The unique anxieties experienced by married couples remain under-examined aspects of both the First World War and the early twentieth century. Drawing on the writings of four upper-middle-class couples, this article reveals the complex ways in which couples sought to maintain intimacy across transnational time and space during the war. The author argues that, elements of modern marriage were clearly present in these relationships. Wartime separation gave couples space to develop new forms of intimacy and affection. Through creative, often abstract, alternatives developed to affect a sense of presence, spouses were able to know, embody, and imagine one another. While separated couples frequently desired and imagined physical reunion, its fleeting nature was emotionally wearing and often undermined intimacy and togetherness in immediate and long-lasting ways. Exploring the subjective experiences of these couples challenges the tendency to periodize marriage in distinct categories such as patriarchal or companionate, and also invites us to reframe our understanding of the spatial dimensions of separation and intimacy.

已婚夫妇所经历的独特焦虑在第一次世界大战和 20 世纪初仍然未被充分研究。本文借鉴四对中上阶层夫妇的著作，揭示了战争期间夫妻寻求跨越跨国时空保持亲密关系的复杂方式。作者认为，现代婚姻的元素显然存在于这些关系中。战时分离为夫妻提供了发展新形式的亲密和感情的空间。通过创造性的、通常是抽象的、为影响存在感而开发的替代方案，配偶们能够了解、体现和想象彼此。虽然分居的夫妻经常渴望和想象身体重聚，它转瞬即逝的性质在情感上令人厌烦，并且经常以直接和持久的方式破坏亲密和团结。探索这些夫妻的主观经历挑战了将婚姻划分为不同类别（如父权或伴侣）的趋势，也邀请我们重新构建我们对分离和亲密空间维度的理解。