Reconciliation To One’s Fate: Irony, Humour and Stoicism as Coping Mechanisms in Erich Maria Remarque’s The Black Obelisk

Abstract

Reading the literature on Erich Maria Remarque’s works, it is noticeable that there is little scholarship on The Black Obelisk written in 1956. By close-reading the novel, the thesis analyses how in spite of the traumatic experience of the Great War, hyperinflation, high death tolls, and the rise of nationalism, the main character and his friends maintain a well-refined sense of humour and irony. Besides, it inspects the role of stoicism and argues that all three help the characters to deal with the aftermath of WWI. As results suggest, in addition to distance established by irony, humour, and stoicism, all three elements work as tools of symbolic resistance against the rise of fascism. A sense of criticism of fascism is found within the usage of the three key elements.