Some Variations of the Return's Theme in the Literature of the Great War

The return of the soldier is a crucial aspect of the war experience and appears in the literature of WWI in a variety of forms. Literary representations most frequently focus on the soldier's return to his home during a leave or at the end of the conflict, but there are also situations in which soldiers (or former soldiers) return to the place where they have fought. The impact with such environment instigates various reactions, first and foremost the (often bitter) reckoning with the changes caused by the passing of time, which are at odds with the images preserved in memory.