Crise de la masculinité et fluidification des oppositions de genre à travers deux récits français de la Grande Guerre

The identification between the soldier and the nation goes back as far as the concept of the nation itself and manliness has always been considered one of the main qualities of the soldier. However, in the French WWI narratives that were published in the inter-war period, soldiers are portrayed not only as dehumanized, but also as emasculated because of the dynamics of modern conflicts. This radical metamorphosis goes hand in hand with the devaluation of both patriotic ideals and the sense of national belonging. Some examples drawn from Barbusse’s Le Feu (1916) and Gabriel Chevallier’s The Fear (1930) provide a framework that can be extended to most of the WWI narratives that were published during the same period. This overview is completed by a final reflection, devoted to the nature of this particular social group of emasculated soldiers. Rather than a feminization of the male group, we can recognize a fluidification of gender oppositions.