All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

• Genre: Fiction; historical
• Originally Published: 1928
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 830L; grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 12 chapters; approximately 304 pages; approximately 7 hours on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story is centered around Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier fighting in the trenches during World War I. Bäumer and his comrades must grapple with the horror and disillusionment of war, the struggle for survival, and the haunting specter of their own mortality.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic war violence; depictions of physical and psychological trauma; themes of death and despair; some scenes of self-harm and suicidal ideation/gesture

Erich Maria Remarque, Author

• Bio: 1898-1970; German novelist; work marked by a profound understanding of the human impact of war; fled Germany after his work was banned by the Nazi regime; became a naturalized citizen of the United States; novels remain a powerful commentary on war and its aftermath
• Other Works: The Road Back (1931); Arch of Triumph (1945); The Black Obelisk (1956)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Devastation of Trench Warfare
• The Hypocrisy of War
• Dehumanization as a Means of Survival

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the role that literature, specifically poetry, played in expressing the complexities and trauma of World War I.