Von der Handlung zur Haltung

Under the impact of the First World War, waiting had replaced fighting in an emphatic sense, had become a generational experience both in the field and at home, and had been transformed into a form of heroism involving perseverance and endurance. The accent had shifted away from heroism as an external deed; instead, it was interiorised and enthroned as an attitude. This study is dedicated to this new heroism as a guiding motto during the war, its critical consideration in the post-war period and its re-functionalisation as a strategy for coping with the present in the 1920s. Using the example of Western European theatre during both the war and the interwar period, it examines how such heroism was aesthetically conveyed, reflected and evaluated.