W. G. Sebald's writing has been widely recognized for its intense,
nuanced engagement with the Holocaust, the Allied bombing of Germany in
WWII, and other episodes of violence throughout history. Through his
inventive use of narrative form and juxtaposition of image and text,
Sebald's work has offered readers new ways to think about remembering
and representing trauma.
In Sebald's Vision, Carol Jacobs examines the author's prose, novels,
and poems, illuminating the ethical and aesthetic questions that shaped
his remarkable oeuvre. Through the trope of "vision," Jacobs explores
aspects of Sebald's writing and the way the author's indirect depiction
of events highlights the ethical imperative of representing history
while at the same time calling into question the possibility of such
representation.
Jacobs's lucid readings of Sebald's work also consider his famous
juxtaposition of images and use of citations to explain his interest in
the vagaries of perception. Isolating different ideas of vision in some
of his most noted works, including Rings of Saturn, Austerlitz, and
After Nature, as well as in Sebald's interviews, poetry, art
criticism, and his lecture Air War and Literature, Jacobs introduces
new perspectives for understanding the distinctiveness of Sebald's work
and its profound moral implications.
