W. G. Sebald: A Critical Companion

by J.J. Long (Editor), Anne Whitehead (Editor)

To examine Sebald's explorations of history, memory and culture, Long (German, U. of Durham) and Whitehead (contemporary literature and theory, U. of Newcastle upon Tyne) have assembled critical essays that match the complexity and inventiveness of Sebald's writing. The essays represent a wide range of critical approaches, such as trauma studies, psychoanalysis, text-image studies and ecocriticism. The introductory chapters situate Sebald in his historical and critical contexts. The remaining essays address his work through the themes of nature, travel, intertextuality and memory. The text includes a chronology of Sebald's life and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Genres: Literary Criticism

239 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2004

Reviews

[Elena Sala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sebald's work is situated at the confluence of numerous discourses, contexts and debates. His work is quite complex: to begin with, it is steeped in psychoanalytical thought and the discourse of trauma theory. Also, intertextuality and the discourse of memory play an important part.
Although his books have found a large popular readership across Europe and America, it seems that many readers fail to recognize that they were written in response to very specific German concerns. For these reasons (and many more) I believe this book will be a useful companion to those readers who want to gain a better understanding of Sebald's work.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became interested in this book after reading Sebald's Vertigo. I enjoyed the article on Vertigo in this book.