In Chapters I and II of his book “The Rings of Saturn”, George Sebald provides readers with an insight into the essence of his apparent mental inadequacy, which prompts the author to take lengthy tours along East Anglia’s seashore, in order to get masochistic pleasure out of associating his physical pain with what he refers to as “metaphysics of post-colonialism”. The author shows himself as a person who is being innerly split between his cultural heritage and his desire to deny the spiritual foundations, upon which this heritage is based.
Sebald indulges in lengthy contemplations on what represents the link between today’s reality and the events that had taken place in the past, and the fact that he grows to recognize this link, in its various emanations, causes Sebald to become afraid of surrounding reality: “Several times during the day I felt a desire to assure myself of a reality I feared had vanished forever by looking out of that hospital window” (Sebald, p. 3).
During the course of his walks in Chapters I and II, the author meditates on a variety of seemingly unrelated subjects and events, which help Sebald to come to terms with his existential frustration. For example, he mentions Samuel Peto’s “industrial enthusiasm” in conjunction with British colonial subjects in Africa being mercilessly exploited. He talks about George Wyndham’s idea of pacifying rebellions in India with the means to sending their hungry Irishmen, in order to make use out of Irish “mental destructiveness”.
Then, Sebald is being struck with the vision of a German town being set ablaze by British and American bombers, which author’s twisted way of thinking relates to the notion of so-called “historical guilt”, on the part of Germans. However, as Sebald proceeds with his walk, it dawns upon him that it is no longer appropriate to talk about Nazism as a historical phenomenon, but rather as something that naturally derives out of European mentality, which causes the author to feel even more pain from being unable to escape from the fact that he is German by birth. Thus, the reviewed Chapters in Sebald’s book can be best described within the context of the author coining up a philosophical justification for what he appears as being very good at – self-lynching.
In Chapters III, IV, V of “The Rings of Saturn”, Sebald’s walk enters its “visionary” phase, as the author seem to be capable of assigning a deep philosophical meaning to just about every grain of sand under his feet, as he continues to stroll along sandy beaches. The sheer scope of the author’s allusions, produced by his willingness to dig deep into his own subconsciousness, is truly amazing: “The natural history of herring”, “A great herd of swine”, The Battle of Sole Bay”, “The invisibility of man”, “The concentration camp at Jasenovac”, “The Heart of Darkness (referring to Conrad’s novel), “The panorama of Waterloo” etc. The unifying motif, that binds all these stories together, seems to only exist in Sebald’s mind.
However, it is still possible for us to define the main idea that is being promoted in these Chapters. Apparently, the author truly believes in the fact that the wickedness of White people runs in their blood. He does not state it explicitly, of course, but during the course of reading mentioned Chapters, people are being instilled with the elusive sensation of guilt for the deeds of their ancestors. “The Rings of Saturn” is not a book of comics, which is why it is highly improbable that the representatives of ethnic minorities would find it mentally stimulating. However, it is an entirely different story with people of European ancestry, who are being deprived of their existential vitality, just like the author himself.
The fact that, throughout Chapters III, IV, and V, the author utilizes a highly metaphorical language actually turns the process of reading into a very pleasurable experience. However, in this part of his book, Sebald reveals himself as a typical European intellectual, who is being deprived of the spiritual qualities that allowed his ancestors to build and maintain civilization. He is being utterly horrified by “pain”, while apparently being unaware of the classical saying “no pain, no gain”.
Chapters VI, VII, and VIII, in “The Rings of Saturn” can be referred to as “autobiographical”, because in this part of his book, the author tends to link his introspective on various historical events with his childhood experiences. In chapter VI, Sebald spends a great deal of time discussing Taiping Rebellion in China, which resulted in the deaths of close to 15 million people. The fact that rebellion was being put down by the Qing Government, with the aid of France and Britain, causes the author to suggest that European colonial practices should be referred to as “crime against humanity”. At the same time, Sebald does not provide us with the definition of what the term “humanity” stands for.
In chapter VII, the author talks about what prompted him to immigrate to Britain in 1964. Curiously enough, he refers to himself living in Britain, as being in exile. It appears that the reason why he decided to move to England is that everything in Germany reminded him of the “Nazi past”. While living close to Sonthofen Ordensburg, where SS officers used to undergo their training, Sebald had a hard time being in near proximity to what he refers to as “Nazi architecture”: “There were concerts, and you were dwarfed by the architecture of power-crazed minds” (Sebald, p. 170). Thus, it appears that the reason why Sebald had found himself living in “exile”, is because of his mental inadequacy, which resulted in him seeing “Nazis” everywhere he looked.
In Chapter VIII, the author begins to skip from subject to subject in a very irrational manner, which actually makes it very hard for us to define the Chapter’s main idea. It appears that the author is trying to reevaluate his childhood impressions, from the perspective of the mature individual, who is being committed to the promotion of the Liberal worldview. For example, in the sub-chapter “The entrepreneurial spirit and the cult of the pheasant”, Sebald talks about how he used to be getting rejected by girls he wanted to date. The author explains his dating failures as a result of him trying to act as a “macho man” a little too excessively. These experiences have led Sebald to conclude that having a reputation as a “macho man” cannot benefit anybody in principle.
In “The Rings of Saturn” concluding Chapters IX and X, Sebald gives in to perceptional pessimism, as he embarks on melancholic observation of surrounding reality, which prompts him to come to vague conclusions about the futility of life in general.
For example, when he observes Norwich silk-weaving worms, the author draws parallels between these worms and the people, who were able to create civilization, while remaining essentially invisible, in the historical sense of this word: “We are able to maintain ourselves on this Earth only by being harnessed to the machines we have invented” (Sebald, p. 270). While flying in a plane from Amsterdam to Norwich, the author suddenly realizes that people cannot be seen from the height of 10.000 kilometers: “There were no people, only the things they have made and in which they are hiding” (Sebald, p. 270).
After having enlightened people on the subject of their own invisibility, Sebald begins to sing his old song that people’s industriousness can be somehow related to Jews being turned into the heaps of ashes, during the course of WW2. The recurring theme of silk, as the symbol of human vitality, can be traced throughout Sebald’s book, but it is only in the final Chapters that we get to realize the importance, which the author attaches to his preoccupation with silkworms. Apparently, the author strives to convince us that the purposefulness of biological vitality, appears as having absolutely no sense when being observed at the closest point.
This betrays Sebald as a person who does not quite understand the essence of the concept of biological evolution. Moreover, given his pessimistic attitudes and his promotion of “historical guilt”, the author appears as someone who cannot be considered as part of such evolution. Therefore, we can say that close studying of “The Rings of Saturn” might represent a professional interest for psychologists who strive to find out what causes people to embark on denying their own biological essence, as a part of their pursuit to attain a “higher state of consciousness”.
Bibliography
Sebald, G. “The Rings of Saturn”. London: W.W. Norton, 1998.