The terrible within the peaceful: Christoph Ransmayr’s Morbus Kitahara
The terrible within the peaceful: Christoph Ransmayr’s Morbus Kitahara
Author(s): Magdalena MühlböckSubject(s): Political Philosophy, Comparative Study of Literature, History and theory of sociology, Sociology of Culture, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: SAV - Slovenská akadémia vied - Ústav svetovej literatúry
Keywords: Christoph Ransmayr; Morbus Kitahara/The Dog King; Declaration of peace; Memory; Post-apocalyptic; War; Atomic bomb; Visualization
Summary/Abstract: Christoph Ransmayr’s Morbus Kitahara (1995; translated as The Dog King, 1997) tells the story of deconstruction, destruction, and despair in a world of eternal peace. The three protagonists Ambras, Bering, and Lily move through a post-apocalyptic landscape where they are constantly reminded of an unnamed past catastrophe and a past war. Despite their attempts to leave their generational guilt behind, the darkness of history catches up with them. This article analyzes how the novel addresses the protagonist’s mental and corporeal struggle for survival alongside its gloomy outlook on the prospect of globally enforced eternal peace. However, eternal peace is an ambigous concept and refers to a narrative of oppression in a postapocalyptic world.
Journal: World Literature Studies
- Issue Year: 16/2024
- Issue No: 4
- Page Range: 104-116
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English
