Madelon and the Men--In War and Memory
1992; Duke University Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/286840
ISSN1527-5493
Autores Tópico(s)World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
ResumoOne French song of the era of the First World War stands out as the hit of the war and long remained in popular memory as such: the musichall march entitled Quand Madelon. It became for French soldiers an identifying theme song, as It's a Long Way to Tipperary was for British infantrymen and Over There was for the Americans. During the war soldiers and their entertainers sang it on or near the front. Civilians heard it and sang it in music-halls behind the lines. Recent research on the common soldier-the poilu-and on civilians has added much to our knowledge of daily life during the war, but it has not addressed a number of historical questions which still surround that celebrated song.' Why and when did it become popular? And what did it mean to soldiers and civilians? Answers to those questions are to be proposed here not as mere details about a song, but as a contribution to the understanding of French mentalities and culture of the wartime era. In
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