Writing, reading ... reconciliation? : the role of literature in post-apartheid South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Socially responsible writing has been a feature of South African literature for manyyears. Under apartheid, many novels dealt with apartheid, as it was one of the mainfeatures of our social landscape. The end of apartheid did not however bring about theend of a need for socially responsible writing. South Africa is still faced with manyproblems, one of which is reconciliation. This thesis investigates whetherreconciliation may have become a new theme in South African novels, and whetherthese novels could playa role in assisting the process of reconciliation in the country.For this purpose, three South African works are analysed, namely Country of MySkull by Antjie Krog, Smell of Apples by Mark Behr and Disgrace by J .M. Coetzee.The introduction attempts to explain the psychological discourse surroundingreconciliation, especially Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and parallels thatmay exists. The main body presents detailed readings of the three works, with thefocus being on the presentation of reconciliation in the works, and the role that theindividual works could play in assisting the reader in coming to terms with his or herfeelings of guilt.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University