Mobilising the Nation The Comic Revue in Wartime

This chapter explores how popular entertainment during the First World War played a crucial role in shaping an ideology that contrasted national duty with individual honor and portrayed military service as a mark of valor and desirability. It highlights the role of gender roles in this narrative, where women were depicted either as rewards for the men who fought or as victims of enemy brutality. Through revues like By Jingo If We Do, where the male protagonist is both desired for his uniform and depicted as a heroic savior, the entertainment of the era reinforced these themes. However, the chapter argues that while such performances appear to propagate blunt patriotism, they also possess a layer of satire that offers a more nuanced interpretation. Through comedic and satirical elements, these revues allowed audiences to engage with the exaggerated characters and scenarios while simultaneously acknowledging the realities of war. This duality provided a form of relief and recreation, addressing wartime anxieties without undermining support for the war effort, and instead, subtly promoting it. The chapter ultimately demonstrates the polysemic nature of wartime popular entertainment, showing its capacity to be understood in multiple ways and to resonate with audiences on different levels.