Uiteenlopende visies op diere in Marlene van Niekerk se Kaar (2013)

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This MA dissertation is focused on the various perceptions and representations of animals in Marlene van Niekerk's prize-winning anthology of verse Kaar (2012). The dissertation commences with an introduction that outlines the research design of the study followed by a theoretical chapter that gives an overview of the articulation between human animal studies and ecocriticism. Human animal studies constitue the theoretical development that provides the most suitable framework for a study of the poems by Van Niekerk devoted to animals. Specific attention is given to landscape and place in addition to insights from biomusicology that are relevant for a study of some of the animal poems in Kaar. The chapter about taxonomies and the challenge posed to hierarchies in Van Niekerk's anthology is illustrated in discussions of the poems 'Herfsmeditasie 1 and 'Etologie. These poems contain reflections by the poetic speaker about the place of humans (and non-human animals) within the greater natural environment in addition to the postcolonial context in South Africa. The third chapter is a study of six poems in Kaar devoted to birds and the fourth chapter explores musicality as a point of convergence for human and non-human animals. Here the poems 'Visioen, 'Brulpadda and 'Turdus merula receive particular attention. Musicality may also be a further attempt to understand both nature and human nature as it is a phenomenon that is shared by animals and humans alike. This statement bears out the argument offered by Derrida that humans are followers of nature. The conclusion reached by this study is that humans follow nature instead of assuming a position at the top of the hierarchy governing life on earth. The distance between human and non-human animals is put to question and observations of the natural environment often leave the poet and readers with more questions than answers about nature. Questions about the essence of what it means to be human become pertinent at the same time.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University