany any great WW1 literature, but is a perfect stand alone as well.

[Toby Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read - somehow reminiscent of the work of Ernest Becker in terms of the clarity, sweep and boldness of the project.

Brings home the axial quality of the Great War as an historical "moment" that transformed the population of the combatant nations not just demographically but psychologically. Really, after the Somme, Ypres, Paschendaele, consciousness would never be the same again. That sounds like a large claim - but it's true and we continue to suffer the consequences.