La Grande Guerre et ses héros : une diversité de figures et de postures

Abstract

This article focuses on the treatment of the First World War by Frenchspeaking writers, observing the relativity of the forms of “heroism” and the diversity of enunciative postures that this event has aroused. After a review of the way in which the war was recounted in literature throughout history, the focus is first on writings by direct witnesses, which allows us to contrast three figures of heroes: the valiant patriot, the pacifist rebel and the empathetic comrade. By considering the texts of writers born after the war, we see the development of a critical view both of the atrocities that the war generated and of the chauvinistic discourse that accompanied it. Finally, the study highlights the didactic challenges of such a study and outlines a number of guidelines that could be used in today’s French classes.