Apocalyptic Futures This page intentionally left blank Apocalyptic Futures marked bodies and the violence of the text in kafka, conrad, and coetzee Russell Samolsky fordham university press New York 2011 this book is made possible by a collaborative grant from the andrew w. mellon foundation. ©2011 Fordham University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other— except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Fordham University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third- party Internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Fordham University Press also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Samolsky, Russell. Apocalyptic futures : marked bodies and the violence of the text in Kafka, Conrad, and Coetzee / Russell Samolsky. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8232-3479-0 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8232-3480-6 (pbk.) 1. Fiction—20th century—History and criticism. 2. Kafka, Franz, 1883–1924—Criticism and interpretation. 3. Conrad, Joseph, 1857–1924— Criticism and interpretation. 4. Coetzee, J. M., 1940—Criticism and interpretation. 5. Spiegelman, Art—Criticism and interpretation. 6. Ethics in literature. 7. Apocalyptic literature. 8. Prophecy in literature. 9. Violence in literature. 10. Mimesis in literature. I. Title. II. Title: Marked bodies and the violence of the text in Kafka, Conrad, and Coetzee. III. Title: Violence of the text in Kafka, Conrad, and Coetzee. PN3347.S26 2011 809.3'04—dc23 2011032058 Printed in the United States of America 131211 54321 First edition For Rita, with love and admiration This page intentionally left blank contents List of Figures viii Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Writing Violence: Marked Bodies and Retroactive Signs 1 1. Metaleptic Machines: Kafka, Kabbalah, Shoah 33 2. Apocalyptic Futures: Heart of Darkness, Embodiment, and African Genocide 64 3. The Body in Ruins: Torture, Allegory, and Materiality in J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians 123 Coda: The Time of Inscription: Maus and the Apocalypse of Number 177 Notes 211 Index 233 figures 1. The Thirteenth Book of the Dead, in which the publisher reads his own fate inscribed on the body of the sumo-wrestler sent to assassinate him 21 2. Leonard’s body tattooed with the injunction to kill. The license plate number that will establish John Gammell as his next victim is inscribed on his thigh 22 3. Time cover (August 1994) 75 4. Maus: Hitler did it! 184 5. Maus: Prisoner on the hell planet comic 187 6. Maus: Spiegelman at the drawing board 190 7. Maus: reading the number 198 acknowledgments Work on this book began at the University of Colorado, Boulder. It has been a number of years in the making and the path from the inception of the project to its becoming a book has taken me through many twists and turns. Some valued friends and col- leagues accompanied me along the way, and I want to express my gratitude to those who offered their help and to pass on my thanks to those who read this book in its various stages. I want first of all to thank Richard Halpern for kindly reading and commenting on my work. His belief in the merit of my writ- ing has always meant a great deal to me. Particular thanks are due to Sue Zemka not only for her readings and thoughts on the project but also for her intimate friendship. Eric White, Adeleke Adeeko, and Paul Gordon read and remarked on the earliest draft of this book. I wish also to acknowledge R. L. Widmann, who of- fered her support during my early years at the University of Colo- rado, and to thank Katheryn Rios for her friendship. For her sage advice on matters professional, I owe thanks to Katherine Eggert. I would like further to acknowledge a number of people who have in their various ways played important parts in my life dur- ing the course of the composition of this book: Rohan Quince for early imparting an appreciation for the powers of literature. Our friendship has been long and abiding. Christopher Brown for his encouragement at a moment when it was needed. Dirk Aardsma, who followed and encouraged the progress of this book from its