N Ondersoek Na Aanleiding Van Die Romans Van Deon Meyer

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N Ondersoek Na Aanleiding Van Die Romans Van Deon Meyer Misdaadfiksie en die literêre kanon in Afrikaans: ’n Ondersoek na aanleiding van die romans van Deon Meyer deur NEIL VAN HEERDEN ’n Proefskrif voorgelê ter vervulling van die vereistes vir die graad PhD (Afrikaans) in die Departement Afrikaans Fakulteit Geesteswetenskappe Universiteit van Pretoria Promotor: PROF. W.D. BURGER Augustus 2017 Crime fiction and the literary canon in Afrikaans: A study of the novels by Deon Meyer by NEIL VAN HEERDEN A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree PhD (Afrikaans) in the Department of Afrikaans Faculty of Humanities University of Pretoria Supervisor: PROF. W.D. BURGER August 2017 ii Verklaring Ek verklaar dat hierdie proefskrif my eie oorspronklike werk is. Waar sekondêre materiaal gebruik is, is dit noukeurig erken en aangedui in ooreenstemming met universiteitsvereistes. Ek verstaan wat plagiaat beteken en is bewus van die universiteit se beleid en implikasies in hierdie verband. Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own original work. Where secondary material is used, this has been carefully acknowledged and referenced in accordance with university requirements. I understand what plagiarism is and am aware of university policy and implications in this regard. N. van Heerden ........................................................ HANDTEKENING/SIGNATURE ......................................................... DATUM/DATE iii Erkennings By die voltooiing van hierdie proefskrif wil ek graag my opregte dank en waardering teenoor die volgende persone uitspreek: . my promotor, Willie Burger, vir goeie mentorskap en goeie koffie; . die NRF en die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, vir finansiële steun; . Dineke Ehlers, vir professionele teksredigering; . my kollegas by UP en Unisa onderskeidelik, vir stimulerende gesprek en die geleentheid om te studeer terwyl ek my brood en botter verdien; . Dawita, my ou klasmaat, vir humor en aanmoediging; . my vriende, gereeld afgeskeep, dikwels in die war oor waarmee ek my besig hou, maar altyd met dien verstande dat dit vir my belangrik is; . my familie, en in die besonder Alana, Jan-Hendrik, Hein, Euodia en die Von Bratts, vir volgehoue ondersteuning; . Tanith, vir skynbaar eindelose geduld en liefde; . my ma, in memoriam, aan wie hierdie studie opgedra word. iv Opsomming ’n Onlangse opbloei in Suid-Afrikaanse misdaadfiksie, tesame met bewerings dat postapartheid misdaadfiksie die grense tussen sogenaamde “hoë” en “lae” literatuur oorbrug, vestig opnuut die aandag op die tradisioneel problematiese verhouding tussen misdaadfiksie en die literêre kanon. In hierdie proefskrif word dié problematiese verhouding ondersoek deur spesifiek aandag te skenk aan die kanoniseringsprosesse rondom die werk van een populêre misdaadfiksieskrywer in Afrikaans, Deon Meyer. Definisies van die literêre kanon en die gepaardgaande in- en uitsluitingsmeganismes wat kanonisering in die Afrikaanse literatuur beïnvloed, word eerstens teoreties uiteengesit. Daarna word verskeie subsisteme binne die Afrikaanse literêre sisteem ondersoek ten einde Meyer se status ten opsigte van die literêre kanon te probeer peil. Omrede hy dikwels as populêre skrywer getipeer word, is probleme rondom die kategorie “populêre fiksie” in ’n volgende hoofstuk verder gevoer. ’n Historiese oorsig van die ontwikkeling van misdaadfiksie word dan verskaf, met uiteensettings van die vernaamste subgenres van misdaadfiksie waarmee Deon Meyer kreatief omgaan. Probleme met genreklassifikasies en terminologie word ook kortliks aangeroer. Vervolgens word Meyer se romans ontleed as voorbeelde van wat Cawelti (1976) “formuleliteratuur” noem ten einde vas te stel in hoe ’n mate Meyer se werk aan die konvensionele verwagtinge vir misdaadfiksie voldoen en/of daarvan afwyk. Sodoende word aangetoon hoedat Deon Meyer se misdaadfiksie enige eenvoudige onderskeid tussen “populêre” en “literêre” fiksie ondergrawe, en dat tradisionele definisies van die literêre kanon daardeur uitgedaag word. v Sleutelwoorde Deon Meyer, misdaadfiksie, die literêre kanon, Suid-Afrikaanse misdaadfiksie, Afrikaanse letterkunde, kanonisering, sisteemteorie, hardgebakte speurverhaal, polisieroman, spanningsverhaal, genrefiksie, populêre fiksie, formuleliteratuur, mimetiese literatuur, sosiale kommentaar, betrokke literatuur vi Summary In the wake of a recent boom in South African crime fiction, and recurrent claims that postapartheid crime novels dismantle the old boundaries between so-called “highbrow” and “lowbrow” literature, this thesis investigates the problematic relationship between crime fiction and the literary canon in Afrikaans. It does so by paying specific attention to the novels of Deon Meyer, a popular and widely translated contemporary Afrikaans crime fiction writer, and the canonisation processes affecting his status within the Afrikaans literary system. First, definitions of “the literary canon” and the accompanying mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion implicit in canon formation are discussed theoretically. Then, a number of subsystems are scrutinised (the publishing industry, media practices, translation, scholarship and literary history, literary prizes) in order to gauge Meyer’s relative position within the Afrikaans literary system. Because he is often categorised as a writer of “popular fiction”, problems related to the field of popular fiction are also thrashed out in a separate chapter. A brief historical overview of the development of crime fiction is then offered, as well as a basic typology with definitions of the most prominent crime fiction subgenres evident in Meyer’s work. Issues with genre classification and terminology are also raised. Deon Meyer’s novels are subsequently analysed as examples of what John Cawelti (1976) calls “formula literature” in an attempt to ascertain whether the novels are merely generic expressions of the crime fiction “formulae”, or rather texts that undermine conventional genre expectations. In doing so, the thesis highlights the significant ways in which Deon Meyer’s crime fiction collapses any simplistic distinction between the “popular” and the “literary”, thereby challenging traditional definitions of the literary canon. vii Key words Deon Meyer, crime fiction, the literary canon, South African crime fiction, Afrikaans literature, canonisation, system theory, hardboiled detective fiction, police novel, suspense fiction, genre fiction, popular fiction, formula literature, mimetic literature, social commentary, literary engagement viii Inhoudsopgawe Verklaring/Declaration .................................................................................................................. ii Erkennings........................................................................................................................................... iii Opsomming ......................................................................................................................................... iv Sleutelwoorde .................................................................................................................................... v Summary .............................................................................................................................................. vi Key terms ............................................................................................................................................. vii Inhoudsopgawe ................................................................................................................................. viii Hoofstuk 1: Inleiding 1 1.1 Misdaadfiksie en die kanon – ’n problematiese verhouding ............................ 2 1.2 “Hoë” kultuur ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Die “populêre wending” .................................................................................................. 3 1.4 Opbloei in Suid-Afrikaanse misdaadfiksie ............................................................... 4 1.5 Deon Meyer .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Vraagstelling en hipotese ............................................................................................... 6 1.7 Ontplooiing van die studie ............................................................................................. 7 Hoofstuk 2: Die literêre kanon 9 2.1 Inleiding ................................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.2 Kanonstudies .............................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Definisies van die literêre kanon .............................................................................. 11 2.2.1 “Literatuur met een hoofdletter L” .................................................................. 12 2.2.2 Bloom se vereistes vir kanonisiteit ................................................................. 13 2.3 Kanonvorming ................................................................................................................. 15 2.3.1 Mag en uitsluiting................................................................................................... 15 ix 2.3.2 Kanons is/as seleksies ......................................................................................... 16 2.3.3 Soorte kanons .........................................................................................................
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