Erotiek, geweld en die dood in 'n Gelyke kans van Jeanne Goosen

[摘要] The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between eroticism, violence and death as it occurs in Jeanne Goosen's short story collection, ' n Gelyke kans. The research is based upon the hypothesis that these stories express in a particular manner the transgressive role of eroticism in breaking through social conventions and barriers.As a possible framework for discussion reference is made in the first place to George Bataille's theories on the subversive nature of eroticism, Julia Kristeva's semiotic and pre-Oedipal theories, and Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the carnivalesque. Subsequently a reading strategy was designed by means of an in-depth analysis of ten stories from the collection in accordance with general formalistic principles.The conclusion is reached that Goosen with non-judgmental sympathy exposes man's inborn, continuous search for the illusion of perfect happiness. This state of bliss is sometimes achieved by the violent incorporation of the beloved/desired 'other, and the final outcome is a concomitant and inevitable decline into an unwholesome, destructive, and fatal erotic power play.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University