Remember that as a historian you must evaluate this fictional novel as a potential historical source. In his 1929 fictional novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque portrays young German (and other) soldiers as members of a “lost generation decimated physically and emotionally by the war.” How convincing does his argument sound? What specific evidence does the author use to support it? I need three specific pieces of evidence here or more. Please remember that you must answer these questions in your paper: can one view Remarque’s fictional novel as a historical source objectively portraying the impact of war on human life? How so? Please support your assessment with solid evidence. Does Remarque point to anyone as responsible for this generational loss? Can one see his claims as historically accurate? How so?
Your review should be full three pages, typed and double spaced (font Times New Roman, size up to 12, margins one inch, no extra spaces between paragraphs).
Short guide to writing reviews
A review is not a report. A report summarizes the contents of a source while a review provides its critical analysis. Before writing your review, think of the author’s agenda and arguments the author uses to support it. Remember that your role is to act as a historian whose role is to evaluate claims made by the author and to look at the document (or a book) as a potential historical source. What can one learn from this source about past and current societies?
Contents of a strong written review:
Your review should include a bibliographic citation which includes the author’s name, the work’s title, the place of publication, name of publisher, and date of publication.
Divide your review into three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion
In your introduction, provide some basic historical context for your paper making sure to relate it to the theme of the source you are reviewing. Follow with some information about the author. Think of the way the author tried to influence their contemporary audience. Identify the theme or thesis of the author’s work. Think of why the author write this work (agenda). Think of what did the author try to say and how did they do it (method). Identify subtopics in the work (arguments) that support its thesis?
In the body of your paper, explain how the author supports his/her thesis. Begin each body paragraph by presenting one specific argument the author uses and discuss the evidence (if any) they offer to support this argument. Does each argument/evidence/claim sound convincing or not? How so? Make sure to divide the body of your paper into paragraphs (one argument, one paragraph).
In your conclusion, bring back the author’s main point/s, and assess their validity. Try to identify the potential audience of the book/source and assess the author’s success in proving heir thesis. State the work’s relevance as a historical source.
Try to use present tense when working with the actual text (thesis, arguments, evidence, evaluation as a potential historical source); use past tense when providing some historical context or writing about the author’s life (introduction, conclusion).
Avoid repeating or contradicting yourself.
Make sure to introduce a person/character you are writing about for the first time. Use their full name (or last name).
Make sure that somebody who has not read the text will understand what you say and why you say it.
Use active voice unless using passive voice is unavoidable.
Cite all your quotations properly. Use only short, in text quotations (no more than two per body paragraph). Do not quote extensively.
Never use slang or contractions in formal papers.
Avoid using hyperbole.
Remember that “there” (location) and “their” (possession) are two different words.
Do not use “I” or “you” form in formal papers. Write “one” instead.