Breaking down a Chapter of Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, paragraph by paragraph - this serves to show the subject of the paragraph and the sweeping contents, the nature by which Sebald expertly (or in some cases, inexpertly) crosses from one time or topic to another. In so producing this text it should be possible for you the reader to work out 1) how Psycho-geography is manifested (the change between Sebald and Conrad or Casement as subject in the text), and 2) how relatively easy it is to jump topics simply by shoe-horning in one topic on top of another (though you still need to read the chapter itself to really appreciate it)
Observations of the text:
- Paragraphs run on for pages, covering multiple topics
- Quotations exist within the main paragraphs. Not delineated by quotes, or on separate line – so that the reader feels almost as if Sebald is still speaking (which, of course, he is – through his research). At some points backtracking is required to ensure the reader knows who is currently speaking: Sebald or one of his topics
- October and April (especially) play a big role in the text – major events occur during these months – Autumn and Spring – Death and resurrection
- When references to Konrad are changed to Korzeniowski I became lost as to who he was (no longer the writer to be, but someone else). Lost in the text I became confused as to who he was and why any of what I was reading had any relevance. There were hints of Heart of Darkness, and I was sure that he was Joseph Conrad, but I couldn’t relate it midtext
- Opens and ends with Casement, but the majority is about Conrad – Casement becomes a subnote – Sebald is more interested in Congolese holocaust, and Casement’s his way in to that
- Description which accompanies Sebald’s sleep is the key to other moments of colour in the rest of the chapter – possibly true, but not really accurate.
- Sebald forgoes quotations because he wants everything to serve his purpose – theme and synchronicity. Reality and quoting wouldn’t allow this. So, by avoiding quotes he can put words in the mouths of the historical figures. This doesn’t distract from the facts – because much of what is covered (if not all) really did happen and that’s what’s important. Glossing up the text with these semi-fictitious anecdotes allows Sebald to avoid didactics while making clear the horror of the human race. When he fills in Conrad, he is doing what thousands of writers have down to people like Achilles – mythologizing. The big facts and the character remain the same.
- Pictures are sometimes irrelevant but like the made up anecdotes these fictional descriptions help provide hooks for the reader to keep them going
Sebald in Southwold
- BBC documentary about Casement (executed in 1916 for treason)
- Sebald sleeps through it and wakes only to remember its opening (Casement met Joseph Conrad in the
Sebald to reconstruct the documentary himself
Paragraph 2
Jozef Teodor Konrad and his parents (the Korzeniowskas) - 1861
- Russian revolt; Polish National Committee meetings (mid October)
- Konrad observes and initiated (end of October); his father (Apollo) arrested
- Military tribunal exiles Apollo to
- Apollo describes (in letter of 1863)
Paragraph 3
Konrad and his parents
- Konrad’s mother’s (Evelina) tuberculosis worsens in
- Authorities allow Evelina and Konrad a longer stay in
- Evelina on the day of departure (more dead than alive), neighbours looking on
- *Slips into present tense with this paragraph: I didn’t realise until: “Not a single word is spoken”*
- Description of the carriage, and of Konrad inside; cousin’s finger tips (indicate horror)
- The governess, the leaving, district police, the commandant
Paragraph 4
Konrad and his parents
- *Back to past tense*
- (Early April 1865) Evelina dies; Apollo, a writer (as Konrad will become), can’t work – trying to translate Victor Hugo
- 1867 (days before Christmas) Apollo released from exile – poor and ill
- Travel to Lemberg, short stay, then
- Konrad’s patriotic play, and Apollo having burnt all his own manuscripts
- Description of burning – mention of ash like black silk
- Apollo’s death – waning away, witnessed by Konrad (reading adventure books)
Paragraph 5
Konrad
- Apollo’s funeral – silent cortege lead by Konrad (aged 11)
- Observation of the place and weather, and suggestion that Konrad decides to become a sea captain
- Three years later, Konrad expresses his wish to his uncle (Tadeusz)
- Tadeusz tries several things to stop Konrad
Konrad
- 1875 – he crosses the
- Narrowly avoids the eruption of
- Description of cargo and Konrad in
- Description of Mme Delestrang’s husband (a banker) and his shady involvements
- Konrad (here forth referred to as Korzeniowski) involved with a mysterious lady
- Lady (lacking true identiy in history texts), called Rita (perhaps also Paula) – mistress of Don Carlos (to be instated on Spanish throne)
- Nov 1877 – Don Carlos returns to
- Konrad avails himself upon the lady and shoots himself (Feb 1877) either attempted suicide or in a duel
- Some mention of Operas and what Konrad could have written but…
Paragraph 7
Konrad
- Konrad’s time in
- Konrad learns from the local papers
- List of news items from the time (Wigan mine explosion; Mohammedan uprising in Rumelia; suppression of kafir unrest in South Africa; education of fair sex suggestion; inspection of Indian troops; Whitby housemaid burns herself alive (accidentally); Largo Bay leaves with Scottish emigrants; lady suffers a stroke when her son returns home; Queen of Spain grows weak; Slaving coolies work on fortifying Hong Kong; highway robberies in Bosnia – travelling at a standstill
Paragraph 8
Konrad
- Feb 1890 – Konrad returns to aunt and uncle
- Description of arriving and boy (mute) – lots of deaths, boy survived, impeccable sense of direction
- Description of the place and weatheriness
Paragraph 9
Konrad
- Before 1890 (and going home) Konrad signs up for the
- He writes a letter to his aunt; description of unchanging coast
- The travelling; then description of the
Colonialism and The Opening of the
- King Leopold’s reach for the
- Leopold becomes (1885) ruler of the
- Disease and death for the labourers (Congolese slaves) 5,000,000 deaths in 10 years, but increase in share prices
Paragraph 10
Konrad
- Konrad’s arrival and travelling across land
- Description of Matadi
- Description of slave labour (as per Marlow from Heart of Darkness)
- Death, continued work, massive workloads
- Konrad’s further journey – despicable Harou (companion)
- Konrad’s guilt, and on the Roi des Belges
- Konrad’s sickness (body and spirit), and writing
- Konrad leaves the
- Loewy and
- Konrad arrives in
Sebald’s recollection
- *No paragraph change – narrator interjection*
- Dec 1964 – Sebald in
- Billiard player
- Hotel Bois de la Cambre and its African trophies
- Ugliness of the
- Emptiness of
- Meditation on truth of battle and the mountain of death
- At
- Listens to recount of battle in Flemish (only understand minute bits)
- Observation of the field, injuries, etc
Sebald
- In
Paragraph 11
Casement
- Awareness of Casement to
- Casement’s report against the horrors and inhumanity of the
- Leopold invites Casement to
- Casement praised for work but nothing done
- Casement transferred to
- Casement exposes similar horrors in
- Casement’s new report pisses off
- Casement next brings up the “Irish problem”
- Description of the Irish problem
- Casement raises up the Irish against the British
- Casement tries and fails to rally
- Casement arrested, advises the uprising of his failure but they go ahead
- Uprising fails and Casement tried (Black Diary brought up – homosexual slur used against him)
- Plausibility of Black Diary called into question
Sebald’s observation
- 1994 – Diaries proved to be in Casement’s hand
- Sebald suggests Casement’s homosexuality lent him sensitivity to all this horror
Casement
- Casement tried, found guilty and hanged
Sebald’s observation
- 1965 – Casement’s bones unburied from lime pit in Pentonville prison
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