How does literature deal with the fact that catastrophes occur "just because"? Literature has been occupying itself with the contingency of catastrophic events for centuries. This book examines texts about "once-in-a-century catastrophes" and shows how literature illustrates the problem of contingency in relation to experiences of catastrophe, reports on established patterns of sensemaking, and ultimately develops its own ideas of sensemaking.

Autorentext

Juliane Blank, University of the Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany.