Description
Book SynopsisWidely accepted at the time of the First World as a redemptive sacrifice on behalf of the nation, the soldier’s death is increasingly regarded as an unacceptable tragedy. Blending military history with the history of culture and mentalities, Dying for France shows how patriotic models of the soldier’s death have evolved over centuries.
Trade Review“Ian Germani convincingly and compellingly links military developments to concepts of culture, memory, and an explanation of what soldiers fought for and why they died – this is an important and necessary addition to the study of military history.” David A. Messenger, University of South Alabama and author of War and Public Memory: Case Studies in Twentieth-Century Europe
“Dying for France engages creatively with an impressively wide range of literature dealing not simply with the history of warfare but with five centuries of French political, social, and cultural history. Thoughtful, thought-provoking, and often moving, the book expands beyond an ostensibly narrow theme, the death of the soldier, to reflect upon a far wider range of developments in the historical study of French conflict.” Joseph Clarke, Trinity College Dublin and author of Commemorating the Dead in Revolutionary France: Revolution and Remembrance, 1789–1799
“A very impressive and ambitious project, Dying for France makes a distinctive contribution to the vibrant and expanding field of the cultural history of war.” Alan Forrest, University of York and author of The Death of the French Atlantic: Trade, War, and Slavery in the Age of Revolution
“This is an excellent work and will be appreciated by all historians and non-scholars due to Germani’s expansive research and clear and straightforward writing style.” Journal of Military History
“Readers will learn a great deal from the book about France’s wars, from the Renaissance and the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century through the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, WW I and WW II, and the wars of decolonization in the 20th century. Germani focuses not on battles, however, but on experience and representation. Recommended.” Choice
