Monstrous and Uncanny in Hotels: On the Dysfunction of Architecture in W. G. Sebald’s The Emigrants and The Rings of Saturn

Abstract

The literary works of W. G. Sebald, namely, The Emigrants and The Rings of Saturn, possess biographical and historical undertones while incorporating fictional elements. These works feature an unnamed first-person narrator who embarks on journeys, encountering remnants of the past and interacting with various characters along the way. These literary works feature an amalgamation of various genres, such as travelogue, diary, and narrative. This article aims to investigate the uncanny and monstrous sensations evoked by the hotels depicted in Sebald’s works. The argument contends that the hotel space’s representation cultivates an uncanny perception. Drawing upon Vilém Flusser’s concept of “unfaithful things” and Sigmund Freud’s elucidation of the uncanny, the dilapidated hotels are construed as epiphanic locations. Its pre-World War II and pre-Holocaust hotel guests take on an apparition-like quality, allowing them to communicate with the narrator. Consequently, the narrator is captivated by the tales of the hotels, which are characterized by both prosperity and decline. The narratology of space engenders a distinct aesthetic, compelling the narrator to ruminate on the various ruins and seemingly useless objects, while unleashing an internal critical force. Through interwoven narrative threads that encompass travel experiences, the Holocaust, and mythology, the representation of space establishes a novel surrealist realm of significance. As a result, the disenchanted social space appears enchanted once again, thereby challenging the myth of technologically systematized, perfected, and accomplished progress through its deterioration. This decay serves as Sebald’s critique of civilization.

Keywords

• w. g. sebald
• uncanny
• thinghood
• spatial narratology
• civilization critique