The Great Adventure: Male Desire and the Coming of World War I

by Michael C.C. Adams

In 1914 Europe descended into a slaughter unlike anything that had beenseen before. Yet, far from seeing the conflict as a tragedy, many men welcomed it asa healthy development for society, a relief from peace. The Great Adventure exploresthe intellectual trends that made war seem a natural and high expression of socialvalues. This is not a book about the specific causes of World War I, but a study ofthe mood in which it could take place.

What the book uncovers isa complex of deeply ingrained attitudes about manhood, sex, power, maturity, boredom, and war that defined a culture in which war came to be seen as a positiveoption. Although the book focuses on attitudes in Great Britain and the UnitedStates of nearly a century ago, it makes a remarkably contemporary statement aboutmen, women, and the culture of war., reviewing a previous edition orvolume

188 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1990