This Horrible Uncertainty
A German Woman Writes War, 1939-1948
Published on 1. September 2024
Book
Hardback
202 pages
978-1-80539-642-0 (ISBN)
Description
Through the diaries and personal papers of a German woman, Vera Conrad, this book documents her wartime experiences and deepens our understanding of the complex experiences of trauma and grief that National Socialist supporters experienced. Building on scholarship about mourning and widowhood that largely focuses on state policies and public discourses, This Horrible Uncertainty provides an interpretive framework of people's perceptions of events and their capacity to respond to them. Using a history of emotions approach, Erika Quinn establishes that keeping the diary allowed Conrad to develop different selves in response to her responsibilities, fear, and grief after her husband was declared missing in 1943.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Library binding
Illustrations
10 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
417 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80539-642-0 (9781805396420)
DOI
10.3167/9781805396420
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2024
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€24.49
Available for download
E-Book
09/2024
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Erika Quinn is a Professor Emerita of History at Eureka College. Her publications include Franz Liszt: A Story of Central European Subjectivity (Brill, 2014), and Animals, Machines, and AI: On Human and Non-Human Emotions in Modern German Cultural History (De Gruyter, 2021) (co-edited with Holly Yanacek), as well as numerous contributions regarding grief, diaries, literature, and women in wartime. She is currently pursuing a Clinical License in Social Work with a focus on historic and intergenerational trauma.
Content
List of Figures and Maps
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
Chapter 1. Women's Diaries and War: Form, Purpose, and Emotions
Chapter 2. "We Loved Each Other So Much" (1939-1943): Building a Life Together
Chapter 3. "We would be so happy if we could celebrate Christmas with your father": War comes to the Conrads
Part II
Chapter 4. "From now on this book will not be just for our kids, but rather first of all for you, dearest!": Becoming a Waiting Wife
Chapter 5. "Despite the war conditions everything at the farm keeps going": Stepping into New Responsibilities, 1944-1945
Part III
Chapter 6. "We were spared by a miracle," May 1944-January 1945: Bombing disrupts rural life
Chapter 7. "Sweetheart, I Don't Want to Fall into Their Hands," January 1945-June 1946: Defeat and Division
Chapter 8. Looking for Joachim, July 1945- May 1948: Waiting Wife
Conclusion: Afterlives
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
Chapter 1. Women's Diaries and War: Form, Purpose, and Emotions
Chapter 2. "We Loved Each Other So Much" (1939-1943): Building a Life Together
Chapter 3. "We would be so happy if we could celebrate Christmas with your father": War comes to the Conrads
Part II
Chapter 4. "From now on this book will not be just for our kids, but rather first of all for you, dearest!": Becoming a Waiting Wife
Chapter 5. "Despite the war conditions everything at the farm keeps going": Stepping into New Responsibilities, 1944-1945
Part III
Chapter 6. "We were spared by a miracle," May 1944-January 1945: Bombing disrupts rural life
Chapter 7. "Sweetheart, I Don't Want to Fall into Their Hands," January 1945-June 1946: Defeat and Division
Chapter 8. Looking for Joachim, July 1945- May 1948: Waiting Wife
Conclusion: Afterlives
Bibliography