Moral Seascapes

New framework for the aesthetic representation of the sea.

We are no strangers today to visual representations of human suffering at sea: the refugee crisis that continues to play out in the seascape between Europe and Africa (and not only there) yields an ever-growing archive of humanitarian tragedy. As both a visual backdrop and a lethal medium of unequal mobility, maritime space and landscape play a significant role in mediating the ethical demands of this crisis. Yet, there has been little exploration of the longer history of morality’s role in our understanding of aesthetic representations of the sea. The diverse contributions in Moral Seascapes explore the various symbolic forms through which these shifting moral norms and values have been manifested, contributing to debates concerning the place of the sea in visual and literary cultures and the history of morality and emotion, as well as the emergence of modern subjectivity.

Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives such as visual culture, experimental art history, literary studies, history and philosophy, Moral Seascapes develops distinctive new insights into the relationship between the moral cultures of modernity and the image of the sea.

"Moral Seascapes" was written by Johannes von Müller, Rafael Jakob, Alexandra Heimes, Szilvia Gellai, Benno Wagner, Jörn Münkner, Chiara Giubilaro, Nora Weinelt and Hilde Van Gelder.

Hilde Van Gelder is professor of art history at KU Leuven.

"Moral Seascapes" was edited by Jonathan Stafford, Henning Trüper and Burkhardt Wolf.

Jonathan Stafford is a research fellow at the Leibniz Centre for Literary and Cultural Research. His research focuses on the history and visual culture of, and theoretical approaches to, the sea.

Henning Trüper is senior researcher at ZfL Berlin and associate professor of the history of ideas at Oslo University. His research concerns historical theory and the history of humanitarianism and moralities.

Burkhardt Wolf is professor of Modern German Literature, Media and Literary Theory at the University of Vienna. His recent research interests include the media history of administration and the poetics of affect.

Yes, "Moral Seascapes" is part of the "Lieven Gevaert Series" series. It's book 34 in the series.

Yes, "Moral Seascapes" is published Open Access. It is available under a BY-NC-ND license.

Publication of "Moral Seascapes" was funded by KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
.

Acknowledgements

Moral Seascapes: Introduction
Jonathan Stafford, Henning Trüper, and Burkhardt Wolf

Part 1: Iconographies of the Moral Seascape

Disaster of the Sea: The Dual Motif of Drowning and Fishing
Johannes von Müller

Placing the Moral Spectator: Realism, Perspective, and Affect in the Visual Culture of Shipwreck
Jonathan Stafford

Seascapes of the Drowned: Günther Uecker and the Iconography of the Dead of Shipwreck
Henning Trüper

Heinrich von Kleist’s Cosmopolitism and the Openness of the Sea
Rafael Jakob

Part 2: Literary Visions of Maritime Ethics

From Shipwreck as Theatre to Morality as Technique: Two Emblematic Scenarios (Descartes, Leibniz)
Alexandra Heimes

Scheerbart on the Beach: Visiting The Sea-Serpent
Szilvia Gellai

Lord Karl: Jumping Ship and Professional Ethics as Narrative Drivers in Conrad and Kafka
Benno Wagner

Ego Trip into Solitude: Christian Kortmann’s Novel Single-Handed Sailing
Jörn Münkner

Part 3: Approaching the Contemporary Refugee Crisis

Mediterranean Seascapes: Migrations, Photography, and the Haunted Spectator
Chiara Giubilaro

“The best word is the word you never said”: Perspective, Stance, and Silence in Davide Enia’s Appunti per un naufragio
Nora Weinelt

When Seascapes Collide: Visual and Vocal Contact in Kröger’s and Scheffner’s Havarie
Burkhardt Wolf

Thirty-Three Blueprints for the Right not to Drown
Hilde Van Gelder

Plates
About the Authors

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "Moral Seascapes" is 10.11116/9789461665928.