ABSTRACT
The characteristically modern condition expressed by Max Weber’s concept of ‘disenchantment’ – the lack of coherence or meaning in modern Western society – has become a staple of describing the spirit of the times in modernity. It has not gone uncontested, however. As Joshua Landy and Michael Saler (2009) suggest in their volume The Re-Enchantment of the World: Secular Magic in a Rational Age, contemporary culture seeks to fill a god-shaped void in various ways – predominantly as a positive exploration or presentation of alternative perspectives on being. In this chapter, I explore the engagement of literary works with traumatic events as a strategy for presenting forces that go beyond what can be explained by historical and political analysis. A sense of coherence stemming from trauma – what we might term ‘negative enchantment’ – is characteristic of a number of literary works that circulate broadly. I will also suggest that negative enchantment is important – crucial, in fact – for the international reception of certain works. International recognition has given these writers a political voice that is integral to their writings about traumatic episodes of recent history. After developing the basis of my thesis, I will turn to three contemporary examples of literature that connect trauma with enchantment: Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, Ben Okri’s Starbook, and Mo Yan’s Shifu, You’ll Do Anything for a Laugh.
