Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Erika Quinn
Publisher:   Berghahn Books
Imprint:   Berghahn Books
ISBN:  

9781805396420

ISBN 10:   1805396420
Pages:   202
Publication Date:   01 September 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

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

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Author Information

Erika Quinn is a Professor 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.

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