Pain, Trauma and The Need to Visualize

Intermediality in Jonathan Safran Foer’s "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" and W.G. Sebald’s "Austerlitz"

Trabajo/Tesis de Licenciatura , 2008 , 107 Páginas , Calificación: 1.5 (Schweizer Skala: 5.5)

Didáctica de la asignatura Inglés - Literatura, trabajos

W.G. Sebald and Jonathan Safran Foer stem from a different background in cultural, historical and local terms. Whereas Austerlitz is the last work of Sebald, which he finished shortly before his unexpected death, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is only Foer’s second novel, finished at the age of 27. However, both novels do not only both circle the subjects of trauma through war, the loss of parents by the hand of the enemy and the impact of memory. They also both use graphic representations as an autonomous layer in their narratives.
These graphic representations – photographs, maps, drawings, flip-book collections, etc. – are generally used in various ways to visualize meaning. The main protagonists, Austerlitz and Oskar, serve as both the collectors and creators of these representations within the narratives. As different as they are, both Austerlitz and Oskar, as well as Oskar’s grandparents, have suffered traumatic experiences by war and the loss of loved ones. The pictures that have been integrated in the narratives execute various functions on different levels along the way of their stories. On the intrafictional level, they act as visualizations of pain and trauma, proofs of existence and identity, evidence of history, media of documentation and verification, surrogates of experience and means of expression. On the extrafictional level, they serve not only as a means to carry on with the narrative on a visual level, but also as a reminder that pictures are always open to numerous interpretations and do not necessarily contribute to authentication, realization and truth as they are often perceived to do in everyday life. Rather, they give way to fictionalization, and to the construction of one’s very own version of an explanation, which can be either a way of coming to terms with received trauma or of impeded recovery. The aim of this thesis is, on one hand, to closely examine and compare the functions of images in both narratives, whether material or verbal, although the emphasis will be on photographs, and the way they interact with the written text. On the other hand, the thesis tries to educe the statements Sebald and Foer endeavor to make by pursuing intermedial strategies.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Introduction
• Theoretical Background
  • State of Research
  • Word and Image
    • Terminology
    • Mediality
    • The Nature of Text and Picture
  • Intermediality
    • The Concept of Intermediality
    • An Abstract of Intermediality in Literature
  • Photography
    • Terminology
    • The Nature of Photography
• Intermediality in Austerlitz and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  • The Use of pictures on the intrafictional Level
    • Memory and Identity
    • Evidence, Knowledge and Truth
    • Documenting and Preserving
    • Surrogating Experience
    • Communicating and Expressing Oneself
    • Conclusion
  • The Use of Pictures on the Extrafictional Level
    • Illustration
    • Narration and Plot Incentives
    • Authentication
      • Fictionalization of Photographs in Foer
      • Art vs. Documentary
      • Fictionalization of Photographs in Sebald
    • Reader Involvement
    • Text Substitution
      • Creation of Atmosphere
      • Omnipresence of Death and Suffering
      • Creation of Blind Fields
      • Pictures and Images of Buildings
      • Picture and Image Networks
    • Conclusion: Prompting Reflections on the Medium “Photography"
• Conclusion
• Works Cited
• Table of Figures
  • Fig. 1 The family of images according to Mitchell
  • Fig. 2 The leitdifference between word and picture
  • Fig. 3 Intermediality

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This Lizentiat paper aims to analyze the use of pictures as narrative elements in Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz. The paper examines the functions of images on both the intrafictional and extrafictional levels, exploring how they interact with the written text and contribute to the overall meaning of the narratives. The paper also aims to understand the statements Sebald and Foer make by employing intermedial strategies.

• The role of pictures in visualizing pain and trauma
• The use of images as evidence of existence, identity, and history
• The relationship between pictures and the concepts of documentation, verification, and truth
• The impact of images on reader involvement and interpretation
• The interplay between visual and textual elements in creating a multi-layered narrative experience

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The introduction sets the stage by introducing the two authors, their backgrounds, and their respective novels. It highlights the shared themes of trauma, loss, and memory, as well as the use of pictures as a central element in both narratives. The chapter also introduces the concept of iconotexts and outlines the paper's objectives.

The theoretical background chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the relevant concepts, including the state of research on intermediality, the nature of word and image, and the specific characteristics of photography. It establishes a theoretical framework for analyzing the use of pictures in the novels.

The chapter on intermediality in Austerlitz and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close delves into the specific functions of pictures within the narratives. It examines how images are used to visualize pain and trauma, provide evidence of identity and history, and serve as surrogates for experience. The chapter also explores the extrafictional implications of pictures, including their role in narration, authentication, and reader involvement.

The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the paper, highlighting the significance of intermediality in both novels. It emphasizes the complex relationship between pictures and text, and the ways in which images contribute to the overall meaning and impact of the narratives.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include intermediality, iconotexts, trauma, memory, identity, photography, visual narrative, literary analysis, Jonathan Safran Foer, W.G. Sebald, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Austerlitz, World War II, 9/11, and the relationship between word and image.

• Universidad: University of Bern (English Department)
• Calificación: 1.5 (Schweizer Skala: 5.5)
• Autor: Lic. phil. hist/master of arts Stephanie Pabst (Autor)
• Año de publicación: 2008
• Páginas: 107
• No. de catálogo: V151567
• ISBN (Ebook): 9783640636631
• ISBN (Libro): 9783640636914
• Idioma: Inglés
• Etiqueta: Sebald, Foer, Intermediality, Photography, Trauma, World War II, 9/11