Abstract: Having denounced the spirit of revenge and the use of the notion of homeland in “Le joujou patriotisme” (1891), at a time when the defeat of 1870 weighed heavily on people’s minds, the first years of the conflict (1914–1915) were profoundly shocking for Remy de Gourmont. No more a warmonger than a pacifist, Gourmont reacted to the events proportionately: “the hour has come to defend.” However, his thinking evolved over time.
