J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship
Jane Poyner J. M. COETZEE AND THE PARADOX OF POSTCOLONIAL AUTHORSHIP For Mehdi and my mother J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship
JANE POYNER University of Exeter, UK © Jane Poyner 2009
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Poyner, Jane. J. M. Coetzee and the paradox of postcolonial authorship. 1. Coetzee, J. M., 1940– – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Postcolonialism in literature. 3. Politics and literature – South Africa – History – 20th century. 4. South Africa – In literature. I. Title 823.9’14–dc22
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Poyner, Jane. J. M. Coetzee and the paradox of postcolonial authorship / Jane Poyner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ,6%1 DONSDSHU 1. Coetzee, J. M., 1940 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Coetzee, J. M., 1940 – Characters – Authors. 3. Authorship in literature. 4. Postcolonialism in literature. 5. South Africa – In OLWHUDWXUH1DUUDWLRQ 5KHWRULF ±+LVWRU\±WKFHQWXU\,7LWOH PR9369.3.C58Z873 2009 823’.914–dc22 2009011742
,6%1 KEN ,6%1 HEN.V Contents
Abbreviations vii Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: Positioning the Writer 1
1 ³)DWKHU0DNHV0HUU\ZLWK&KLOGUHQ´ 0DGQHVVDQG0\WKRORJ\LQ Dusklands 15
2 5HIXVLQJWR³ 3 Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 53 4 Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K: “Strategies in the 6HUYLFHRI6NHSWLFLVP´ 9 5 BRG\LQJ)RUWKWKH2WKHU )ULGD\DQGWKH³'LVFXUVLYH6LWXDWLRQ´LQ Foe 91 6 WrLWLQJ LQ WKH )DFH RI 'HDWK ³)DOVH (W\PRORJLHV´ DQG ³+RPH 7UXWKV´LQWKHAge of Iron 111 7 Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 129 8 Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 149 9 CoetzHH¶V$FWVRI*HQUHLQWKH/DWHU:RUNV Truth-telling, Fiction and the Public Intellectual 167 Works Cited 185 Index 199 This page has been left blank intentionally Abbreviations D Dusklands. 1974. London: Vintage, 1998. HC In the Heart of the Country. 1977. London: Vintage, 1999. WB Waiting for the Barbarians. 1980. London: Minerva, 1997. MK Life & Times of Michael K. 1983. Middlesex: Penguin, 1985. F Foe. 1986. Middlesex: Penguin, 1987. WW White Writing: On the Culture of Letters in South Africa. London & New Haven: Yale University, 1988. 17 ³7KH1RYHO7RGD\´Upstream ± AI Age of Iron. 1990. London: Penguin, 1991. MP The Master of Petersburg. 1994. London: Minerva, 1995. DP Doubling the Point: Essays and Interviews. Ed. David Attwell. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard UP, 1992. GO Giving Offense: Essays on Censorship. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1996. B Boyhood: A Memoir. 1997. London: Vintage, 1998. DIS Disgrace. /RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ LA The Lives of Animals. Ed. and Intro. Amy Gutmann. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1999. SS Stranger Shores: Essays 1986–1999/RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ 2001. Y Youth/RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ EC Elizabeth Costello/RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ SM Slow Man1HZ 7KLVERRNZKLFKH[SORUHVZKDW,FDOOWKH³SDUDGR[RISRVWFRORQLDODXWKRUVKLS´LQ WKH¿FWLRQRIWKH6RXWK$IULFDQZULWHU-0&RHW]HHZRXOGQRWKDYHEHHQSRVVLEOH without the support of the following. My dear friend and mentor, Benita Parry, guided me through my apprenticeship as a doctoral researcher and has remained SHUVSLFDFLRXVLQKHUFULWLFLVPDQGZDUPLQKHUVXSSRUW/LNHZLVH1HLO/D]DUXV KDVEHHQDQLQVSLUDWLRQDQGNLQGO\UHDGVRPHRIWKHHDUO\YHUVLRQVRIWKHFKDSWHUV Other friends and colleagues who generously leant their critical eye to parts of this ERRNRUWRZRUNWKDWIHGLQWRLWLQFOXGH0LFKDHO%HOO6DP'XUUDQW.DL(DVWRQ Regenia Gagnier, Rashmi Varma and Laura Wright. 7KDQNVJRWRWKHWKHQ$UWVDQG+XPDQLWLHV5HVHDUFK%RDUG QRZWKH$+5& which generously provided a full doctoral scholarship, and to the Department RI(QJOLVKDWWKH8QLYHUVLW\RI([HWHUIRUJUDQWLQJP\VDEEDWLFDOZKHQWKH¿QDO revisions were made. 7KDQN\RXWR$QQ'RQDKXHDW$VKJDWHIRUKHUVXSSRUWRIWKHSURMHFWDQGIRU her true professionalism. ,ZRXOGDOVROLNHWRWKDQNFROOHDJXHV QRZIULHQGV DW([HWHUZKRKHOSHGWRPDNH the transition to my new post all the easier, particularly: Julia Copus, Sally Flint, Jo Gill, Helen Hanson, Helen Taylor, Ana Vadillo and Helen Vassallo. Friends at P\$OPD0DWHUWKH8QLYHUVLW\RI:DUZLFNZLWKZKRP,VKDUHGWKHWULDOVDQGWKH thrills of an early research career, are too many to mention here but include Chris &DPSEHOO0DU\'HDQH6KDUDH'HFNDUG/XF\)UDQN3XPOD*TROD-LP*UDKDP Kerstin Oloff, Jenny Terry and Rashmi Varma. $VSHFLDOWKDQNVLVUHVHUYHGIRUP\IDPLO\IRUWKHLUODXJKWHUDQGWKHLUVXSSRUW Liz, John, Cliff, Jill, Cathy, Chris, Ewan, Grace, Esmé, Rory, John, Rach, Anna, ,VREHO-RH0DUN7HUHVD.HUU\-DFN2OOLH6DUDK(OODDQGQRWOHDVW*HRUJH $ERYHDOOWKDQN\RXWRP\GHDUPRWKHUZKRJUDFLRXVO\SURRIUHDGWKHERRNLQDOO its stages and to Mehdi, who weathered the process of my writing and unstintingly gave his moral support. Chapter 8 is a substantially revised version of the following essay, reproduced ZLWK WKH NLQG SHUPLVVLRQ RI Scrutiny2 and Unisa, South Africa: Jane Poyner, “Truth and Reconciliation in J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace´Scrutiny2 pp. 68–77. 7KDQNVWRWKH8QLWHG1DWLRQVIRUJUDQWLQJSHUPLVVLRQWRUHSURGXFHWKHFRYHU LPDJH³$VHJUHJDWHGEHDFKLQ6RXWK$IULFD ´ 813KRWR Jane Poyner. 3 July, 2009. This page has been left blank intentionally Introduction Positioning the Writer 7KDWKHZDVWKH1REHO/DXUHDWHLQ/LWHUDWXUHDQGWKH¿UVWQRYHOLVWWRZLQWKH %RRNHU3UL]HWZLFHZLWKLife & Times of Michael K in 1983 and Disgrace in 1999, DVZHOODVKDYLQJWKHJDPXWRIPDMRU6RXWK$IULFDQDQGLQWHUQDWLRQDOOLWHUDU\SUL]HV conferred upon him, has guaranteed J. M. Coetzee’s reputation as one of the most important writers living today.1 He is also one of South Africa’s most controversial. He was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe in Gold by the ANC-led government LQIRUKLV³H[FHSWLRQDOFRQWULEXWLRQLQWKH¿HOGRIOLWHUDWXUHDQGIRUSXWWLQJ 6RXWK$IULFDRQWKHZRUOGVWDJH´ 7KH3UHVLGHQF\QSDJ GHVSLWHWKHIDFWWKDWRQO\ a few years earlier his eighth novel Disgrace was presented by the African National &RQJUHVV $1& WR WKH 6RXWK $IULFDQ +XPDQ 5LJKWV &RPPLVVLRQ 6$+5& as illustrative of racism in the media, its protagonists deemed representative of ZKLWHV¶DWWLWXGHVWRUDFHLQWKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´2+LV¿FWLRQDQGFULWLFDOHVVD\V have generated a plethora of scholarly research both in South Africa and abroad and have challenged readers globally, not least for the contentious interventions WKHRHXYUHPDNHVWKURXJK&RHW]HH¶VVLQJXODUPRGHUQLVWPRGHLQWR6RXWK$IULFDQ SROLWLFRFXOWXUDOGLVFRXUVHDQGWKH¿HOGRISRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHV(YHQZLWKRQO\¿YH of the eleven novels being set in South Africa, they all, to a greater or lesser extent, DGGUHVVWKHPHVDQGLVVXHVSHUWLQHQWWRWKH SRVW FRORQLDODQGDSDUWKHLGVLWXDWLRQV colonial discourse, the other, racial segregation, censorship, banning and exile, police brutality and torture, South African liberalism and revolutionary activism, the place of women, the relationship of South Africa’s peoples to the land and, not OHDVWWKHHWKLFRSROLWLFVRIZULWLQJDOO¿JXUHSURPLQHQWO\LQWKHRHXYUH%HFDXVH WKHODWHUZRUNVODUJHO\OHDYHEHKLQGDVSHFL¿FDOO\SRVWFRORQLDOSDUDGLJPPDUNHG 1 Coetzee has been awarded the following literary prizes: South Africa’s prestigious CNA Literary Award for In the Heart of the Country WKH&1$WKH-DPHV7DLW%ODFN Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award for Waiting for the Barbarians WKH CNA and the Prix Étranger Femina in 1985 for Life & Times of Michael K WKH Jerusalem Prize in 1987 for Foe WKH6XQGD\([SUHVV$ZDUG for Age of Iron the Irish Times International Fiction Prize in 1995 for The Master of Petersburg and, in DGGLWLRQ WR WKH %RRNHU WKH &RPPRQZHDOWK:ULWHUV 3UL]H 2YHUDOO:LQQHU LQ IRU Disgrace. Slow Man ZDVVKRUWOLVWHGIRUWKH&RPPRQZHDOWK:ULWHUV3UL]H $IULFDQ 5HJLRQ DQGWKH,QWHUQDWLRQDO,03$&'XEOLQ/LWHUDU\$ZDUGDQGKLVPRVWUHFHQWQRYHO Diary of a Bad Year ±HOLJLEOHEHFDXVH&RHW]HHLVQRZDQ$XVWUDOLDQFLWL]HQ±ZDV shortlisted for the Adelaide 2008 Festival Awards for Literature. 2 )RUFRQÀLFWLQJLQWHUSUHWDWLRQVRIWKLVUHSRUWVHH$WWZHOO³5DFHLQDisgrace´DQG McDonald “Disgrace(IIHFWV´ 2 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship coincidentally by Coetzee’s departure from South Africa to another postcolonial ORFDOH$GHODLGH$XVWUDOLDLQLQWKLVSUHVHQWVWXG\,IRFXVRQWKH¿UVWHLJKW novels up to and including Disgrace, and conclude with a chapter that addresses the ODWHUZRUNVElizabeth Costello Slow Man DQGDiary of a Bad Year ZLWKLQDZLGHUIUDPHRILQWHOOHFWXDOLVPDQGDXWKRUVKLSWKDWQRQHWKHOHVV VSHDNVWRWKH¿HOGRISRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHV These thematic nodes dovetail into what I argue is the premise of all Coetzee’s ¿FWLRQDQGPDQ\RIKLVHVVD\VDQGZKLFKLVDSUREOHPZLWKZKLFKSRVWFRORQLDO critics have grappled, that through the portrayal of a series of writer protagonists, Coetzee stages the paradox of postcolonial authorship: whilst striving symbolically to bring the stories of the marginal and the oppressed to light, stories that heretofore have been suppressed or silenced by oppressive regimes, writers of conscience RU FRQVFLHQFHVWULFNHQ ZULWHUV ULVN UHLPSRVLQJ WKH YHU\ DXWKRULW\ WKH\ VHHN WR FKDOOHQJH7KHWDVNRIWKHSRVWFRORQLDOZULWHUWKHUHIRUHLVH[DFWLQJ,VKRXOGTXDOLI\ this argument by saying that a number of Coetzee’s protagonists are only minimal, symbolic authors of their texts: the alienated Magda in In the Heart of the Country UHVLVWVZULWLQJDVDPHDQVRIRXWZLWWLQJWKHSDWULDUFK\DQGOLWHUDU\KLVWRU\ WKDWHQWUDSKHUEXW¿QDOO\VXFFXPEVEHFDXVHLWLVRQO\WKURXJKZULWLQJWKDWVKH FDQUHHQWHUVRFLHW\DQGEUHDNIUHHIURPWKHIHWWHUVRIKHUDOLHQDWLRQ 0LFKDHO. in Life & TimesLVDXWKRURIKLVOLIHEHFDXVHKHEHVSHDNVWKHIDPLOLDUSRVWFRORQLDO tropes of writing the body and writing the land. Life & Times also embeds the ³ZKLWHZULWHU´LQWKHVHQVHWKDW&RHW]HHZRXOGKDYHLW ³ZKLWHZULWLQJLVZKLWH only insofar as it is generated by the concerns of people no longer European, not \HW$IULFDQ´ :: 7KH0HGLFDO2I¿FHULQLWLDOO\LPSHULRXVO\DVVXPHVWKHULJKW WRVSHDNRQWKHRWKHU¶VEHKDOI&RHW]HH¶V ³ZKLWH´ ZULWHUVW\SLFDOO\DJRQL]HRYHU the ways in which the authority authorship engenders will always compromise their ethico-political conviction because authorship, for Coetzee, is always already imbued with power, mastery and colonization. 7KH WUDMHFWRU\ RI WKH RHXYUH WHDVHV RXW WKH SUREOHP RI DXWKRUVKLS LQ ZD\V that correspond with the novels’ contemporary milieus so that this problem is JUDGXDOO\GLVWLOOHGLQWZRRI&RHW]HH¶VODWHVWRIIHULQJVWKHTXDVLQRYHOElizabeth Costello DQGDiary of a Bad Year ZKLFKSUHVHQWUDGLFDOLQVWDQFHV RIZKDW,FDOO&RHW]HH¶V³DFWVRIJHQUH´ FDSWXUHGLQWKHZRUG³DFW´SHUIRUPDQFHV of genre that are at once contrived, duplicitous and yet agential. Elizabeth Costello LVFRPSULVHGRIHLJKW³OHVVRQV´LQVL[RXWRIHLJKWRIZKLFKWKHLGLRV\QFUDWLFDQG forthright novelist Elizabeth Costello delivers invited lectures which were originally presented by Coetzee as meta-generic public lectures at a series of international venues. In DiaryWKHZULWHUDQGDFDGHPLF-&RIIHUVDVHULHVRI³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´ in the genre of the opinion piece, and this public voice is offset at the bottom of each page by a number of more personal ones, including J. C.’s own. Costello uses WKHOHFWXUHIRUXPWRDLUKHURIWHQHFFHQWULF H[FHQWULF YLHZVRQVXEMHFWVUDQJLQJ from animal rights to the problem of representing evil, and the curmudgeonly -&¶VDSKRULVPVGLYHUVLI\DFURVVVXEMHFWVVXFKDV$O4DHGD³QDWLRQDOVKDPH´ DQGWKHEXVLQHVVOLNHHQWHUSULVHRIWKHPRGHUQGD\XQLYHUVLW\:KLOVWWKHVXEVWDQFH Positioning the Writer 3 of these novels clearly is ethico-political, it is in the acts of genre, I argue, that the UHDOLQWHOOHFWXDOL]LQJLVGRQH%\¿OWHULQJSXEOLFLQWHUYHQWLRQVWKURXJKWKHSULVP RI¿FWLRQDQGE\&RHW]HH¿FWLRQDOL]LQJKLPVHOIZLWKLQWKHQDUUDWLYHVWKHUHDGHU LVOHIWXQFHUWDLQDERXWZKRLVVSHDNLQJ&RHW]HHRUKLVFKDUDFWHUVDQGWKLVHQDEOHV &RHW]HH WR JHW WZR MREV GRQH ¿UVW WR UDLVH TXHVWLRQV DERXW DXWKRULW\ DQG WKH FDSDFLW\RILQWHOOHFWXDOVWR³VSHDNWUXWKWRSRZHU´ 6DLGRepresentations DQG second, to nurture a critical readership which is obliged to participate in the life of WKHWH[W$V(GZDUG6DLGKDVSXWLWWKHSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDO¶V³ZKROHEHLQJLVVWDNHG on the critical sense´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG Representations Typically in Coetzee the public defers to the private sphere, as he discloses to the interviewer, David Attwell, in Doubling the Point, “the contest of interpretations «WKHSROLWLFDOYHUVXVWKHHWKLFDO>LV@SOD\HGRXWDJDLQDQGDJDLQLQP\QRYHOV´ '3 +RZHYHUZKLOH&RHW]HHFODLPVWKDWZKHUHWKHSXEOLFPDSVRQWRWKH political and the private to the ethical, he resists championing the ethical over WKHSROLWLFDOEHFDXVHWKLVZRXOGUHLI\HWKLFVDVODFN '3 'HUHN$WWULGJHLV right when he contends that in Coetzee “it is evident that it is the political that LVWREHFRUUHFWHGE\WKHHWKLFDODQGQRWYLFHYHUVD´ ³7UXVWLQJWKH2WKHU´ &RHW]HH¶VZULWHUSURWDJRQLVWVDUHFRQVLVWHQWO\PDUJLQDO¿JXUHVUHVLVWDQWWRWKHHEE DQGÀRZRIWKHWLGHVRISROLWLFDOUKHWRULF0LFKDHO.¶VTXHVWIRUPHDQLQJLQLife & Times, for instance, is drawn to a close with a parable in which, envisaging subsisting using a teaspoon to draw water from a well, he would live minimally off the land. Mrs. Curren in Age of Iron LVRQDTXHVWRIDQRWKHUNLQGWKLVWLPH IRU³KRPHWUXWKV´ LQWKHOHWWHUVKHLVZULWLQJWRKHUGDXJKWHUVKHFDUYHVRXWDQ intellectual space for herself with an almost pedantic regard for language: “These are terrible sights … But I cannot denounce them in other people’s words. I must ¿QGP\RZQZRUGVIURPP\VHOI2WKHUZLVHLWLVQRWWKHWUXWK´ $, 7KURXJK DFRQIHVVLRQDOPRGHDQGPRWLIVRI³GHPRQSRVVHVVLRQ´DQG³KHDUWVSHHFK´WKH QRYHOVDGGUHVV&RHW]HH¶VRZQYHU\SULYDWHUHVSRQVHDVDQ³DQ[LRXVLQWHOOHFWXDO´3 WRZRUNLQJXQGHUWKHSUHVVXUHVRIDQRSSUHVVLYHUHJLPHDQGWKRVHRIFRQIRUPLW\ HYHQFRQIRUPLQJWRWKHWHQHWVRIWKHSURJUHVVLYHOHIWZLWKZKLFKKHPDNHVFOHDUKH sympathizes (because conforming means on some level reining in the creative as ZHOODVWKHHWKLFDOIDFXOW\ For these reasons, Coetzee is often charged with being evasive: in the eyes of KLVFULWLFVWKHREOLTXLW\DQGUDUH¿FDWLRQRIWKHZRUNVDUHHYLGHQFHRIKLVGLVDYRZDO of politics in spite of some obvious sorties into the political fray (cf. Attwell, “Life DQG7LPHV´ 7KLVFULWLFLVPVWHPVIURPWKHGLI¿FXOW\FULWLFVKDYHRISRVLWLRQLQJ an author who, attentive to the pitfalls that postcolonial authorship implies, KHZVKLPVHOIWKHSUHFDULRXVSRVLWLRQRI³QRQSRVLWLRQ´ *2 EXWRQHWKDWLV ethico-political because it gesturally resists the authority that white South African PDVFXOLQLW\EHVWRZV *2 ,UHDOL]HWKDWLQODEHOOLQJKLPHWKLFRpolitical I am drawing Coetzee down a road he would be averse to travelling. Characteristically 3 Anxious IntellectsLVWKHWLWOHRIDERRNE\-RKQ0LFKDHOWKDW'DYLG$WWZHOOUHIHUVWR LQDQHVVD\RQ&RHW]HH¶V³SXEOLF´LQWHOOHFWXDOLVP ³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ 4 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship referring to himself in the third person and revealing an abiding preoccupation with the paradox of postcolonial authorship I am mapping here, Coetzee observes WKDW³DOOSROLWLFDOODQJXDJH´OHDYHVKLPFROG ³$VIDUEDFNDVKHFDQVHHKHKDV been ill at ease with language that lays down the law, that is not provisional, that GRHVQRWDVRQHRILWVKDELWXDOPRWLRQVJODQFHEDFNVFHSWLFDOO\DWLWVSUHPLVHV´ '3 +LVXVHRIWKHWKLUGSHUVRQWRVSHDNDERXWKLPVHOIDGHYLFHWKDWUHVXUIDFHVLQ the memoirs, Boyhood DQGYouth VXJJHVWVWKDWQRWRQO\LVKH³LOODW HDVH´ZLWKSROLWLFDOUKHWRULFEXWDVKHFRQFHGHVLQLQWHUYLHZDOVRLVXQFRPIRUWDEOH EHLQJPDGHWRDQVZHUIRUKLVQRYHOV '3 6XFKDSRVLWLRQEHFRPHVWKRUQ\ in postcolonial contexts, because, ironically as Coetzee’s oeuvre time and again UHYHDOV WKH LQWHJULW\ RI WKH SRVWFRORQLDO DXWKRU LV VWDNHG RQ EHLQJ DYDLODEOH WR redress lest the systems of power embedded in colonial writings are reproduced. The charge of political evasion laid at Coetzee’s feet has particular resonance within the South African contexts from which most of the novels were penned because under apartheid not only political and cultural but also personal freedom was restricted and often denied, thus necessitating an active struggle against the state. Draconian censorship laws were passed by the regime, including the 3XEOLFDWLRQV DQG (QWHUWDLQPHQWV $FW DQG WKH 3XEOLFDWLRQV $FW DPHQGHG LQ ,QGHHG &RHW]HH¶V RZQ QRYHOV Waiting for the Barbarians In the Heart of the Country DQGLife & Times were brought before the Directorate of Publications and threatened with the blue-pencil of the FHQVRU 0F'RQDOG³7KH:ULWHU´ :LWKLQVRPHTXDUWHUVRIUHVLVWDQFHFXOWXUH ZDVGHHPHGLQWKDWQRZKDFNQH\HGSKUDVHD³ZHDSRQRIWKHVWUXJJOH´DQGLQ ¿FWLRQVRFLDOUHDOLVPZDVSHUFHLYHGDVWKHEHVWPRGHWRFRQYH\WKLVREMHFWLYH 1XPHURXVSURJUHVVLYHFULWLFVOLNH1DGLQH*RUGLPHUZKRHPSOR\VDVRSKLVWLFDWHG /XNiFVLDQUHDOLVWPRGHOWKDWFRQWUDVWVWKHFRQVFLRXVQHVVRILWVSURWDJRQLVWZLWK REMHFWLYHUHDOLW\ LQ*HRUJ/XNiFV¶ZRUGV³WKHGXDOLW\RILQZDUGQHVVDQGRXWVLGH ZRUOG´>TWGLQ*RUGLPHUEssential Gesture@ YRLFHGWKHLUPLVJLYLQJVDERXW the silencing and degrading effects of protest literature that Gordimer nicely termed ³FRQIRUPLW\WRDQRUWKRGR[\RIRSSRVLWLRQ´ Essential Gesture /HZLV1NRVL FODLPHGWKDWVXFKZULWLQJZDVGHEDVHGE\³MRXUQDOLVWLFIDFWSDUDGLQJRXWUDJHRXVO\ DVLPDJLQDWLYHOLWHUDWXUH´ ³)LFWLRQ´ DQG1MDEXOR1GHEHOHDUJXHGWKDWWKH complexities of the combination of content and form in much contemporary South $IULFDQ¿FWLRQKDGEHHQQHJOHFWHGIRUSROLWLFDOSRVWXULQJUHVXOWLQJLQ³DQDUWRI DQWLFLSDWHGVXUIDFHVUDWKHUWKDQRQHRISURFHVVHV´ Rediscovery $OELH6DFKV¶V $1& VSHHFK ³3UHSDULQJ 2XUVHOYHV IRU )UHHGRP´ IXHOOHG WKH GHEDWH E\ UDLVLQJWKHTXHVWLRQ ³ZKHWKHUZHKDYHVXI¿FLHQWFXOWXUDOLPDJLQDWLRQWRJUDVSWKH rich texture of the free and united South Africa that we have done so much to bring DERXW´ 6DFKVFRQFOXGHGWKDW³VROLGDULW\FULWLFLVP´ULVNVEHLQJSUHVFULSWLYHDQG OLPLWLQJ ,QGHHGRQWKLVSRLQWWKHVHZULWHUVUHDFKFRQVHQVXVWKRXJKXQOLNH Coetzee, their concern lies in part with the integrity of the resistance movement LWVHOI &ULWLFV OLNH 'DYLG$WWZHOO DQG 0LFKDHO &KDSPDQ KRZHYHU KDYH VKRZQ WKDW VXFK D SRVLWLRQ LWVHOI UHSUHVHQWV D ³FULWLFDORUWKRGR[\´ $WWZHOORewriting Modernity WKDWRYHUORRNVWKHFRPSOH[LWLHVRIFRPPLWWHGOLWHUDWXUHZKLFK Positioning the Writer 5 at times reveals a distinct African modernism and is capable of combining self- UHÀH[LYLW\ZLWKSROLWLFDOFULWLTXH &RHW]HHEULGJHVWKHJDSEHWZHHQWKH³:HVW´DQGWKHVRFDOOHG7KLUG:RUOG yet because the novels are steeped in the dominant Western literary tradition VRPH FULWLFV KDYH TXHVWLRQHG KLV SRVWFRORQLDO FUHGHQWLDOV %HQLWD 3DUU\ IRU LQVWDQFHDUJXHVWKDWEHFDXVHWKH¿FWLRQVDUHXQGHUSLQQHGE\:HVWHUQFRJQLWLYH IUDPHZRUNV&RHW]HHLVXQDEOHWRFUDIWPDUJLQDOFKDUDFWHUVWKDWDUHRXWVLGHDQG EH\RQG(XURFHQWULFGLVFRXUVH ³6SHHFKDQG6LOHQFH´ 7KHRHXYUHKDVHYHQ EHHQ UHDG E\ D QXPEHU RI FULWLFV DV ³DOOHJRUL]HG WKHRU\´ DV *UDKDP 3HFKH\ SRLQWVRXW ³3RVW$SDUWKHLG´ GUDZLQJDVLWGRHVXSRQWKHZRUNRI(XURSHDQ SKLORVRSKHUVDQGWKHRULVWVOLNH%ODNH5RXVVHDX/pYL6WUDXVV/HYLQDV)RXFDXOW 6DUWUH%HQYHQLVWH/DFDQ)UHXG'HUULGD±DVRFDOOHG³SLHGQRLU´±DQG,ULJDUD\ )URP WKH (XURSHDQ OLWHUDU\ WUDGLWLRQ 'DQWH 'HIRH 'RVWRHYVN\ .DIND ' + /DZUHQFHDQG%HFNHWWQXPEHUDPRQJVW&RHW]HH¶VDFNQRZOHGJHGLQÀXHQFHV1RW only is all his writing steeped in the European literary tradition, the novels also ERUURZIURPWKLQNHUVIURPWKHVRFDOOHG7KLUG:RUOG )DQRQ1GHEHOH&pVDLUH *RUGLPHUDQG%UH\WHQEDFKDPRQJVWRWKHUVPDNHVRPHWLPHVYHLOHGDSSHDUDQFHV &RHW]HH¶V RIWHQ DFXWHO\ VHOIUHÀH[LYH PRGH HYHQ OHG RQH FULWLF WR VXJJHVW WKDW ³$OPRVWDOOWKHLQLWLDOGLI¿FXOWLHVRI>&RHW]HH¶V@QRYHOVYDQLVKZKHQRQHKDSSHQV WRKDYHUHDGWKHVDPHERRNVWKDWKHKDV´ :DWVRQ³&RORQLDOLVP´ 0DQ\RIWKHZRUNVVXEYHUWWKHJHQUHVRIWKHZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQFDQRQ7KLV LVWKHSUHPLVHRIWKH¿UVWPRQRJUDSKWKDWDSSHDUHGRQ&RHW]HHThe Novels of J. M. Coetzee: Lacanian Allegories E\7HUHVD'RYH\ ZKRFRPELQHVWKLV analysis with a Lacanian psychoanalytic reading of the act of narration in the early WH[WV DQG RQH VXEVHTXHQWO\ UHKHDUVHG E\ RWKHU &RHW]HH VFKRODUV IRU LQVWDQFH Attwell, J. M. Coetzee +HDGJ. M. Coetzee &RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQH[WHQGVDQGLQ its oppositional aspects, puts into practice his thesis outlined in White Writing. Concerned with “certain of the ideas, the great intellectual schemas, through which South Africa has been thought by Europe[,] and with the land itself, South $IULFDDVODQGVFDSHDQGODQGHGSURSHUW\´ :: &RHW]HHUHFRJQL]HVWKHIDLOXUH LQWKHZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQSDVWRUDOWRUHSUHVHQW$IULFDRULWV LQGLJHQRXV SHRSOHV DXWKHQWLFDOO\7KHP\WKRORJL]HGUHODWLRQRIWKH$IULNDQHUWRWKHODQGWKDWVWUXJJOHV WRIHQGRIIWKHWKUHDWRIXUEDQGHYHORSPHQWE\LQYRNLQJWKHPRWLIRIWKHIDUPHU WRLOLQJRQWKHODQGIRULQVWDQFHEHWUD\VD³%OLQGQHVVWRWKHFRORXUEODFN´ $VLWVFHQWUDOLVVXHWKHJHQUHSUHIHUVWRLGHQWLI\WKHSUHVHUYDWLRQRID 'XWFK peasant rural order, or at least the preservation of the values of that order … /RFDWLQJ WKH KLVWRULFDOO\ VLJQL¿FDQW FRQÀLFW DV EHWZHHQ %RHU DQG %ULWDLQ LW VKLIWVEODFNZKLWHFRQÀLFWRXWRIVLJKW>@ ::± &RHW]HHDUJXHVWKDWWKHRQO\HDUO\³(QJOLVK´QRYHOVWRH[SORUHWKHIDUPPRWLI Olive Schreiner’s anti-pastoral The Story of an African Farm DQG3DXOLQH Smith’s The Beadle DQG VKRUW VWRU\ FROOHFWLRQ The Little Karoo (1925, UHY ZULWH DJDLQVW WKH JUDLQ RI WKLV SUHYDLOLQJ PRGH ³$W WKH YHU\ OHDVW 6 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship they provide a foil to the plaasroman [farm novel], throwing its preconceptions LQWRUHOLHI´ ::± 5HSUHVHQWLQJD³FULWLTXHRIFRORQLDOFXOWXUH´&RHW]HH suggests, Schreiner’s novel distinguishes between the farm and nature (elements that in the plaasromanH[LVW³LQV\QWKHVLV´ WKHIDUPLVLQDVWDWHRIGHFD\DQGWKH ZLOGHUQHVVLV³LQKRVSLWDEOH´6PLWK¶VIDUPRQWKHRWKHUKDQGQRVWDOJLFDOO\UH LPDJLQHVDQXQDWWDLQDEOH(GHQ WKRXJKVHFXUHO\ORGJHGLQDKLVWRULFDOWUDGLWLRQLW UHJLVWHUVDPDUNHGGLVWLOODWLRQRIDXWKRULW\SDWULDUFK\DQGFDSLWDOZKLFKVLWXDWHV LW&RHW]HHSURSRXQGVLQD³SUHFDSLWDOLVWRUJDQL]DWLRQ´ ::± ± ± +RZHYHUWKHVHQRYHOVLQDGYHUWHQWO\UHSURGXFHWKHKHJHPRQLFWHQGHQFLHVRI the plaasromanEHFDXVHWKH\WRRHUDVH6RXWK$IULFD¶VPDUJLQDOPDMRULW\ :: 7KH UDGLFDO SRWHQWLDOLW\ RI WKH DQWLSDVWRUDO JHQUH VDQFWLRQHG E\ 6FKUHLQHU is reappraised in Gordimer’s The Conservationist DQG &RHW]HH¶V In the Heart of the Country, Life & Times, Foe and DisgraceDVZHOODVKLV¿UVWPHPRLU BoyhoodZRUNVWKDWQRWRQO\GHP\WKRORJL]HZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQV¶UHODWLRQVKLS to the land but are inclusive of colonial and apartheid South Africa’s other voices, DOEHLWLQWKHHDUO\&RHW]HHYRLFHVRIVLOHQFHDQGVXEMXJDWLRQ $WVWDNHLVZKHWKHU&RHW]HHLQKLVGHSOR\PHQWRIWKHZULWLQJSUDFWLFHVRIWKH :HVWDQGZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQJHQUHVDGHTXDWHO\±WKDWLVWRVD\HWKLFDOO\DQG politically – accommodates the contexts he chooses to address: do the novels, for LQVWDQFHLQDGYHUWHQWO\UHDGWKH³7KLUG:RUOG´FRQWH[WVWKURXJKDPLVDSSURSULDWHG ³:HVWHUQ´RU(XURFHQWULFOHQVWKDWWKHUHIRUHQHFHVVDULO\ZRXOGEHP\RSLF"%\ the end of Disgrace the problem of relevance begins to dawn on the protagonist 3URIHVVRU'DYLG/XULHVRWKDWLWLVQ¶W%\URQRU7HUHVDZKRZLOOUHDZDNHQKLV FUHDWLYLW\ EXW WKH VRXQG RI D WR\ EDQMR ± ³SOLQN SOXQN´ ± WKDW KH ERXJKW KLV GDXJKWHU³RQWKHVWUHHWVRI.ZD0DVKX´ ',6 ,QKLVPRQRJUDSKRQ Coetzee, Attridge argues that the importance of the early novels, Dusklands and In the Heart of the CountryGRHVQ¶WHYHQOLHLQDQDQDO\VLVRIFRORQLDOLVPSHUVH DV readers, Attridge claims, we don’t need to have this spelled out to us, though for me it is in this analysis, which is staged en abyme, where the narratives triumph. Rather, Attridge contends, their power resides in the dramatizing of debates about responsibility to the other, “how otherness is engaged, staged, distanced, embraced, how it is manifested in the rupturing of narrative discourse, in the lasting uncertainties of reference, in the simultaneous exhibiting and doubting of WKHQRYHOLVW¶VDXWKRULW\´ J. M. Coetzee± Coetzee addresses issues such as these, albeit often circuitously, in the volume of essays and interviews collected in Doubling the Point Turning upon the FRQFHSWRIGRXEOLQJ 'RVWRHYVNLDQ³GRXEOHWKRXJKWV´ DQGDXWRFULWLTXHWKHYROXPH SURYLGHVLQVLJKWVLQWR&RHW]HH¶VLQWHOOHFWXDOEDFNJURXQGWKDWKDVFRORXUHGKLVQRYHOV DQGZKLFKLVGUDZQIURPERWKWKH³:HVW´DQGKLV6RXWK$IULFDQKHULWDJH±ERWK Attwell and Rita Barnard read the collection as, in Attwell’s words, “intellectual DXWRELRJUDSK\´ $WWZHOO³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ %DUQDUG³,PDJLQLQJ´ ,QWKH 'XWFKSRHW*HUULW$FKWHUEHUJ¶VVRQQHWVHTXHQFH³%DOODGHYDQGH*DV¿WWHU´ '3 &RHW]HHDQDO\]HVZKDWKHFDOOVWKH³SRHWLFVRIUHFLSURFLW\´ WKHUHODWLRQVKLS EHWZHHQWKH³,´DQGWKH³ E\WKHUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQFKDUDFWHUDQGDXWKRU '3 )LFWLRQWKDW&RHW]HH GLPLQLVKHVDV³UDGLFDOPHWD¿FWLRQ´LIIDLOLQJWRWDNHDFFRXQWRIWKHHWKLFDOLVLQ GDQJHURI³VZDOORZLQJLWVRZQWDLO´RIEHFRPLQJD³SRHWLFVRIIDLOXUH´ '3 +HUHDGVWKHGHIDPLOLDUL]DWLRQRIWLPHLQ)UDQ].DIND¶VVKRUWVWRU\³7KH%XUURZ´ ± DVDPHDQVRI³WKLQNLQJRXWVLGHODQJXDJH´DQGH[SORUHVWKHVXEYHUVLYH potential this might hold for the alienated writer who writes about alienation (DP ,Q³7KH7DLQWRIWKH3RUQRJUDSKLF´KHVXJJHVWVWKDW'+/DZUHQFH¶V Lady Chatterley’s Lover LVDQH[HUFLVHLQH[RUFL]LQJZRUGVWKDWVRFLHW\KDV³PDGH GLUW\´RUWDERRSDUWLFXODUO\WKRVHZRUGVRIDVH[XDODQGH[FUHPHQWDOQDWXUH Many of Coetzee’s protagonists are at some level writers by profession, aware of the demands that the ethico-politics as well as the aesthetics of writing and reading might entail. The author Foe, for instance, is accused by Susan Barton in Foe of embellishing the facts of her island adventure: “Once you proposed to supply a middle by inventing cannibals and pirates. These I would not accept EHFDXVHWKH\ZHUHQRWWKHWUXWK´VKHVD\V ) ,WLV%DUWRQ¶VFRQYLFWLRQWKDW ³7LOOZHKDYHVSRNHQWKHXQVSRNHQZHKDYHQRWFRPHWRWKHKHDUWRIWKHVWRU\´ ) Coetzee states that he is not endorsing writing that is apolitical: “am I saying [these things] in order to distance myself from revolutionary art and ally myself ZLWKWKRVHSHRSOHZKRWKLQNWKHUHLVQRWKLQJQLFHUWKDQFXGGOLQJXSLQEHGZLWK DQRYHODQGKDYLQJDJRRGROGUHDG«",KRSHQRW´ 17 :KDWLVLPSRUWDQWWR Coetzee is the staging of debate, challenging orthodoxy and nurturing an agential, critical readership but one that nevertheless is not expected to forego the pleasure of the text. Yet Attridge, writing in his monograph about the ethics of reading in &RHW]HHH[SUHVVHVVNHSWLFLVPWRZDUGVWKHWHQGHQF\ZLWKLQSRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHV WRHQGRZWKHOLWHUDU\ZLWKSROLWLFDOFXUUHQF\ KHDUJXHVWKDWDisgrace, perhaps &RHW]HH¶VPRVWGLVWXUELQJZRUNWRGDWH³LVGLVWXUELQJLQPDQ\ZD\VDQGDPRQJ WKHWKLQJVLWGLVWXUEVLVDQ\VLPSOHIDLWKLQWKHSROLWLFDOHI¿FDF\RIOLWHUDWXUH±D IDLWKXSRQZKLFKVRPHVW\OHVRISRVWFRORQLDOFULWLFLVPDUHEXLOW´ ³-0&RHW]HH¶V Disgrace ,QWURGXFWLRQ´ 7KHHI¿FDF\RIOLWHUDWXUHIRUHIIHFWLQJFKDQJHPD\EHDPRRWSRLQWEXWFDOOLQJ LQWRTXHVWLRQWKHGRPLQDQWWHQGHQFLHVLQZULWLQJEHLWKLVWRULFDORU¿FWLRQDOLV crucial to understanding the legacy of colonialism and apartheid given that under KHJHPRQLHVVXFKDVWKHVHKLVWRULRJUDSK\DQG¿FWLRQDOQDUUDWLYHIRUPSDUWRIWKH LGHRORJLFDO DPPXQLWLRQ XVHG WR FRQWURO DQG VXEMHFW FRORQL]HG DQG VHJUHJDWHG peoples. To avoid replicating such tendencies, constant and evolving criticism of LQWHOOHFWXDO SUDFWLFH PXVW EH WKHUHIRUH IRVWHUHG LI WKH SRVWFRORQLDO SURMHFW LV WR UHPDLQFUHGLEOH TXHVWLRQLQJWKHZULWHU¶VDXWKRULW\HYHQLIWKURXJKWKHPHGLXPRI ¿FWLRQLVRQHZD\RILOOXPLQDWLQJWKLVHQGHDYRXU &RHW]HH¶V ZULWLQJ ERWK KLV ¿FWLRQ DQG HVVD\V DFNQRZOHGJHV WKH JUDYLW\ RI writerly engagement, yet cautions against conformity in resistance lest, through complacency, artists allow the new order to degenerate to the oppressive standards of the old. As a committed ANC member, Sachs understands this problem of LQWHUQDOL]HG³FHQVRUVKLS´DNLQGRIVHOIFHQVRUVKLSDVDWKUHDWWRWKHLQWHJULW\RI SURJUHVVLYHSROLWLFV *RUGLPHUKHUVHOIDFWLYHLQWKHDQWLDSDUWKHLGVWUXJJOH ZDVFHQVRUHGXQGHUDSDUWKHLG '3 DQGDWWHPSWVDSSDUHQWO\KDYHEHHQPDGH E\VRPHWRFHQVXUHKHULQWKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´$V&RHW]HHQRWHVLQGiving Offense, Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter ZDVGHHPHGLQWKHZRUGVRIWKH 3XEOLFDWLRQV$SSHDO%RDUG 3$% WR³FRQWDLQYDULRXVDQWLZKLWHVHQWLPHQWV´ *2 ZKLOVWLQ$SULOIRXUWHDFKHUVVLWWLQJRQDQHGXFDWLRQDOHYDOXDWLRQSDQHOLQ Gauteng Province recommended that July’s People EHUHPRYHGIURPVFKRRO syllabuses because, in the words of Justin Cartwright who recorded the event, “any FRQGHPQDWLRQRIUDFLVPLVGLI¿FXOWWRGLVFRYHU±VRWKHVWRU\FRPHVDFURVVDVEHLQJ GHHSO\UDFLVWVXSHULRUDQGSDWURQLVLQJ´ &DUWZULJKWQSDJ (GXFDWLRQ0LQLVWHU .DGHU$VPDOKRZHYHUZDVTXLFNWRFRPHWR*RUGLPHU¶VGHIHQFHRQWKHJURXQGV that the comments were anti-intellectualist and pedagogically suspect (South African *RYHUQPHQW³6SRWOLJKWRQ0DWULFXODQWV´QSDJ 7KHSDQHOEDFNHG$VPDO &RHW]HH PDNHV WKH WKURZDZD\ UHPDUN LQ Doubling the Point WKDW KH ¿QGV political debates about censorship at best tedious and at worst stupid: his interest lies LQWKHSV\FKRORJLFDOHIIHFWVRIFHQVRUVKLSZKLFKZRUNVOLNHDGLVHDVHLQIHFWLQJWKH PLQGRIERWKFHQVRUDQGFHQVRUHGDOLNH '3 &RHW]HH¶VHVVD\VRQFHQVRUVKLS 10 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship collected in Giving Offense: Essays on Censorship HQJDJHZLWKKLVVLJQDWXUH PRGHUQLVWGRXEOHHGJHGFULWLTXHRIDoubling the Point. In “Breyten Breytenbach DQGWKH5HDGHULQWKH0LUURU´KHH[SORUHVWKHZD\VLQZKLFK%UH\WHQEDFK¶VPLUURU writings are structured by notions of contagion and complicity, embodied in the ¿JXUHRIWKHFHQVRUDVdoppelgänger ORFNHGLQWKHGH¿QLQJVHOIRWKHUGLDOHFWLF FHQVRUDQGFHQVRUHGPHWDPRUSKRVHLQWRGDUNWZLQVRU³PLUURUEURWKHUV´ *2 Breytenbach, Confessions :ULWHU DQG WH[W ³PLUURUSDJH´ UHSURGXFH WKH G\QDPLFEHWZHHQ³FRRSHUDWLYHSULVRQHU´DQGLQWHUURJDWRU *2 ,Q³(UDVPXV 0DGQHVVDQG5LYDOU\´&RHW]HHGUDZVXSRQ5HQp*LUDUGDQG0LFKHO)RXFDXOWWR UHIRUPXODWHQRWLRQVRI³PDGQHVV´WKDWLQ(QOLJKWHQPHQWGLVFRXUVHKDYHEHHQUHDG as antithetical to reason and served as a means of state control. In the hands of the DSDUWKHLGUHJLPH³UHDVRQ´LVLWVHOILUUDWLRQDODQGWKHUHIRUH³PDG´DQGPDGQHVV DQG UDWLRQDOLW\ XQUHDVRQUHDVRQ DV IRUPV RI ³PLPHWLF YLROHQFH´ DUH UHGXFHG WR³ZDUULQJWZLQV´ *2 ,Q³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´&RHW]HHXQGHUVWDQGV WKHZULWLQJRIWKHSURJHQLWRURIDSDUWKHLGLGHRORJ\*HRIIUH\&URQMpDVDNLQGRI LQVDQHFRQIHVVLRQWKDWDOORZXVWR³IROORZWKHUDYLQJVIURPLQVLGH´ *2 Much scholarship on Coetzee has been preoccupied with the problem of KRZ WR GH¿QH DQG V\VWHPDWL]H KLV ¿FWLRQ ,Q VSLWH RI WKH FULWLFLVPV RI HYDVLRQ levelled against him, the consistently Janus-faced portrayal of the writer in the encounter with alterity throughout the oeuvre evidences Coetzee’s profound sense RIUHVSRQVLELOLW\DQGDFFRXQWDELOLW\WRKLVVXEMHFW,QGHHGZKHQ&RHW]HHDFFHSWV $WWZHOO¶VODEHODV³ODWHPRGHUQLVW´UDWKHUWKDQSRVWPRGHUQLVWKHDVFULEHVDFHUWDLQ ethicality to his writing. Neil Lazarus in an early article on Coetzee registers the LQWHOOHFWXDOLQWHJULW\RIKLV¿FWLRQZKLFKFDQRQO\EHFDOOHGPRGHUQLVW/D]DUXV argues, not postmodernist, because the novels represent reality, rationalism, the HWKLFDODQGDKXPDQLVWFULWLTXHRIWKHstatus quo ³0RGHUQLVPDQG0RGHUQLW\´ 2QWKLVSRLQW$WWULGJHZRXOGDJUHH DVD³ODWHPRGHUQLVW´&RHW]HH³GRHVQRW merely employ but extends and revitalizes modernist practices, and in so doing develops a mode of writing that allows the attentive reader to live through the SUHVVXUHVDQGSRVVLELOLWLHVDQGDOVRWKHOLPLWVRISROLWLFDOHQJDJHPHQW´ J. M. Coetzee $WWULGJH¶VPRQRJUDSKRQ&RHW]HHLVQRWDEOHDPRQJVWRWKHUWKLQJVIRU its deconstructive turn that borrows from formalism and an emphasis on what he FDOOVWKH³VLQJXODULW\RIOLWHUDWXUH´H[SHULHQFHGLQWKH³UHDGLQJHYHQW´(WKLFDOO\ UHVSRQVLEOHUHDGLQJKHDUJXHVLQYROYHVVHQVLWLYLW\DQGDWWHQWLYHQHVVWRWKHZRUNLQJV of a text. The text that is experimental and estranging is more demanding of its reader and hence such a text is more ethically charged (Attridge, J. M. Coetzee $WWULGJH¶VUHDGLQJRIWKHHVWUDQJLQJWH[WLVQRWXQOLNH7KHRGRU$GRUQR¶VFRQFHSWRI literary commitment, crucially distinguished by Adorno’s concern for politics rather WKDQVLPSO\HWKLFV $GRUQR³&RPPLWPHQW´ 'RPLQLF+HDGXQGHUVWDQGV&RHW]HH VRPHZKDWGLIIHUHQWO\E\GH¿QLQJWKH¿FWLRQDV³HWKLFDOO\RULHQWHGSRVWPRGHUQLVP´ (J. M. Coetzee ,UHDG&RHW]HHDVDSRVWFRORQLDOODWHPRGHUQLVWEXWZRXOGWHQG WRDJUHHKRZHYHUZLWK(OOHNH%RHKPHUWKDWLIVWDOOHGDWWKHOHYHORIWHUPLQRORJ\ WKHGHEDWHULVNVEHLQJXQSURGXFWLYH Colonial and Postcolonial Literature Positioning the Writer 11 and detracts from the thrust of Coetzee’s writing and from its achievements (not VRPHWKLQJLWKDVWREHVDLGRIZKLFKWKHDIRUHPHQWLRQHGFULWLFVDUHJXLOW\ $VDZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQZULWHU&RHW]HHLVDFXWHO\DZDUHWKDWKHVSHDNVIURP DSRVLWLRQRIEHQH¿FLDU\RIWKHDSDUWKHLGUHJLPHSDOSDEOHLQWKHVWULQJRIDQ[LRXV intellectuals that populate his novels. At the same time, he has tacitly positioned himself as marginalized, as a modernist writing against the grain of oppositional ZULWLQJDQGLQFKLOGKRRGDVDQ(QJOLVKVSHDNHURISDUW$IULNDQHUVWRFNDQGD 3URWHVWDQWDWWHQGLQJD&DWKROLFKLJKVFKRRO '3 ± ,QBoyhood the young -RKQH[SHULHQFHVDOLHQDWLRQDWSULPDU\VFKRRODVZHOO ZKHQTXHVWLRQHGE\KLV teacher, he precociously announces he is a Roman Catholic, in this instance at a Protestant establishment, only to be excluded from assembly. (He hopes that the QH[WGD\KHFDQUHYLVHWKLVFKRLFHDQGEHFRPHD³&KULVWLDQ´>% @ +RZHYHU ZKHWKHU WRGD\ &RHW]HH FDQ EH WDONHG DERXW DV PDUJLQDO LV GRXEWIXO JLYHQ WKH iQWHQVHJOREDOLQWHUHVWLQKLVZRUN ,QEURDGWHUPV,LGHQWLI\IRXUSKDVHVLQWKHWUDMHFWRU\RIWKHRHXYUHZKLFK can be mapped on to the political contexts of each. These phases guide the RUJDQL]DWLRQRIWKHFKDSWHUVWKDWIROORZ,GLVFXVVWKH¿UVWSKDVHDusklands, In the Heart of the Country and Waiting for the Barbarians, in terms of the “madness RIFLYLOL]DWLRQ´ )RXFDXOW 7KHP\WKRORJLHVRIFRORQLDODQGLPSHULDOHQWHUSULVH that energize the protagonists’ narratives and that allow Coetzee to “historicize PDGQHVV´ *2 DUHRIIVHWLQWKHVHQRYHOVDJDLQVWWKHPRWLIRIPDGQHVV7KLV early phase centres on the unremittingly Draconian power of white hegemonies – colonialism, apartheid and U.S. imperialism in Vietnam – and on the modern- day myths these hegemonies have circulated. In turn, myth mutates into forms of PDGQHVVLQLWVGLVWRUWLRQRIFHUWDLQNLQGVRI³WUXWKV´EHWKH\SROLWLFDOKLVWRULFDO social or economic. $JDLQVWWKHEDFNGURSRIWKH$1&EHJLQQLQJLWVGHIHQFHFDPSDLJQLQ ' ) 0DODQ¶V $IULNDQHU 1DWLRQDO 3DUW\ WKDW ZDV HOHFWHG WR SRZHU LQ LPSOHPHQWHGWKHPDMRUDSDUWKHLGOHJLVODWLRQEHWZHHQ DQG WKURXJK which it endeavoured to silence the political voice of South Africa’s marginalized PDMRULW\%ODFNRSSRVLWLRQDFFRUGLQJWRWKHKLVWRULDQ:LOOLDP%HLQDUWUHDFKHG LWVKHLJKWEHWZHHQ DQG ZLWKWKH6KDUSHYLOOHPDVVDFUH EXWLQ WKH $1& DQG 3DQ $IULFDQLVW &RQJUHVV 3$& ZHUH EDQQHG DQG WKXV IRUFHG underground. Though the 1960s saw rapid economic growth in South Africa, WKLV RQO\ VHUYHG WR ZRUVHQ WKH EODFN PDMRULW\¶V SOLJKW EULQJLQJ ZLWK LW WKH implementation of homeland and forced removal policies. The government’s violent response to the Soweto student protests of 1976 and the death in police FXVWRG\RIVWXGHQWOHDGHU6WHYH%LNRLQ IDQQHGWKHÀDPHVRIGLVVHQW:ULWWHQ in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the strong-arm of the apartheid regime may have seemed unassailable, these novels explore the problems both produced and encountered by the white writer who peddles or presses against imperialist, colonialist and apartheid ideologies. Under extreme pressure the colonizer’s and colonized’s sense of self, that in this early phase turns upon the motifs of FRQWDJLRQDQGPDGQHVVLVIUDFWXUHGDQGLQVDQLW\UHVXOWV)UDQW])DQRQ¶V³EODFN 12 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship VNLQZKLWHPDVNV´IRUPXODWLRQVSHDNVWRWKLVFRQGLWLRQE\HOXFLGDWLQJWKHVLWHRI RWKHUQHVV FRQIURQWHGE\WKHUDFLVW)DQRQH[SHULHQFHV³FUXVKLQJREMHFWKRRG´ DQG LV ³FRPSOHWHO\ GLVORFDWHG´ Black Skin ,Q WKLV SKDVH &RHW]HH HVWDEOLVKHV WKH XQZDUUDQWHG DQG XQHDUQHG DXWKRULW\ RI WKH ³ZKLWH´ ZULWHU WR H[SRVHLWDVDNLQGRIPDGQHVV The second phase, Life & Times and Foe, centres on Coetzee’s paradoxically UHVLVWLQJEXWXWWHUO\VXEMHFWHGRWKHUVDWKHPHWKDWFRQYHUJHVLQWKH5RELQVRQDGH parable as well as, in Life & Times.DIND¶VSDUDEOHVDQGSDUDGR[HV7KLQNLQJ through what islands signify to the resisting other, my readings of the texts show how this was a necessary phase in Coetzee’s writing, coming as it did at the height of the apartheid struggle, before the end of the regime, when attempts were being PDGHWRVWLÀHWKHYRLFHVRIWKHPDUJLQDOL]HGPDMRULW\DQGEHIRUHWKHUHDOLW\RI GHPRFUDF\ ZDV LQ VLJKW 1HYHUWKHOHVV EODFN UHVLVWDQFH ZDV VLJQL¿FDQW GXULQJ WKLVSHULRGDQGWKLVIDFWKDVSURYRNHGFULWLFLVPRIWKHVHWH[WVDV,VXEVHTXHQWO\ explain. The insurrection beginning in 1984 that led to the States of Emergency from WR SRVHG WKH PRVW VLJQL¿FDQW WKUHDW WR DSDUWKHLG UXOH FRQVROLGDWLQJ EODFNRSSRVLWLRQWKDWKDGEHJXQLQWKH V EXWWKLVDOVROHGWRLQWHUQDOGLYLVLRQV ZLWKLQ WKH UHVLVWDQFH PRYHPHQWV 5XUDO UHPRYDOV DQG WKH QHZ FRQ¿JXUDWLRQV RIXUEDQL]DWLRQWKDWUHVXOWHGSHDNHGDWWKLVWLPHDQGLQ WKHSDVVODZVZHUH UHVFLQGHGLQUHVSRQVHWRWKHSRSXODWLRQH[SORVLRQLQXUEDQDUHDV %HLQDUW[LLL±[YL 7KHVWXEERUQO\SDVVLYHUHVLVWDQFHRI&RHW]HH¶VEODFNSURWDJRQLVWVGXULQJWKLV SKDVHLV¿JXUHGLQWKHLUVLOHQFHEXWSUREOHPDWLFDOO\WKLVGHQRWHVDORVVRISROLWLFDO voice. Yet if, as Peter Hulme argues, the island motif in literature provides the vessel in which the self is distilled (Colonial Encounters ERWK0LFKDHO K and Friday experience their islands of isolation in a similar way: identity is reconstituted in the silences they weave around themselves as authors of their OLYHV,QVSLWHRIWKH³ZKLWHZULWHUV´WKH\HQFRXQWHUDW¿UVWEHOLHYLQJ)ULGD\DQG Michael K are nothing until they are fashioned in discourse, they are, in fact, resisting others who hold the colonizer out. 7KHSHQQLQJRIWKH¿UVWWZRQRYHOVRIWKHWKLUGSKDVHAge of Iron and The Master of Petersburg URXJKO\FRLQFLGHGZLWKWKHUHOHDVHRIWKH¿JXUHKHDG of the anti-apartheid struggle Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC in E\):GH.OHUN¶VUHJLPHDisgraceFDPHTXLFNRQWKHKHHOVRIGHPRFUDF\ With the end of apartheid a very real possibility when Coetzee wrote Age of Iron, a certainty with The Master of Petersburg and reality with Disgrace, it is not surprising that this phase is increasingly preoccupied with confession leading to WUXWKDQGUHFRQFLOLDWLRQTXHVWLRQVWKDWFOHDUO\ZHUHZRUNLQJWKHPVHOYHVRXWRQ the national plane. As South Africa moved irrepressibly towards democracy and apartheid laws were gradually repealed, the residual effects of apartheid left a QDWLRQVWUXJJOLQJWRFRPHWRWHUPVZLWKWKHSDVWDQGWKHSUREOHPRIKRZEODFNV and whites could now live peaceably as neighbours. Positioning the Writer 13 4XHVWLRQVRIWUXWKDQGUHFRQFLOLDWLRQZHUHIRUPDOO\DGGUHVVHGE\WKHPXFK PDOLJQHG7UXWKDQG5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ&RPPLVVLRQ 75& FKDLUHGE\$UFKELVKRS 'HVPRQG7XWX ZKLFK ¿UVW VDW LQ 7KH PLVVLRQ RI WKH75& ZDV WR EULQJ the truth of apartheid abuse to light, but many rightly argued this was at the cost RI MXVWLFH )LUVWO\ VRPH SHUSHWUDWRUV RI JURVV YLRODWLRQV RI KXPDQ ULJKWV ZHUH HIIHFWLYHO\ OHW RII WKH KRRN WKURXJK WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V SURFHVVHV RI DPQHVW\ (however, amnesty could be, and often was, refused if the crimes were deemed QRQSROLWLFDORUH[FHHGHGHYHQWKHGH¿QLWLRQRI³JURVVYLRODWLRQV´ DQGVHFRQGO\ the systemic abuses of apartheid were not accounted for. :KLOHWKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´LVHQJDJHGZLWKQDWLRQEXLOGLQJDQGZLWKEHDULQJ ZLWQHVVWRDQGUHFRQFLOLQJLWVHOIZLWKWKHSDVWWKHQRYHOVRIWKHWKLUGSKDVHZRUN through the insurmountability of truth and reconciliation in the public, national sphere as well as in the sphere of the self. In these novels white writers experience DQG DWWHPSW WR UHVROYH D FULVLV RI DXWKRULW\ DV WKH\ VWUXJJOH WR ¿QG WKHLU SODFH during a time of seismic change. In other words, there is an acceptance, or at least a recognition, of the pitfalls writerly authority engenders. )LQDOO\LQWKHIRXUWKSKDVH&RHW]HHPRYHVEH\RQGDVSHFL¿FDOO\SRVWFRORQLDOLVW SDUDGLJP,IRFXVRQWKHTXDVLQRYHOElizabeth Costello and Diary of a Bad Year, with brief reference to Slow ManWRH[SORUHWKHZD\VLQZKLFKLQWKHVHZRUNV Coetzee pares the problem of the author’s authority via the radical defamiliarization RIJHQUHRU³JHQUHDFWV´7KHHQGRIDSDUWKHLGKDVVLJQDOOHGQHZGLUHFWLRQVLQ South African literature, which inevitably had been overdetermined by apartheid, DQGKDVHQDEOHGZULWHUVWRORRNLQZDUGWRWKHVHOIDQGRXWZDUGDQGEH\RQGWR the global as well as the local. By defamiliarizing genre boundaries to reveal that UHDOO\WKH\ZHUHSRURXVDOODORQJWKHVHPHWD¿FWLRQVUH¿JXUH6DLG¶VGH¿QLWLRQRI WKHSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDODVRQHZKR³VSHDNVWUXWKWRSRZHU´DQGIRUJRHVSHUVRQDO LQWHUHVWVLQIDYRXURI³VHFXODUUDWLRQDOLW\´7KURXJKDFWVRIJHQUH&RHW]HHFDOOV LQWRTXHVWLRQWKHSURFHVVRIREWDLQLQJLQWHOOHFWXDOWUXWKVDFULWLFDODFWLYLW\WKDWLV for Said the very lifeblood of the public intellectual. :KDWHYHUFRQWURYHUV\&RHW]HH¶VRHXYUHKDVVSDUNHGDQGSHUKDSVHYHQFRXUWHG is the product of the tensions the paradox of postcolonial authorship generates, DSDUDGR[WKDWGULYHVDOORI&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOVDQGPXFKRIKLVQRQ¿FWLRQ WKDW writing on others’ behalf threatens the ethico-politics that go to the very heart of WKHSRVWFRORQLDOWH[W&RHW]HH¶VVHOIUHÀH[LYLW\RQPDWWHUVRIDXWKRULW\DQGZKDW 6DLGFDOOVWKH³SHUPLVVLRQWRQDUUDWH´ ³3HUPLVVLRQ´ RQFRORQLDODQGDSDUWKHLG violence, on censorship and the censoring self and on the negotiation of truth and UHFRQFLOLDWLRQLQWKHFRQWH[WRIQDWLRQDOOLEHUDWLRQKDVYDULRXVO\EDIÀHGLQIXULDWHG LQWULJXHGDQGFDSWLYDWHGKLVUHDGHUV1RGRXEWKLVZULWLQJZLOOFRQWLQXHWRLQÀXHQFH new generations of South African and postcolonial writers for generations to come LQLWVSHQHWUDWLQJH[SORUDWLRQVLQWR SRVW FRORQLDOZULWHUO\SUDFWLFH7KLVERRNLQ LWV GHWDLOHG DQDO\VLV RI WKH ZULWHU ¿JXUH LQ &RHW]HH¶V ZRUN KRSHV WR HOXFLGDWH Coetzee’s ideas on authorial authority so that they might be applied more widely to colonial and postcolonial literatures. This page has been left blank intentionally Chapter 1 ³)DWKHU0DNHV0HUU\ZLWK&KLOGUHQ´ Madness and Mythology in Dusklands InKLV¿UVWQRYHODusklands -0&RHW]HHKDVEDIÀHGPDQ\RIKLVUHDGHUV E\MX[WDSRVLQJWZRDSSDUHQWO\GLVFUHWHQDUUDWLYHV ³7KH9LHWQDP3URMHFW´QDUUDWHG by Eugene Dawn, an American propagandist writing in the early 1970s, and “The 1DUUDWLYHRI-DFREXV&RHW]HH´QDUUDWHGE\DOLQHRI6RXWK$IULFDQ&RHW]HHV7KH most prominent of this line, Jacobus Coetzee, J. M. Coetzee claims as an ancestor '3 7KHRWKHU&RHW]HHVLQWKHWH[WLQFOXGLQJ³&RHW]HH´LQ'DZQ¶VQDUUDWLYH DUH¿FWLRQDO 1 In Doubling the Point -0&RHW]HHLQGLFDWHVWKDWWKHERRNLVKLV UHVSRQVH WR WKH 9LHWQDP :DU DQG WR 6RXWK$IULFDQ KLVWRU\ '3 ± QRW RQO\ colonialism, informed by the author’s reading of the “annals of the exploration of VRXWKHUQ$IULFD´EXWDOVRDSDUWKHLGEHFDXVH-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VQDUUDWLYHLVUHWROGE\ 'U6-&RHW]HHDWWKHPRPHQWLPPHGLDWHO\SUHFHGLQJWKHHOHFWLRQRIWKH$IULNDQHU 1DWLRQDO3DUW\LQWRJRYHUQPHQWLQ :LWKPDQ\FULWLFVUHDGLQJWKHZRUNDV two separate narratives, as Dominic Head observes, criticisms of the text have WHQGHGWRIRFXVRQWKH³REOLTXLW\RIWKHERRN¶VPHWKRG´WKHPRVWFRQGHPQDWRU\RI ZKLFKKDYHVXJJHVWHGWKDW-0&RHW]HHLVFRPSOLFLWLQWKHYHU\SURMHFWKHVHHNVWR FKDOOHQJHWKH³H[FLWHPHQWRIFRORQLDOVHOIDJJUDQGL]HPHQW´+HDGULJKWO\DUJXHV however, that “complicity is a theme of the novel, and is inevitably enacted in the VHTXHQFHRI¿UVWSHUVRQQDUUDWLYHVZKHUHHDFKQDUUDWLQJVXEMHFWLVH[SRVHGDVD SURGXFWDQGSHUSHWUDWRURIFRORQLDOSURMHFWV´ J. M. Coetzee Complicity is realized metaphorically in the psychic collapse of Dawn and Jacobus Coetzee, both of whom are authors in the service of imperialism and FRORQLDOLVP UHVSHFWLYHO\ DQG ZKR ZRUN WR SHUSHWXDWH WKH P\WKV RI WKHVH WZR ideologies (Jacobus is only an author of sorts because he is illiterate and his narrative KDV WKHUHIRUH EHHQ WUDQVFULEHG ,W LV RQO\ WKURXJK RXU UHDGLQJ 'DZQ¶V UHSRUW prepared for the American Department of Defense on methods of propaganda, that Jacobus’s colonial enterprise as myth is more obviously signalled. So reading the novel as a single piece composed of two corresponding parts, as Head suggests, rather than self-contained stories is therefore more fruitful, and is no doubt closer WR-0&RHW]HH¶VLQWHQWLRQLQWKHQRYHO¶VFRQVWUXFWLRQ7KHUHODWLRQLQWKH¿UVW VHFWLRQEHWZHHQDXWKRU 'DZQ WH[W WKHUHSRUW DQGZRUOG WKHPLOLWDU\DQGWKH 9LHWQDPHVH LVSDUDOOHOHGZLWKWKHVHFRQG³7KH1DUUDWLYHRI-DFREXV&RHW]HH´ ±-DFREXV DXWKRU LVGLFWDWLQJKLVDQQDOV WH[W RIFRORQLDOH[SORUDWLRQ ZRUOG 1 For clarity, the name of real-life author J. M. Coetzee will be referred to in full and without inverted commas throughout the chapter. 16 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship – a strategy that invites the reader to draw some obvious comparisons between WKHWZRPDLQQDUUDWRUVRU³DXWKRUIXQFWLRQV´LQ)RXFDXOGLDQWHUPV ³:KDWLVDQ $XWKRU"´ %RWK 'DZQ DQG -DFREXV ZRUN DW HVWDEOLVKLQJ DQG PDLQWDLQLQJ GRPLQDQW mythologies, yet I will argue that what Roland Barthes calls the distorting effect of P\WKLQKLVHQGXULQJZRUNMythologies HYHQWXDOO\IUDFWXUHVWKHLURZQVHQVH of self: ironically, as they descend into madness they become victims of the very ideologies they are busy promoting because they are unable properly to read the myths they produce. While Dawn, writing from a twentieth-century perspective, LVGULYHQLQVDQHE\KLVPRUDOO\GXELRXVZRUNDVDQ$PHULFDQSURSDJDQGLVWGXULQJ the U.S. government’s military intervention into Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1960s and 70s (that foretells the horrors of Abu Ghraib gaol and the contemporary ³ZDURQWHUURU´>FI6SHQFHU³&RORQLDO9LROHQFH´@ -DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VPDGQHVV apparently stems from physical disease rather than a bad conscience: the delirium of fever and infection. Yet because he remains oblivious to the sociopathic and dehumanizing nature of his colonizing mission, the boil next to his anus and his ZUDWKDWEHLQJPRFNHGDQGGHJUDGHGE\KLV1DPDTXDFDSWRUVGXULQJKLVWUHNLQWR their territory translate as metaphors for the madness of colonialism. In different ways Dawn and Jacobus’s violent and depraved encounter with the other, in which WKH\WU\WREUHDNWKHRWKHUGRZQZRUNVOLNHDGLVHDVHRQWKHLURZQFRQVFLRXVQHVV DQG LQ 'DZQ¶V FDVH KLV FRQVFLHQFH WRR 7KH SVHXGRUDWLRQDO GLVFRXUVH WKDW FDPRXÀDJHVFRORQLDODQGLPSHULDOFRQTXHVWLVXQGHUFXWE\WKHPDGQHVVRIWKHVH WZRP\WKPDNHUVDQGRIWKHLGHRORJLHVWKH\H[SRXQGWRUHYHDOWKHPDGQHVVRI VRFDOOHGFLYLOL]DWLRQ³7KH9LHWQDP3URMHFW´VHUYHVDVDOHQVRUUHDGLQJSUDFWLFH E\ZKLFKWRUHDGWKHPRUHREOLTXHP\WKRORJL]LQJLQ³7KH1DUUDWLYHRI-DFREXV &RHW]HH´ LQRWKHUZRUGVVFKHPDWLFDOO\-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VPRUHPHWDSKRULFDOO\ UHDOL]HGPDGQHVVLVUHDGWKURXJKWKHWHUPVRI'DZQ¶VRYHUWP\WKPDNLQJDQGKLV experience of psychological collapse. The myths of imperial and colonial enterprise DUHH[SRVHGDVDNLQGRIPDGQHVVEHFDXVHWKH\UHJLVWHUDZLOOHGPLVUHFRJQLWLRQRI WKHLUVXEMHFWWKHLPSHULDODQGFRORQLDORWKHU 7KLVVNHWFKRIWKHVFKHPHDQGWKHPDWLFVRIWKHQRYHOWDOOLHVZLWK-0&RHW]HH¶V RIWHQFLWHGDGGUHVV³7KH1RYHO7RGD\´ DWWKHWeekly Mail%RRN:HHNLQ Cape Town in 1987 in which he discusses the relation between the genre of the QRYHODQGWKH³KLVWRULFDOSUHVHQW´+HZULWHVDJDLQVWWKHJUDLQRIWKH³GRPLQDQW WHQGHQF\´ WR FRQWDLQ WKH QRYHO XQGHU WKH XPEUHOOD RI KLVWRU\ ZKHUHE\ ¿FWLRQ UHSURGXFHVUHDOKLVWRULFDOHYHQW 17 7KURXJKWKHQRWLRQRIULYDOOLQJUDWKHUWKDQ supplementing history, he advocates: a novel that operates in terms of its own procedures and issues in its own conclusions, not one that operates in terms of the procedures of history and HYHQWXDWHVLQFRQFOXVLRQVWKDWDUHFKHFNDEOHE\KLVWRU\«,QSDUWLFXODU,PHDQ a novel that evolves its own paradigms and myths, in the process (and here LV WKH SRLQW DW ZKLFK WUXH ULYDOU\ HYHQ HQPLW\ SHUKDSV HQWHUV WKH SLFWXUH “Father Makes Merry with Children” 17 perhaps going so far as to show up the mythic status of history – in other words, GHP\WKRORJLVLQJKLVWRU\ 17 J. M. Coetzee is careful to point out that he is not endorsing the literary at the H[SHQVHRIWKHSROLWLFDO WKHSURMHFWRIULYDOU\ZRXOGFDOOLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHYHU\ ideologies of historiographic practice, necessarily politicizing these modes of ³DQWLUHDOLVW´ ¿FWLRQ WKURXJK WKHLU WH[WXDO UHVLVWDQFH 17 0DGQHVV , ZLOO argue, is the fulcrum of this deconstructive, demythologizing strategy. (XJHQH'DZQZRUNVLQWKH0\WKRJUDSK\VHFWLRQRIWKH.HQQHG\,QVWLWXWHLQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV7KURXJK KLV PHWDWH[WXDO DFFRXQW RI KLV SUHSDUDWLRQ RI WKH ³9LHWQDP5HSRUW´ZULWWHQLQWKHEDVHPHQWRIWKH+DUU\67UXPDQ/LEUDU\ZH OHDUQRIKLVWURXEOHGUHODWLRQZLWKKLVVXSHULRU³&RHW]HH´ KLVVHQVHRIGLVHDVH ZLWKKLVYRFDWLRQ KLVIDLOLQJPDUULDJHWRKLVZLIH0DULO\Q KLVPHQWDOFROODSVH FXOPLQDWLQJLQKLVNLGQDSSLQJDQGVWDEELQJKLVVRQ0DUWLQ DQG¿QDOO\KLVFRPPLWWDO WRDQDV\OXP,Q'DYLG$WWZHOO¶VZRUGV'DZQLVD³GLVJUDFHG´HPSOR\HHDWWKH ,QVWLWXWHEHFDXVHKH³EUHDNV«>WKH@WKUHVKROGRI>µPRUDOGLVFUHWLRQ¶@UHSHDWHGO\ DQGH[SOLFLWO\´IRULQVWDQFHZKHQKHDGYRFDWHVD³SURJUDPRIDVVDVVLQDWLRQDQG RIDUHDERPELQJ´ J. M. Coetzee (YHQWKRXJKWKH86JRYHUQPHQWFRPHV FORVHWRRULQGHHGFURVVHVWKHPRUDOWKUHVKROGLWLVQRW'DZQ¶VSODFHWRSURYRNH DWWHQWLRQWRWKLVIDFW LGHRORJLFDOVXEWHUIXJHLVDIWHUDOOWKHIXQFWLRQRIP\WKRORJ\ ,QWKHVHFRQGSDUWWKH¿UVWDQGPRVWVXEVWDQWLDOVHFWLRQLVQDUUDWHGE\WKHSDUWLDOO\ historical Jacobus Coetzee, a colonial explorer in South Africa in 1760, who details KLVWKUHHH[SHGLWLRQV WKH¿UVW³EH\RQGWKH*UHDW5LYHU´DQGWKHWZRMRXUQH\VWR ³WKHODQGRI WKH*UHDW1DPDTXD´ ' 2Q WKHVHFRQGRIWKHWKUHH MRXUQH\V-DFREXVIDOOVLOODQGLVQXUVHGE\WKH1DPDTXDVZKRHIIHFWLYHO\KROGKLP FDSWLYH7KHWKLUGPLVVLRQ±WKHVHFRQGWRWKH*UHDW1DPDTXD±OHGE\&DSWDLQ +HQGULN +RS LV SULPDULO\ WR FDSWXUH DQG SXQLVK -DFREXV &RHW]HH¶V UXQDZD\ servants. This mission is presented as a transcription written on Jacobus Coetzee’s behalf, revised and retold in the 1930s and 1940s by S. J. Coetzee, a lecturer at the KLVWRULFDOO\$IULNDQHU6WHOOHQERVFK8QLYHUVLW\ZKRLVDGLVWDQWUHODWLRQRI-DFREXV &RHW]HHDQGIDWKHURIWKH ¿FWLRQDO WUDQVODWRU³-0&RHW]HH´ZKRDOVRSUHIDFHV WKHERRN7KH³$IWHUZRUG´E\6-&RHW]HHLVSDUWRIDVHULHVRIOHFWXUHVJLYHQ annually to the Van Plettenberg Society between 1934 and 1948, on the eve of the $IULNDQHU1DWLRQDO3DUW\¶VDVFHQGHQF\WRSRZHUDQGLVIROORZHGE\DGHSRVLWLRQ in the form of an appendix dictated by Jacobus Coetzee in 1760. $VD¿UVWLQVWDQFHRIZKDW,VKDOOFDOO&RHW]HH¶V³DFWVRIJHQUH´ZKHUH³DFWV´ imply performance, duplicity and self-consciousness, by placing himself as a FKDUDFWHULQKLVQRYHO-0&RHW]HHPDNHVVHOILURQL]LQJFODLPVWRDXWKHQWLFLW\ LQWKLVFDVHYLDWKHJHQUHVRIGRFXPHQWDU\WUDYHORJXHDQGKLVWRULFDOGRFXPHQW and unsettles the reading process: the reader is encouraged to sift through the narrative for elements of truth. Not only does this involve the reader ethically in WKHOLIHRIWKHZRUNDV5RVHPDU\-ROO\VXJJHVWVLWDOVRJHVWXUHV-0&RHW]HH¶V own accountability to history (Colonization 18 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship Myth, according to Barthes, is a “metalanguage´ Mythologies LWSURYLGHV DIRUPE\ZKLFKGLVFRXUVHFDQLWVHOIEHQDWXUDOL]HG 0\WKVHHNVWRQDWXUDOL]H QRWLQQDWHKXPDQEHKDYLRXU 1DWXUH EXW+LVWRU\YLDWKHVRFLDO0RGHUQOLIHLV structured by myth, which sets about obscuring the “what-goes-without-saying´ RU SXW PRUH EOXQWO\ ³LGHRORJLFDO DEXVH´ Mythologies ,W LV VHOIHYLGHQW therefore, why Barthes’s theory of myth can be usefully applied to a colonial SDUDGLJP,QGHHG)UHQFKFRORQLDOLVPLVRQHRI%DUWKHV¶VNH\FRQFHUQV,Q³0\WK 7RGD\´WKHHVVD\WKDWFORVHVKLVDSKRULVWLFP\WKRORJLHV%DUWKHVGHVFULEHVKRZ the image on the cover of the French magazine Paris-MatchRIWKH³1HJUR´VROGLHU VDOXWLQJWKHWULFRORXUSUHVHQWVD³VHPLRORJLFDOV\VWHP´ LWVLJQL¿HVPXOWLSO\PRVW importantly here (note the ironic distance Barthes establishes between author DQGWH[W WKDW³DOO>)UDQFH¶V@VRQVZLWKRXWDQ\FRORXUGLVFULPLQDWLRQIDLWKIXOO\ VHUYH XQGHU KHU ÀDJ DQG WKDW WKHUH LV QR EHWWHU DQVZHU WR WKH GHWUDFWRUV RI DQ alleged colonialism than the zeal shown by this Negro in serving his so-called RSSUHVVRUV´ Mythologies 7KHVLJQL¿HUZKDWWKHSLFWXUHpresents or its mode of presentation, is “already formed with a previous system (a black soldier is giving the French salute ´7KHVLJQL¿HGZKDWWKHSLFWXUHrepresentsRU³PHDQV´%DUWKHV VD\VLVD³SXUSRVHIXOPL[WXUHRI)UHQFKQHVVDQGPLOLWDULQHVV´EXWWKHUHLVDOVRD ³SUHVHQFHRIWKHVLJQL¿HGWKURXJKWKHVLJQL¿HU´ Mythologies ±P\WKRORJLFDO VLJQL¿HGVDOVRFDQEHPXOWLSOH7KLVLVWKHP\WKRIEHQHYROHQWFRORQLDOLVP WKH ³1HJUR´VROGLHULVQRWD³V\PERO´RUDQ³H[DPSOH´EXWD³JHVWXUH´ Mythologies ZKLFKQDWXUDOL]HVWKHSULQFLSOHVDQGPHWKRGVRIWKH)UHQFKHPSLUH7KLVLV ZK\P\WKLVDNLQGRI³ODQJXDJHUREEHU\´ Mythologies EHFDXVHLWGLVWRUWV ¿UVWRUGHUODQJXDJHE\SLFNLQJDQGFKRRVLQJZKLFKPHDQLQJVWRHPSKDVL]HDQG which to conceal. Barthes even wonders if there might be a “mythology of the P\WKRORJLVW´ Mythologies KLQWLQJ,FRQMHFWXUHWKDWKLVRZQGHSOR\PHQWRI DVWUXFWXUDOLVWDSSURDFKWRP\WKGHÀHFWVDWWHQWLRQIURPKLVOHIWLVWSROLWLFVZKLOVW allowing him to get his ideas heard. In the manner of Barthes’s mythologies, the repellent photographs that 'DZQ SDZV RYHU DUH PHDQW WR UHDI¿UP WKH LQYLQFLELOLW\ RI WKH 86 ZKLFK DV KLVWRU\KDVWHVWL¿HGZDVLWVHOIP\WKRORJLFDO WKH¿UVWDSRUQRJUDSKLFLPDJHRI the child-woman and the American lieutenant, the second of American soldiers GLVSOD\LQJWKHLUPDFDEUHWURSKLHVRIVKUXQNHQ9LHWQDPHVHKHDGVDQGWKHWKLUG a picture of a Vietnamese prisoner of war, his face pressed against the bars of KLVFDJHZLWKWKHFDPHUDIRFXVHGRQRQHH\HWKDWJOLQWVLQWKHVXQ7KH¿UVWLV a transparent display of patriarchal, colonialist triumph: the woman’s body is a commodity in the system of patriarchal-colonialist exchange (theorists of anti- colonial nationalism have abundantly demonstrated that women were perceived in this way in the struggle between revolutionary nationalists and the colonizer >FI&KDWWHUMHHNation .DQGL\RWL³,GHQWLW\´ IRU WKH EHQH¿W RI ³&RHW]HH´ 2EVHUYDQW RI WKH SUHYDLOLQJ WHQVLRQV EHWZHHQ WKH 0\WKRJUDSK\'HSDUWPHQWDQGWKHDUP\³&RHW]HH´FDXWLRQV'DZQWRPDNHWKH UHSRUWDFFHVVLEOHWRDQDUP\UHDGHUVKLS³LQZRUGVRIRQHV\OODEOH´H[SODLQLQJ ³KRZP\WKVRSHUDWHLQKXPDQVRFLHW\KRZVLJQVDUHH[FKDQJHGDQGVRIRUWK´ ' 'DZQ RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG ZDQWV WR SULYLOHJH WKH FUHDWLYH DQG H[SOLFLWO\ OLQNV WKH ZULWLQJ RI SURSDJDQGD ± DQ DJJUHVVLYH FRUUXSWLRQ RI KLVWRULFDO WUXWKV that is overtly ideological – with art. The ironic humour that surfaces in the ODWHU ZRUNV UHYHDOV LWVHOI KHUH ZLWK 'DZQ XQFRQVFLRXVO\ DEVROYLQJ KLPVHOI RI UHVSRQVLELOLW\ E\ PDNLQJ VXFK DQ DVVRFLDWLRQ ZKLOVW WKH QDUUDWLYH UHJLVWHUV WKH XQHWKLFDODQGGHP\WKRORJL]HGQDWXUHRIKLVP\WKPDNLQJ LQ%DUWKHVWKHVHFRQG ³GHP\VWLI\LQJ´PRGHWKDW³GHVWUR\V´P\WK )RUDPDQZKRDQVZHUVWRWKHPLOLWDU\ 'DZQUHPDUNVXQUHÀH[LYHO\WKDWKHVKXQVFRQÀLFWRIDQ\KXHKDYLQJVWDWHGWKDW KHLVIHDUIXORIDQJHULQJ³&RHW]HH´ZKR³LVQRZDIDLOHGFUHDWLYHSHUVRQZKR OLYHV YLFDULRXVO\ RII WUXH FUHDWLYH SHRSOH´ ' 1RW RQO\ GRHV 'DZQ SHUFHLYH his current vocation as poetry of sorts, he convinces himself that mythography, KLV³SUHVHQWVSHFLDOLVP´LV³DQRSHQ¿HOGOLNHSKLORVRSK\RUFULWLFLVPEHFDXVHLW KDVQRW\HWIRXQGDPHWKRGRORJ\WRORVHLWVHOIIRUHYHULQWKHPD]HVRI´ ' 'DZQ¶VPLVDSSUHKHQVLRQRIWKHUXOHVRIWKHJDPHZKHUHKHOLNHQVSKLORVRSK\RU WKHSXUVXLWRIWUXWKWRLWVYHU\DQWLWKHVLVSURSDJDQGDRUPDQXIDFWXUHG³WUXWKV´ underscores the distortions produced by ideology, here, the myths of imperialism. It is a symptom of his psychosis and in turn a metaphor for the madness upon which such ideologies are built. “I am a hero of resistance … no less than that, SURSHUO\XQGHUVWRRGLQPHWDSKRU´ ' KHVD\VDQG³,VHHWKLQJVDQGKDYHD GXW\WRZDUGKLVWRU\WKDWFDQQRWZDLW´ ' 'DZQXQZLWWLQJO\H[SRVHVKLPVHOI DVDIDLOHGZULWHUZLWKOLWHUDU\DQGKHURLFSUHWHQVLRQV LQIDFWKHLVVLPSO\DODFNH\ RIWKH$PHULFDQJRYHUQPHQW,URQLFDOO\WKLV³KHURRIUHVLVWDQFH´ZKRLVGHHSO\ suspicious of the U.S. government, has yet to set foot on Vietnamese soil. 'DZQ¶V FRQVWDQW UHDVVHUWLRQ RI VHOI OLNH -DFREXV &RHW]HH¶V H[SRVHV KLV profound insecurity and psychic instability and, as I have argued, he becomes a YLFWLPRIWKHLPSHULDOLVWSURMHFWKHVHUYHV+LVZRUNWKHEXVLQHVVRIZKDWKHFDOOV ³SV\FKRORJLFDOZDUIDUH´FHQWUHVRQWKHTXHVWLRQZKDWSV\FKLFDQGSV\FKRORJLFDO ³IDFWRUV´ PDNH WKH HQHP\ ³UHVLVWDQW WR SHQHWUDWLRQ´" ³+DYLQJ DQVZHUHG WKLV TXHVWLRQZHFDQJRRQWRDVN KRZFDQZHPDNHRXUSURJUDPVPRUHSHQHWUDQW´" '± 1RWHWKH)UHXGLDQOLQJXLVWLFUHJLVWHUWKDWLVDIHDWXUHRIWKHERRN7KH FRQVWUXFWLRQDQGGHFRQVWUXFWLRQ RUOLWHUDOO\GHVWUXFWLRQ RIWKHVXEMHFWWKHHQHP\ Vietnamese, premises the introduction to Dawn’s report. By drawing a picture of the myths and social norms of Vietnamese society (community, patrilinearity DQG VR RQ LQ RUGHU WKDW WKHVH PLJKW EH XQGHUPLQHG SURSDJDQGLVWV OLNH 'DZQ DLP WR ³EUHDN GRZQ JURXS PRUDOH´ ' 'DZQ¶V VXEVHTXHQW SV\FKRORJLFDO EUHDNGRZQ D PHWDSKRU IRU PLPHWLF YLROHQFH UHSURGXFHV WKH YHU\ DLPV RI KLV UHSRUW7KRXJK'DZQZULWHVRI³WKHYLFWLP¶VSUHRFFXSDWLRQZLWKWDLQW´XQGHUWKH KHDGLQJ³7HVWLPRQ\RI&7´ SROLWLFDODVVDVVLQDWLRQ ' WKHWH[WVLJQDOVTXLWH transparently that Dawn and Jacobus are each tainted by the mythologizing in which they are engaged. (Nowhere in the narrative is the meaning of the letters “Father Makes Merry with Children” 21 ³&7´HODERUDWHG WKLVLVWKHGHKXPDQL]LQJP\WKRORJL]LQJODQJXDJHRIZDUZKHUH GHDWKDQGKXPDQVXIIHULQJDUHWUDGHG Jolly argues that both Jacobus and Dawn internalize their “repeated acts of YLRODWLRQ´ ± -DFREXV ¿QGV SOHDVXUH EXUVWLQJ KLV FDUEXQFOH DQG 'DZQ VWDEV KLV son, Martin. Dawn confuses his own identity with Martin’s in what Jolly reads as a sadomasochistic impulse. The sadist feels his independence threatened by the other’s recognition of dependence upon him and can therefore only truly feel independent by violating the other. This Jolly couches in terms of the mythological father: “since recognition of the self … is the source of erotic pleasure, the sadist experiences sexual satisfaction in his violation of the role of the all-powerful IDWKHU´ Colonization± The father/son relationship of Dawn and Martin ironically mirrors the structure RI9LHWQDPHVHVRFLHW\WKDW'DZQLVZRUNLQJWRGLVDEOH+LV³WRXJKDSSURDFK´WR Martin (“How loud must I shout … before [the child] will believe that all is for WKHEHVWWKDW,ORYHKLPZLWKDIDWKHU¶VORYH"´>'@ UHÀHFWVWKHP\WKRORJL]HG paternalism of his report. Under section 1.4 “The father-voice´ 'DZQ ZULWHV ³7KH IDWKHU LV DXWKRULW\ LQIDOOLELOLW\ XELTXLW\´ ' +RZHYHU PLPHWLFDOO\ UHSURGXFLQJKLVUHODWLRQVKLSZLWK0DUWLQXQGHUVHFWLRQ³&RXQWHUP\WKV´KH points out that the fallibility of the father-myth lies in the “portrayal of the father DV YXOQHUDEOH´ ' $V 'DZQ SOXQJHV LQWR WKH GHHSHVW UHFHVVHV RI LQVDQLW\ ³0DUWLQ´FRXQWHULQWXLWLYHO\PHWDPRUSKRVHVLQ'DZQ¶VVLFNPLQGLQWRWKHIDWKHU voice as Dawn’s grasp on reality is subsumed by wild fantasies. Since the external world of the sadist, Jolly argues, refuses to “offer the sadists the recognition [they] desire … they turn upon themselves in what becomes a masochistic bid for self- UHFRJQLWLRQ´ Colonization That the self is consolidated in its recognition of the other is readily apparent LQ-0&RHW]HH¶VSRUWUD\DORI-DFREXV&RHW]HH DV$WWZHOOREVHUYHV ³,QWKHLQLWLDO PRPHQWVRIWKHHQFRXQWHU-DFREXV&RHW]HHVL]HVXSWKH1DPDTXDOHDGHUDQGLV condescendingly pleased with his self-assurance and humanity (this is the Hegelian SOHDVXUHRIH[WUDFWLQJVHOIYDOLGDWLRQIURPWKHUHFRJQLWLRQJLYHQE\WKH2WKHU ´ (J. M. Coetzee -DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VFRQGLWLRQUHÀHFWVWKH$IULNDQHUV¶VWUXJJOHDV farmers against the decline of their cultural history that, as J. M. Coetzee explains LQ³7KH)DUP1RYHOVRI&0YDQGHQ+HHYHU´QHFHVVLWDWHVVXFKDUHDVVHUWLRQ RI VHOI ³:H> @ VHH HIIRUWV WR EXWWUHVV$IULNDQHU SDWULDUFKDOLVP LQ RUGHU WKDW D KHLJKWHQHGVLJQL¿FDQFHVKRXOGEHDWWDFKHGWRWKHDFWVRIWKHIRXQGLQJIDWKHUVWR PDLQWDLQLQJWKHLUOHJDF\DQGSHUSHWXDWLQJWKHLUYDOXHV´ :: ,IZHWDNHDVDQH[DPSOHWKHFDVHRI-DFREXVDQG³LGOHQHVV´ZHPLJKWFRPH to a better understanding of Jacobus’s bid for self-recognition that as Attwell points out, is Hegelian rather than Manichean because it depends upon some form of cultural exchange (J. M. Coetzee± 6-&RHW]HH¶V$IWHUZRUGVLWXDWHV 22 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship -DFREXVDVDFRORQLDOLVWDQGD³%RHU´ 2 he is openly admiring of Jacobus Coetzee, QDPLQJ KLP D KHUR ZKR ³LV DFNQRZOHGJHG E\ VWXGHQWV RI RXU HDUO\ KLVWRU\ DV WKHGLVFRYHUHURIWKH2UDQJH5LYHUDQGWKHJLUDIIH´ ' +HFODLPVWKDWKLV $IWHUZRUGKRZHYHUVHUYHVWR³SUHVHQWDPRUHFRPSOHWHDQGWKHUHIRUHPRUHMXVW YLHZRI-DFREXV&RHW]HH«7RXQGHUVWDQGWKHOLIHRIWKLVREVFXUHIDUPHUUHTXLUHV D SRVLWLYH DFW RI WKH LPDJLQDWLRQ´ ' ± 7KLV ODVW FRPPHQW RI FRXUVH throws all the preceding narrative into doubt, suggesting, as it does, that it is only through willed invention that Jacobus Coetzee’s story can be uncovered at all. S. J. Coetzee, as mythographer, celebrates Jacobus as a hero of Boer history (as RSSRVHGWRD(XURSHDQVHWWOHURQH DQGJLYHVFUHGHQFHWRWKHUDFLVWVWHUHRW\SLQJRI WKH³+RWWHQWRWV´ .KRLVDQ ' WKDWDWWULEXWHV³+RWWHQWRW´³LGOHQHVV´WRVHWWOHU FXOWXUHWRGULQNLQJOLTXRUDQGVPRNLQJWREDFFR Jacobus Coetzee is blind to his own hypocrisy. He regards the Bushmen as ³OLVWOHVVDQGXQUHOLDEOH´ZKLOHRQWKHRWKHUKDQG³,SURJUHVVHGWRDQH[SRVLWLRQRI my career as tamer of the wild. In the wild I lose my sense of boundaries. This is WKHFRQVHTXHQFHRIVSDFHDQGVROLWXGH´ ' $OWKRXJKLWLVDFFHSWDEOHIRUKLP to live outside colonial social norms in the veld, he expects the indigenous peoples WRREVHUYHFXOWXUDODQGVRFLDOSUDFWLFHVDOLHQWRWKHP,QWKHYDVW³HPSWLQHVV´RI the veld, where the boundaries of self and other are in suspension, he unwittingly EHFRPHV PRUH DNLQ WR WKH %XVKPDQ ZKRVH ³LGOHQHVV´ - 0 &RHW]HH DUJXHV LQ ³,GOHQHVV LQ 6RXWK$IULFD´ LV HDUO\ (XURSHDQ WUDYHO ZULWHUV¶ PLVUHFRJQLWLRQ RI D UHFRXUVH WR UHYHULH :: 6XFK ZULWHUV ZKR DUH GXSHG E\ WKHLU RZQ P\WKRORJLHV ODFN WKH FRQFHSWXDO IUDPHZRUN WR SURSHUO\ XQGHUVWDQG UHDG WKH RWKHU 7KH FRORQLDOLVW P\WK RI ³+RWWHQWRW´ LGOHQHVV LV FRHYDO - 0 &RHW]HH VXJJHVWVZLWKWKHHPHUJHQFHRIWKHZRUNHWKLFGXULQJWKH(XURSHDQ(QOLJKWHQPHQW 7KH ³LGOH´ ³+RWWHQWRW´ LQ WKH PDQQHU RI WKH +HJHOLDQ PDVWHUVODYH GLDOHFWLF provides a convenient foil to the European in these early literary representations EXWDOVRDWKUHDW WKH³+RWWHQWRW´LV³under-developed ´EXWDOVRVFDQGDORXVO\QRW VRGLIIHUHQWIURPWKH(XURSHDQ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV :: ³+RWWHQWRW´LGOHQHVV J. M. Coetzee argues, disproves the travel writer’s preconceived “discourses about HOHPHQWDOPDQ´)DLOLQJWRFRUUHVSRQGWRWKHDQWKURSRORJLFDOJULGRIGLIIHUHQFHV drawn up by these early travellers brings about the potentially self-annihilating UHDOL]DWLRQWKDWWKH\VKDUHPRUHHTXLYDOHQFHVWKDQGLIIHUHQFHV RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV :: $WWKHVDPHWLPH6-&RHW]HHUHHYDOXDWHV-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶V FRORQLDOLVW KLVWRULRJUDSK\ -DFREXV&RHW]HHLVSRUWUD\HGDVDQ³REVFXUHIDUPHU´DQGDVWKH OLWWOHPDQRIKLVWRU\ KHUHFRUGVUHFLSURFLW\EHWZHHQPDVWHUDQGVHUYDQWZKRVH FKLOGUHQSOD\HGWRJHWKHU EXWRQO\WRUHDI¿UPWKHKHJHPRQ\RIWKHPDVWHU ' ³+RWWHQWRW´OLIHLVSRUWUD\HGLQKDUPRQ\ZLWKWKH%RHUVDQGOLNHWKH%RHUV¶ LV³FDSDEOHRISLFWXUHVTXHQHVV«7KHTXLHWIDUPKRXVHRQWKHVORSHVWKHTXLHWKXWV 2 In White Writing&RHW]HHH[SODLQVWKDWKHXVHVWHUPVOLNH³+RWWHQWRW´³%XVKPDQ´ DQG³%RHU´ZKLFKLQWKHFDVHRI³+RWWHQWRW´DQG³%XVKPDQ´DUHGHHSO\RIIHQVLYHLQOLQH ZLWK³ROGWLPHXVDJH´ ::Q “Father Makes Merry with Children” 23 LQWKHKROORZWKHVWDUOLWVN\´ ' $ERYHDOO6-&RHW]HHFDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQ the colonialist myth of discovery: “The region was so vast, its explorers so few, WKDWWKHKLVWRULDQPD\OHJLWLPDWHO\WKLQNRILWVIHDWXUHVDVXQNQRZQDQGRIHDFK DVNWKHTXHVWLRQ:KRGLVFRYHUHGWKLV"RUWREHPRUHSUHFLVH:KLFK(XURSHDQ GLVFRYHUHGWKLV"´ '± 3 S. J. Coetzee’s analysis in the Afterword conveys WKH FRQÀLFWXDO UHODWLRQVKLS EHWZHHQ %RHU DQG (XURSHDQ WKDW $WWZHOO DUJXHV FRQYHQLHQWO\ VXSSRUWHG WKH $IULNDQHU QDWLRQDOLVW LGHRORJ\ RI WKH V J. M. Coetzee VHHDOVR*DOODJKHUStory± 6-&RHW]HHGLVPLVVHV(XURSHDQ botanists in the following terms: “The criteria for a new discovery employed E\WKHJHQWOHPHQIURP(XURSHZHUHVXUHO\SDURFKLDO7KH\UHTXLUHGWKDWHYHU\ VSHFLPHQ ¿OO D KROH LQ WKHLU (XURSHDQ WD[RQRPLHV´ ' +H VSHDNV RI WKH ³LQZDUGPRPHQWRIGLVFRYHU\´ZKLFKKHFUHGLWVWRWKH%RHUZKRGUDZVQRWRQO\ IURPKLVRZQH[SHULHQFHVDQGNQRZOHGJHEXWIURPWKDWRIWKH%XVKPDQDVZHOO ' 5HIHUHQFHVWRLGOHQHVVDOVRDOOXGHWRWKHVWHUHRW\SHVWKDWIRUPHGSDUWRI WKHFDVH(XURSHDQWUDYHOZULWHUVZKRP-0&RHW]HHUHIHUVWRDV³VSRNHVPHQ RI FRORQLDOLVP´ ZHUH WR EXLOG DJDLQVW WKH %RHU IURQWLHUVPHQ LQ WKH QLQHWHHQWK FHQWXU\ :: ± WKXVPDNLQJWKH%RHUIDUPHUDQGWKH³+RWWHQWRW´XQOLNHO\ allies. As J. M. Coetzee argues in White Writing, the Boer threatened the purity and VXSHULRULW\RIWKH(XURSHDQRYHUWKH$IULFDQ ³7KHVSRNHVPHQRIFRORQLDOLVPDUH GLVPD\HGE\WKHVTXDORUDQGVORWKRI%RHUOLIHEHFDXVHLWDIIRUGVVLQLVWHUHYLGHQFH RIKRZ(XURSHDQVWRFNFDQUHJUHVVDIWHUDIHZJHQHUDWLRQVLQ$IULFD´ 7KH FORVH SUR[LPLW\ RI VHOI DQG RWKHU WKDW WKH SUHVHQFH RI WKH ³+RWWHQWRW´ threatens to expose leads Jacobus unconsciously to attempt to install more tangible boundaries between the peoples he encounters, appropriating, for instance, Zeno’s 3DUDGR[DQGWKHRULHVRILQ¿QLW\ ³8QGHUWKH+RWWHQWRWFDSWLYLW\,KDGQRWIDLOHGWR NHHSWKH=HQREHHWOHLQPLQG7KHUHKDGEHHQOHJVPHWDSKRULFDOOHJVDQGPXFK HOVHWRRWKDW,KDGEHHQSUHSDUHGWRORVH´ ' 8QGHUWKH=HQRQLDQSULQFLSOH the beetle is seeminglyLQ¿QLWHO\LQGHVWUXFWLEOH ³7KHIRXUWKJDPHZDVWKHPRVW LQWHUHVWLQJRQHWKH=HQRQLDQFDVHLQZKLFKRQO\DQLQ¿QLWHO\GLPLQLVKLQJIUDFWLRQ RIP\VHOIVXUYLYHGWKH¿FWLYHHFKRRIDWLQ\µ,¶ZKLVSHUHGDFURVVWKHYRLGRI HWHUQLW\´ ' FI$WWZHOOJ. M. Coetzee 'RYH\Novels -DFREXVXWLOL]HV WKHVHSULQFLSOHVWRPDLQWDLQKLVRZQLQFUHDVLQJO\IUDJLOHVHQVHRIVHOIEXWOLNH 'DZQ¶VWKLVLVUXSWXUHGZKHQLWEHFRPHVDSSDUHQWWKDWLQWKH³ZLOGHUQHVV´LQ colonialist terms, Jacobus enters the same psychological space inhabited by those he strives to other. 7KHODFNRIVHOIUHÀH[LYLW\RUVHOIXQGHUVWDQGLQJLQ'DZQDQG-DFREXVRUD VNHZHGVHOIUHÀH[LYLW\WKDWZHPLJKWFDOOPDGQHVVLVXVHIXOO\LOOXPLQDWHGE\-0 &RHW]HH¶VDUJXPHQWLQ³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´WKDWDSDUWKHLGLGHRORJ\ZDVPDG J. M. Coetzee treats the writing of the progenitor of apartheid ideology, Geoffrey 3 9DQ=DQWHQ*DOODJKHU QRWHV WKDW WKH ³%DQWX´ ;KRVD DFFRUGLQJ WR ZKLWH 6RXWK African mythology, were only relatively recent immigrants to South Africa, arriving in the HLJKWHHQWKFHQWXU\DWWKHVDPHWLPHDVWKH%RHUVRQWKHLU³WUHNWRWKHLQWHULRU´ Story 24 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship &URQMpDVDNLQGRIFUD]HG VHFXODU FRQIHVVLRQ%\ZD\RITXDOL¿FDWLRQ-0 &RHW]HHSHUFHLYHV&URQMp¶VZRUN not as a repentant confession – far from it – but as a confession of belief, a credo all the more revealing for being full of ignorance and madness. In what now VHHPVROGIDVKLRQHGLQQRFHQFH&URQMpIDOOVLQWRDGHOLULXPRIZULWLQJZLWKD ODFNRIUHVHUYHDODFNRISUXGHQWVHOIFHQVRUVKLSTXLWHIRUHLJQWRKLVVXFFHVVRUV in the academic-bureaucratic castle he helped to build. In that delirium we catch JOLPSVHVRIDSDUWKHLGQDNHGO\RFFXSLHGLQWKLQNLQJLWVHOIRXW%XWZHFDQVKDUH these glimpses only if we read the texts, follow the ravings, from inside, if we LQKDELWZLWKSDUWRIRXUVHOYHV&URQMp¶VSRVLWLRQDVZULWLQJVXEMHFW *2 6HDUFKLQJ IRU WKHLU RZQ SDUWLFXODU ZDUSHG VHQVH RI ³WUXWK´ ERWK SURWDJRQLVWV in DusklandsLQWKHLUVKRUWVLJKWHGLQWURVSHFWLRQDQGLQÀDWHGDVVHUWLRQRIVHOI SUHVHQWWKHUHDGHUZLWKFRQIHVVLRQVQRWXQOLNH&URQMp¶V LQGHHGERWKGLVSOD\³D ODFNRISUXGHQWVHOIFHQVRUVKLS´,QWKLVUHVSHFWZHDUHPRVWOLNHO\WRDWWDLQDNLQG RIWUXWKIXOQHVV QRWWKHWUXWKRIWKHLUQDUUDWLYHVEXWRIWKHXQFRQVFLRXVZRUNLQJV of their minds and of the ideologies that motivate them. 7KHDFWRIUHDGLQJWKHVHWZR³FRQIHVVLRQV´QHFHVVDULO\HQFRXUDJHVWKHUHDGHUWR empathize with Dawn and Jacobus, and thus on a symbolic level the reader is made complicit in their abuse even though, paradoxically, the gratuitous nature of their YLROHQFHPDUNVDUDGLFDOKLDWXVWKDWUHIXVHVWRDOORZWKHUHDGHUWRHQWHUIXOO\WKHOLIH of the text or, in fact, to empathize with its protagonists. Therefore, by disturbing the reader’s sensibilities in this way, the text simulates madness in the experience of UHDGLQJ WKHUHDGHUH[SHULHQFHVWKHPDGQHVVRI³FLYLOL]DWLRQ´³IURPLQVLGH´ ,WLVZRUWKOLQJHULQJKHUHRYHUWKHLVVXHVDURXQGFRQIHVVLRQDQGWKHODFNRI VHOIFHQVRUVKLSUDLVHGE\WKLVQRYHOWKDWDUHDOVROLQNHGWRWKHWKHPHRIFRPSOLFLW\ (issues treated in more depth in Chapters 6, 7 and 8 which are devoted to the WKLUGSKDVHRI&RHW]HH¶VZULWLQJ ³7KH9LHWQDP3URMHFW´SURYLQJIRUDQHWKLFDOO\ minded white writer such as Coetzee thematically apt as the introduction to the oeuvre (cf. Attwell, J. M. Coetzee RSHQVZLWKWKHLURQL]HGFRQIHVVLRQRID JXLOWVWULFNHQZKLWHDJJUHVVRU ³0\QDPHLV(XJHQH'DZQ,FDQQRWKHOSWKDW´ ' ,QDEDFNKDQGHGIDVKLRQ'DZQDSRORJL]HVSHUKDSVIRUWKHTXDLQWQHVVRU OXGLFURXVQHVVRIKLVQDPHDQGQRWIRUKLVXQHWKLFDOYRFDWLRQ+HZRUNVIRUWKH 1HZ/LIH3URMHFWDQGKLVQDPHWKHFRPELQDWLRQRI³(XJHQH´ ³HXJHQLFV´WKH VFLHQWL¿FSURJUDPPHRIVHOHFWLYHEUHHGLQJDGRSWHGE\+LWOHU¶V1D]LV DQG³'DZQ´ ZKLFKWKXVSXQVRQWKH³GDZQRIDQHZUDFH´+HLVLQYROYHGLQUHFRQVWUXFWLQJ the Vietnamese psyche under the auspices of a government that would dissociate itself from the sinister implications of a eugenicist programme, yet the tactics this government employs are themselves suspect. Jacobus Coetzee’s narrative opens with a similarly ironic self-disclosure, though with different, racially supremacist UDPL¿FDWLRQV ³)LYH\HDUVDJR$GDP:LMQDQGD%DVWDUG>³&RORXUHG´@no shame in thatSDFNHGXSDQGWUHNNHGWR.RUDQDFRXQWU\´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ' 7KDW which is defended by Jacobus Coetzee – racial alterity – is automatically thrown “Father Makes Merry with Children” 25 into doubt by the portrayal of Jacobus that follows. Both these white writers therefore offer misplaced, and in Jacobus Coetzee’s case, insincere, confessions: Dawn fails to recognize his culpability for American atrocities in Vietnam, and Jacobus Coetzee exposes his own racism, ironically, by his tacit denial of it. Dawn gradually regresses into endless self-scrutiny, what he calls “the self UHDGLQJ WKH VHOI WR WKH VHOI LQ DOO LQ¿QLW\´ ' HFKRHG DOPRVW YHUEDWLP E\ -0&RHW]HH¶VDQDO\VLVRIFRQIHVVLRQLQ³&RQIHVVLRQDQG'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´,I as J. M. Coetzee claims in Doubling the Point ³DOO ZULWLQJ LV DXWRELRJUDSK\´ DQGDXWRELRJUDSK\LVGULYHQE\WKHGHVLUHIRUVHOINQRZOHGJH ZHFDQ GHGXFHWKDWZULWLQJQHFHVVDULO\LQYROYHVVHOINQRZOHGJH6XEMHFWHGWRWKHSUREOHP RIHQGOHVVFRQIHVVLRQHDFKFRQIHVVLRQUHTXLULQJIXUWKHUFRQIHVVLRQDGLQ¿QLWXP '3 'DZQLVSUH\WRWKHWRUWXRXVEUHDNGRZQRIVHOI RQO\E\EUHDNLQJWKLV chain of self-analysis and self-doubt will he be able to retain his grasp on his VDQLW\:KHUHDVLQWKHODWHUZRUNVWKHZULWHUSURWDJRQLVWVVHOIFULWLFDOO\DQGVHOI FRQVFLRXVO\JUDSSOHZLWKH[LVWHQWLDOTXHVWLRQVDERXWWKHLUSODFHDVZULWHUV'DZQ¶V PLVJLYLQJDERXWWKLVUROHPDQLIHVWVLWVHOISV\FKLFDOO\WKURXJKPHQWDOEUHDNGRZQ On the other hand, guilt is enacted upon Jacobus Coetzee as a character in a ZRUNRI¿FWLRQ WKHPRWLIVRIH[FDYDWLRQDQGVLFNQHVVFRQ¿JXUHDZULWHUO\GLVHDVH ±-0&RHW]HH¶V±ZLWKFRORQLDOLVWYLROHQFH%\MX[WDSRVLQJWKHWZRQDUUDWLYHV -0 &RHW]HH UDLVHV TXHVWLRQV DERXW JXLOW DQG UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RU LQ -DFREXV Coetzee’s case, an absence of guilt and responsibility. Typifying the Coetzean writer, Dawn is tormented by the demons of guilt as he struggles with his responsibilities as a writer, in this case of propaganda, and ZLWKWKHDWWHQGDQWHWKLFVVXFKDSURIHVVLRQFKDOOHQJHV*XLOWLQWKH¿UVWQDUUDWLYH LVH[SOLFLWO\LGHQWL¿HGDVWKHFDXVHRI'DZQ¶VEUHDNGRZQ7KHGRFWRUV¶GLDJQRVLV Dawn says, is that intimate contact with the design of war made me callous to suffering and created in me a need for violent solutions to problems of living, infecting me at the same time with guilty feelings that showed themselves in nervous symptoms. ' 'DZQ¶V³QHUYRXVV\PSWRPV´LQYHUW-HDQ3DXO6DUWUH¶VFODLPLQKLVSUHIDFHWR)UDQW] Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth WKDWWKH³VWDWXVRIµQDWLYH¶LVDQHUYRXV FRQGLWLRQ´ 6DUWUHLVZULWLQJDERXWWKHSV\FKRVLVH[SHULHQFHGE\WKH³QDWLYH´ who internalizes an indignant response to colonial violence. In Dawn’s case he internalizes guilt. Whether a response to anger or guilt, the resultant implosion of VHOIUHGXFHVWKHVXEMHFWWRPDGQHVV,URQLFDOO\KRZHYHU'DZQSRVLWLRQVKLPVHOIas the victimRIJXLOW\IHHOLQJV FRQ¿QHGLQDSV\FKLDWULFLQVWLWXWLRQKHGLVSODFHVDQ\ sense of personal accountability for his morally dubious occupation by claiming, ³7KHUHDVRQ,DPQRWDVKDPHG>DW¿QGLQJP\VHOILQWKHKRVSLWDO@LVRIFRXUVHWKDW, KDYHDEHWWHUFDVHKLVWRU\WKDQWKHORQJWHUPSDWLHQWV´ ' ,QDFFRUGDQFHZLWK the framing device of the novel, his crazed, misconceived sense of guilt refracts the monstrous Jacobus’s myopia. 26 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship The distinction between guilt and shame has preoccupied philosophers and FULWLFDOWKLQNHUVSDUWLFXODUO\LQWKH¿HOGRISRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHV VHHIRUH[DPSOH %KDEKD ³3RVWFRORQLDO $XWKRULW\´ *LOUR\ Against Race JLYHQ WKDW LW SLYRWV RQWKHHWKLFDODQGVRPHWLPHVSROLWLFDOUHVSRQVHVWKHDVKDPHGRUJXLOW\VXEMHFW H[SHULHQFHV WRZDUGV WKH RWKHU 6DUWUH IDPRXVO\ SLFNV XS WKHVH HWKLFDO WHQVLRQV in Being and Nothingness ³I am ashamed of myself before the Other. If DQ\RQHRIWKHVHGLPHQVLRQVGLVDSSHDUVWKHVKDPHGLVDSSHDUVDVZHOO´ ± :DOWHU6LQQRWW$UPVWURQJVXPPDUL]HVWKHGLVWLQFWLRQDVIROORZV ³WKHREMHFWRI JXLOWLVDQLQGLYLGXDODFWZKHUHDVWKHREMHFWRIVKDPHLVDZKROHVHOIRUDFKDUDFWHU trait. In short, people feel guilty for what they do, and they feel ashamed of what WKH\DUH´ ³$VKDPHG´ 7KHHWKLFDOLPSOLFDWLRQVRIWKLVGLVWLQFWLRQDUHFOHDU shame is more attuned to accountability and responsibility and to an end product of self-reform. Guilt, typically experienced physiologically as a paling of the VNLQDQGVKDPHZKLFKLQGXFHVWKHEOXVKRIHPEDUUDVVPHQWDUHV\PSWRPVRIWKH VXEMHFW¶VVHOISHUFHSWLRQRIWKHZURQJGRLQJ WKHLQYLVLELOLW\RIJXLOWPHDQVLWFDQ go unaccounted for whilst shame ineluctably signals personal responsibility. To XQGHUVWDQGZKDWNLQGRIJXLOW\H[SHULHQFHVWKHVHDUHLQWKHOLJKWRIKLVSV\FKRVLV we must unravel Dawn’s perceptions of his own actions and of his relationship to the other. Dawn’s guilt manifests itself unconsciously in his paranoiac delusions. Paranoia, VXJJHVWV-0&RHW]HHLQ³7DNLQJ2IIHQVH´LVWKHSURGXFWRIWKHEHOLHIWKDWWKH ³LQWHQWLRQWRRIIHQGLVGHWHFWHGEHKLQGHYHU\DFWLRQJLYLQJRIIHQVH´ *2 /LNH 'RVWRHYVN\LQThe Master of Petersburg RULQGHHGWKH'RVWRHYVN\ZKR penned The Possessed 'DZQVXIIHUVIURPHSLOHSV\ZKLFKKLVWRULFDOO\ZDV PLVFRQFHLYHGDV³GHPRQSRVVHVVLRQ´ ZKLFKLVKRZLWLVSUHVHQWHGLQDusklands and which in turn in all three texts, on one level, can be read as a metaphor for guilt. Demon-possession hovers behind Dawn’s words: “If this inner face of mine, this vizor of muscle, had features, they would be the monstrous troglodyte features of a man who bunches his sleeping eyes and mouth as a totally unacceptable GUHDPIRUFHVLWVHOILQWRKLP´ ' +HUHIHUVWRKLVZLIH¶V³QRYHOHWWLVKUHDGLQJ RIP\SOLJKW´ ' VD\LQJWKDWVKHEHOLHYHVKLV³KXPDQV\PSDWKLHVKDYHEHHQ FRDUVHQHG«>DQGWKDWKHKDV@EHFRPHDGGLFWHGWRYLROHQWDQGSHUYHUVHIDQWDVLHV´ ' 7KHVHIDQWDVLHVDERXWKLVZRUNSHUPHDWHKLVSULYDWHVH[XDOOLIH KLVSDUDQRLD manifests the belief that Marilyn is indulging in casual, extramarital sex, though he has no evidence to substantiate this delusion save a sexually explicit photograph of his wife published in Playboy Magazine,QWXUQVH[XDOIDQWDVLHVDUHOLQNHGWR WKHZULWLQJSURFHVV LURQLFDOO\'DZQ¶VZLOGLQYHQWLRQVPLUURUWKHLQYHQWLYHQHVVRI KLVSURSDJDQGDZRUN7KHSHUYHUWHGGLVFRXUVHVRISURSDJDQGD DGLVWRUWLRQRIWKH WUXWKIRUSROLWLFDOSXUSRVHV DQGSRUQRJUDSK\ PDWHULDOVROLFLWLQJDQHURWLFUDWKHU WKDQDQDHVWKHWLFRUHPRWLRQDOUHVSRQVH DUHMX[WDSRVHGWRUHYHDOWKDWERWKDUH HQFRGHGE\SDWULDUFK\DQGLPSHULDOLVP'DZQWKLQNVRIWKHSKRWRJUDSKRI0DULO\Q LQMXVWWKHVHWHUPV±³0HDWIRU\RXUPDVWHU´ ' ±DQGWKHWKUHHSKRWRJUDSKVKH UHWDLQVIURPWKHUHSRUW+HDGVXJJHVWV³RIIHUDGLVWLOODWLRQRILPSHULDOLVWYLROHQFH´ (J. M. Coetzee “Father Makes Merry with Children” 27 'DZQPXVW³H[RUFLVH>WKHGHPRQVRIPDGQHVV@ZKLOHWKH\DUHZHDNDQG>KH@LV VWURQJ´ ' +HVHHNVDEVROXWLRQIRUVWDEELQJKLVVRQEXWQHYHUWKHOHVVUHIXVHV to accept culpability, EHFDXVH,NQRZWKDWLI0DUWLQXQGHUVWRRGWKHVWUDLQ,ZDVXQGHUKHZRXOGIRUJLYH PH DQGEHFDXVHDOVR,EHOLHYHJXLOWWREHDVWHULOHGLVSRVLWLRQRIWKHPLQGXQOLNHO\ WRIXUWKHUP\FXUH ' Since Dawn’s response is directed towards the action of stabbing and not to his own sense of self, his response to the crime can be diagnosed as guilt rather than shame, ruling out the possibility of self-reform. Nonetheless, even his guilt is misdirected VLQFHEL]DUUHO\KLVFULPLQDODFWLRQV¿JXUHQRZKHUHLQWKLVFRQIHVVLRQ+HUHIXVHV WR DFFHSW UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RQ WZR FRXQWV ¿UVWO\ WDNLQJ DGYDQWDJH RI WKH QDwYH unconditional love of the child for its parent, he believes he would be forgiven by Martin, and secondly, self-interest tells him that guilt will not cure his psychic FROODSVH 7KLV LV ZKDW ZH PLJKW FDOO WKH SRVWPRGHUQ VXEMHFW¶V VFKL]RSKUHQLF response to reality: Dawn’s understanding of his actions has detached itself entirely from the fact of the crime. Fredric Jameson argues that postmodernism, characterized by the “waning of DIIHFW´ Postmodernism ZKHUHE\IHHOLQJV³DUHQRZIUHHÀRDWLQJDQGLPSHUVRQDO DQGWHQGWREHGRPLQDWHGE\DSHFXOLDUNLQGRIHXSKRULD´ Postmodernism LV best represented by the schizophrenic condition. Modernism on the other hand HPERGLHVWKHH[SHULHQFHVRIDOLHQDWLRQDQGLVRODWLRQ-DPHVRQWXUQVWR-DFTXHV /DFDQ WR GH¿QH VFKL]RSKUHQLD ³$ EUHDNGRZQ LQ WKH VLJQLI\LQJ FKDLQ WKDW LV WKH LQWHUORFNLQJ V\QWDJPDWLF VHULHV RI VLJQL¿HUV ZKLFK FRQVWLWXWHV DQ XWWHUDQFH RU PHDQLQJ´ Postmodernism -DPHVRQ FKRRVHV ODUJHO\ WR VNLUW DURXQG WKH V\PEROLFDOO\IDPLOLDOEDVLV XSRQ ZKLFK /DFDQ¶V GH¿QLWLRQUHVWV EXW /DFDQVLWV nicely with the analysis of Dawn made here because the rival of the schizophrenic LVQRWWKHELRORJLFDOIDWKHURIWKH2HGLSDO&RPSOH[EXWWKH³1DPHRIWKH)DWKHU´ as a linguistic function of authority (Postmodernism ,QSRVWPRGHUQFXOWXUHWKH UHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQVLJQL¿HUDQGVLJQL¿HGEHWZHHQZRUGRUVRXQGLPDJH IRUP DQGFRQFHSW FRQWHQW LVUHSODFHGDFFRUGLQJWR-DPHVRQE\³WKDWREMHFWLYHPLUDJH RIVLJQL¿FDWLRQJHQHUDWHGDQGSURMHFWHGE\WKHUHODWLRQVKLSRIVLJQL¿HUVDPRQJ WKHPVHOYHV´ Postmodernism 6FKL]RSKUHQLDPDQLIHVWVLQWKHVXEMHFWLQZKRP WKHVLJQLI\LQJFKDLQ³VQDSV´-DPHVRQSRLQWVRXWWKDWKLVLQWHUHVWLQVFKL]RSKUHQLD LV QRW FOLQLFDO EXW FXOWXUDO DV D ³VXJJHVWLYH DHVWKHWLF PRGHO´ Postmodernism DVLWLVRQRQHOHYHOLQDusklands if we read the protagonists’ madness as a metaphor of imperial and colonial violence. 1RWXQOLNHWKH³GHSWKOHVVQHVV´RIWKHSRVWPRGHUQFRQGLWLRQ'DZQLQYLWHVD VXSHU¿FLDOUHDGLQJRIKLVUHSRUW'DZQ¶VWUHDWPHQWRIWKHSKRWRJUDSKVFRUUHVSRQGV ZLWK-DPHVRQ¶VDQDO\VLVRISRVWPRGHUQLW\DVD³ZDQLQJRIDIIHFW´ZKLFK-DPHVRQ DWWULEXWHVWRWKH³ODWHFDSLWDOLVW´SKDVH'DZQ¶VIHWLVKL]DWLRQRIWKHSKRWRJUDSKV betrays his disassociation from Vietnam, of being literally out of touch with UHDOLW\ ³,FORVHP\H\HVDQGSDVVP\¿QJHUWLSVRYHUWKHFRRORGRUOHVVVXUIDFH 28 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship RI WKH SULQW´ ' +H VWUXJJOHV WR UHFWLI\ WKLV E\ SUHVVLQJ RQ WKH LPDJH RI the prisoner’s eye. This is the postmodernist relation between reader and text. The photographs themselves in Dusklands cannot be described in terms of the GHSWKOHVVQHVVRIZKLFK-DPHVRQZULWHV³ZKLFKFRQIHUVLWVGHDWKO\TXDOLW\´WRWKH image (Postmodernism EHFDXVHH[FHSWIRUWKHDPELJXRXVSKRWRJUDSKRIWKH child-woman, these are photographs of very real human suffering. Nevertheless, 'DZQ¶VUHVSRQVHWRWKHVHLPDJHVLVV\PSWRPDWLFRIWKH³ZDQLQJRIDIIHFW´WKDW Jameson theorizes: On mornings when my spirits have been low and nothing has come, I have DOZD\VKDGWKHVWDELOL]LQJNQRZOHGJHWKDWXQIROGHGIURPWKHLUZUDSSLQJVDQG exposed, these pictures could be relied on to give my imagination the slight HOHFWULFLPSXOVHWKDWLVDOOLWQHHGVWRVHWLWIUHHDJDLQ ' 7KH ¿UVW SLFWXUH DV UHIHUUHG WR DERYH GHSLFWV DQ$PHULFDQ OLHXWHQDQW D JLDQW RI D PDQ FRSXODWLQJ ZLWK D ZRPDQ VR WLQ\ VKH FRXOG EH D FKLOG ' 7KH IUDPLQJRIWKHSLFWXUHXQGHUWKHKHDGLQJ³)DWKHU0DNHV0HUU\´UHWXUQVXVWRWKH patriarchal relations that structure Vietnamese society and hence, in turn, to U.S. P\WKRJUDSK\,VWKHZRPDQGUXJJHGDSURVWLWXWHEHLQJUDSHG FRXOGWKHVFHQH EH VWDJHG" 6KH LV FDXJKW EHWZHHQ WZR VFUHHQV WKH FDPHUD OHQV DQG WKH EODQN WHOHYLVLRQWKDWQRWRQO\UHÀHFWVWKHÀDVKLQJEXOEEXWDOVRPLUURUVWKHEODQNQHVVRU depthlessness of the woman’s expression, rendering her a readerless text. In the SURFHVVVKHLVVLPXOWDQHRXVO\GHKXPDQL]HGE\WKH³FRQVXPHU´RIWKHSKRWRJUDSK 0RUHSRVLWLYHO\VKH¿JXUHVDUHVLVWLQJWH[W If we consider Dawn’s inability to process the mythologies about which he writes, illustrated in his perverse interest in the photographs that capture scenes RI KHLQRXV DEXVH DQG LI ZH WDNH LQWR DFFRXQW KLV SV\FKRVLV ZKLFK UHDFKHV LWV nadir in his inability to comprehend the enormity of his crime when he stabs his son, we can readily see how he corresponds with the postmodern schizophrenic VXEMHFWVNHWFKHGE\-DPHVRQ6XFKDQDQDO\VLVKRZHYHULVFRPSOLFDWHGE\WKH HWKLFRSROLWLFVRI-0&RHW]HH¶VSURMHFWLQFRQMXULQJSURWDJRQLVWVOLNH'DZQDQG -DFREXV&RHW]HHUHSUHVHQWDWLRQVZKLFKMDUZLWK-DPHVRQ¶VPRGHORIGHSWKOHVVQHVV DQGD³ZHDNHQLQJRIKLVWRULFLW\´ Postmodernism )URPWKLVZHFDQGHGXFHWKDW WKHEUHDN-DPHVRQLGHQWL¿HVEHWZHHQKLJKPRGHUQLVPDQGSRVWPRGHUQLVPLVOHVV pronounced than he implies. Indeed, Dawn bridges this divide: a character who LVWKHVXEMHFWRISRVWPRGHUQGLVFRXUVHEXWRQHPRXOGHGDQGVKDSHGLQWRDODWH PRGHUQLVWWH[WWKDWE\GH¿QLWLRQZLOOEHHWKLFDOLIQRWSROLWLFDODVZHOO J. M. Coetzee explains Freud’s theory of paranoia in an essay on censorship in South Africa, “that part of paranoia is a general detachment of libido from the ZRUOG´ *2 +H JRHV RQ WR DUJXH WKDW LQ WKH WZLOLJKW \HDUV RI DSDUWKHLG WKLVGHWDFKPHQWRIOLELGRLQZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQVWRRNWKHIRUPRIWKHORVVRI DQ LPDJLQDWLYH FDSDFLW\ WR HQYLVDJH WKH IXWXUH *2 ± ,Q WKH SROLWLFDO VSKHUHSDUDQRLDPDQLIHVWHGLWVHOIDWWKHOHYHORIIHDURI³WRWDORQVODXJKW´RIHQHP\ VWDWHVDJDLQVW6RXWK$IULFDDVZHOODV³:HVWHUQ&KULVWLDQFLYLOL]DWLRQLQ$IULFD´ “Father Makes Merry with Children” 29 *2 4 Paranoia also exhibited itself in censorship. Applied to Dawn’s case LWEHFRPHVHYLGHQWKRZ WKHSDUDQRLDFVWDWHKHUHWKH86 SURMHFWVLWVPDODLVH RQ WR WKH YHU\ HQYR\ LW FKDUJHV ZLWK FRQYH\LQJ LWV GDUN PHVVDJH:KDW - 0 &RHW]HHLGHQWL¿HVDVWKH³HVVHQWLDOJHVWXUHRIFHQVRUVKLS´LVWKHDELOLW\WRMXGJH what to admit into the consciousness and what to refuse. Clearly in the case of SURSDJDQGD ZULWHUV DUH DEXQGDQWO\ DZDUH WKDW WKHLU MXGJHPHQW IXQFWLRQV RQ D different plane, that propaganda involves the embellishment of the facts. In Dawn WKLVSKHQRPHQRQPDQLIHVWVLWVHOILQKLVLQDELOLW\WRMXGJHZKDWLVUHDODQGZKDWLV not, what to admit and what to refuse. -DFREXV &RHW]HH ZKR ODFNV DQ\ VXFK DOEHLW SDWKRORJLFDO VHOIUHÀH[LYLW\ LV portrayed as a foolishly egocentric and self-aggrandizing colonist: “Perhaps on my KRUVHDQGZLWKWKHVXQRYHUP\ULJKWVKRXOGHU,ORRNHGOLNHDJRG´WRWKH+RWWHQWRWV ' 7KLVLVP\WKDQGPDGQHVVLQWKHUDZ -DFREXVLVWKHVWDQGDUGEHDUHURI colonial expansionism and the herald of its madness. His gun is the colonist’s ³PHGLDWRUZLWKWKHZRUOG´EHFDXVHLWUHPLQGVKLPRIKLVRZQPRUWDOLW\MXVWDV LWJLYHVKLPWKHSRZHUWRWDNHDOLIH ' +HSHUFHLYHVH[HFXWLQJKLVUHQHJDGH VHUYDQWVDVDGXW\ D³VDFUL¿FHIRUP\VHOIDQGIRUP\FRXQWU\PHQ´KDYLQJ³WDNHQ LWXSRQP\VHOIWREHWKHRQHWRSXOOWKHWULJJHU´IRU³*RG¶VMXGJHPHQWLVMXVW´ ' KHEHOLHYHVWKDWD³ZRUOGZLWKRXWPHLVLQFRQFHLYDEOH´ ' 5HDGRQD OLWHUDOOHYHOIURP-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VSRLQWRIYLHZWKLVODVWUHPDUNLVWDXWRORJLFDO DOORZLQJ-0&RHW]HHWRPRFNKLVSURWDJRQLVW¶VP\RSLD-DFREXV&RHW]HHODFNV WKHFDSDFLW\WRUHIRUPKLVPLVVLRQIDLOVEXWKHXQGHUJRHVQRHWKLFDODZDNHQLQJ DQGLQWKLVUHVSHFWKHLVXQOLNHWKHODWHU ZKLWH QDUUDWRUDXWKRUVZKRDWWKHYHU\ OHDVWDUHVHOITXHVWLRQLQJDQGW\SLFDOO\EXUGHQHGE\JXLOW $FFRUGLQJ WR - 0 &RHW]HH LQ ³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´ WKH %RHUV¶ SDUDQRLDF IHDURIPLVFHJHQDWLRQUHYHDOHGLQ&URQMp¶VZULWLQJZKLFKZDVEDVHGXSRQQRWLRQV RI³UDFLDOSXULW\´ *2 ± FDQRQO\EHH[RUFL]HGIURPWKHFROOHFWLYH South African consciousness by according madness its place in history (GO 7RFDWHJRUL]HPDGQHVVRQWRORJLFDOO\DVLWKDVEHHQLQ6RXWK$IULFD-0 Coetzee argues, is to dislocate it from history yet he concedes that to call apartheid WKLQNLQJPDGPLJKWEHFRQVWUXHGDVSROLWLFDOVLGHVWHSSLQJDQGWKDWZKLWHOLEHUDOV XVHGWKHGLDJQRVLVRIPDGQHVVWR³GLVWDQFH>@WKHPVHOYHV´IURPDSDUWKHLGZKLOVW GRLQJQRWKLQJWRHQGEODFNRSSUHVVLRQ *2± 7KLVDUJXPHQWKLJKOLJKWVWKH SUREOHPRIOLQNLQJPDGQHVVZLWKFULPLQDOLW\DQGLPSHULDOFRPSOLFLW\LQ'DZQ who cannot be held fully accountable when he stabs his son because his insanity diminishes his responsibility (or he can only be held accountable as criminally LQVDQH 1HYHUWKHOHVVEHFDXVHKLVPDGQHVVLVWKHFRQVHTXHQFHRIKLVSDUWLFXODU YRFDWLRQRQWKHVHJURXQGVKLVDFFRXQWDELOLW\±DQGWKHUHIRUHWKHHWKLFVRIWKHERRN – must stand. 4 ,QUHVSRQVHWRWKH³WRWDORQVODXJKW´RIWKH VLQVXUUHFWLRQVLQ6RXWK$IULFD3: %RWKDODXQFKHGDSROLF\RI³WRWDOVWUDWHJ\´WKDWZDVWREULQJDUDQJHRISROLFLHVWRJHWKHULQ WKH¿JKWDJDLQVWWKHUHYROXWLRQDULHV %HLQDUW 30 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship ,QLWVUHÀHFWLRQVRQWKHPDGQHVVRI³FLYLOL]DWLRQ´Dusklands offers a damning FULWLTXH RI (QOLJKWHQPHQW WKLQNLQJ DQG VRFDOOHG UDWLRQDOLW\ FI $WWZHOO J. M. Coetzee ± +HDG J. M. Coetzee ± SLYRWLQJ RQ WKH PDGQHVV RI ³FLYLOL]DWLRQ´7KHTXRWDWLRQIURP)ODXEHUW³:KDWLVLPSRUWDQWLVWKHSKLORVRSK\ RIKLVWRU\´WKDWSUHIDFHV³7KH1DUUDWLYHRI-DFREXV&RHW]HH´WUDQVSDUHQWO\VLJQDOV WKH ERRN¶V SDURGLF GHVLJQ ZKLFK LQ WXUQ H[SRVHV WKH LGHRORJLHV XQGHUSLQQLQJ history. Flaubert’s text is itself parodic, as Attwell reminds us (J. M. Coetzee 44– 3ODFLQJWKHTXRWDWLRQEHIRUHWKHVHFRQGQDUUDWLYHH[SRVHV-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶V PRQXPHQWDOODFNRIVHOIUHÀH[LYLW\WRZDUGVKLVFRORQLDOLVWDJHQGD ³7KHRQHJXOI WKDWGLYLGHVXVIURPWKH+RWWHQWRWVLVRXU&KULVWLDQLW\:HDUH&KULVWLDQVDIRONZLWK DGHVWLQ\7KH\EHFRPH&KULVWLDQVWRREXWWKHLU&KULVWLDQLW\LVDQHPSW\ZRUG´ ' -DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VH[FHVVLYHSURQRXQFHPHQWVDUHWKHQMX[WDSRVHGZLWKKLV unselfconscious revelations about his own brutalized and misogynistic notion of &KULVWLDQLW\LQKLVGHVFULSWLRQRI%XVKPHQZRPHQ LURQ\OD\VEDUH&KULVWLDQLW\DV DQ³HPSW\ZRUG´7KH¿JXUHRIWKH³&KULVWLDQ´KHSDURGLFDOO\LQKDELWVLVYLROHQWO\ imposed upon the other: >7KH%XVKPDQJLUO@KDVVHHQ\RXNLOOWKHPHQZKRUHSUHVHQWHGSRZHUWRKHU« You have become Power itself now and she nothing, a rag you wipe yourself on and throw away. She is completely disposable. She is something for nothing, IUHH ' $FFRUGLQJWR-DFREXVWKLVLVXQOLNH'XWFKZRPHQZKR³FDUU\DQDXUDRISURSHUW\ ZLWKWKHP7KH\DUH¿UVWRIDOOSURSHUW\WKHPVHOYHV« DWWKHVDPHWLPHFDOOLWREVFHQH´LILWLQGXFHVZKDW-RHO)HLQEHUJFDOOV³GLVOLNHG PHQWDOVWDWHV´ )HLQEHUJTWGLQ*2 'DZQ¶VSKRWRJUDSKVDUHREVFHQHEXWKH reads them pornographically – another indicator of his madness. The photographs are both titillating and violent (whereas Jacobus’s sociopathic response to ³%XVKPHQ´ZRPHQEHDUVDOOWKHWUDGHPDUNVRIFRORQLDOYLROHQFH %\QHFHVVDULO\ engaging with the pornographic in the novel, the reader is made complicit in this violence, which, as I have already discussed, would account for the violence being especially troubling. The reading experience of this particular novel is itself ³PDG´ GHVWDEOL]LQJ EHFDXVHDVUHDGHUVZHDUHERWKFRPSOLFLWZLWKDQGUHYXOVHG from the text. Dawn’s three photographs of his prisoners, which have a perverse VWDELOL]LQJHIIHFWKHEHOLHYHVRQKLVVHQVHRIVHOI ' WKHVH[XDOYLROHQFHGRQH WRWKH\RXQJ³+RWWHQWRW´JLUOLQ-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VQDUUDWLYHDQGHYHQWKHYLROHQFH the latter enacts upon himself when he bursts the carbuncle, which is a means of UHHVWDEOLVKLQJKLVVHQVHRIVHOIKDYHUHFRXUVHWRWKH=HQRQLDQP\WKRILQ¿QLWH LQIDOOLELOLW\DQGJDPHSOD\LQJ ' The violence meted out upon the other is, if in a minimal way, witnessed by the reader via the act of reading. We are alternatively encouraged to empathize with the other and, through witnessing, made complicit in the other’s abuse, which, as I have explained, is the madness of this particular reading act. Reading is, at some level, to experience, and perhaps this is why J. M. Coetzee represents violence in such intimate, stomach-churning detail: entering Dawn’s, Jacobus Coetzee’s, or, LQGHHG&URQMp¶VVXEMHFWSRVLWLRQIRULQVWDQFHWKHUHDGHUH[SHULHQFHV DVLPXODWLRQ RI FRPSOLFLW\DQGPDGQHVVZKDWLQRWKHUFRQWH[WV-0&RHW]HHKDVFDOOHGWDLQW RUFRQWDJLRQ7KHHWKLFDOLQÀHFWLRQVRIVXFKDPRYHDUHWKHUHIRUHVHOIHYLGHQW +HDGFRQ¿UPVWKLVDUJXPHQWZKHQKHVXJJHVWVWKDW³7RVRPHH[WHQWWKHUHLVLQ such passages, an enactment of the brutal pseudo-rationality that the novel would UHMHFW&RQVHTXHQWO\RQHLVUHTXLUHGWREHDUHVLVWLQJUHDGHUDQGWKLVLVVLJQDOOHG TXLWHREYLRXVO\´ J. M. Coetzee 7KH ZRUN RI GHP\WKRORJL]LQJ KLVWRULFDO QDUUDWLYH ERWK KLVWRU\ DQG WKH historical novel, leads J. M. Coetzee in Dusklands to peel away the processes of mythology and to inhabit inventively the mythographer’s mind and in turn to expose the madness of so-called civilization. Dawn and Jacobus are deeply HPEURLOHGLQWKHLGHRORJLFDOZRUNRILPSHULDOLVPDQG(PSLUHEXV\HVWDEOLVKLQJ the myths of the father. But, preparing the ground for J. M. Coetzee’s next novels, In the Heart of the Country DQGWaiting for the Barbarians ZHVHH how the distorting effect of myth leads to madness which, as revealed in these servants of imperial and colonial powers who struggle to shore up the fragments of their shattered selves, is in part the somatic response to the acts of violence they KDYHSHUSHWUDWHGDJDLQVWWKHRWKHULQWKH³IDWKHU¶V´QDPH Though DusklandsPD\SURYHWRRFRQWULYHGIRUVRPHUHDGHUVWKHMX[WDSRVLWLRQ RIWKHWZRVHSDUDWHQDUUDWLYHVUHÀHFWV-0&RHW]HH¶VRZQGLVORFDWHGLGHQWLW\ escaping apartheid South Africa in the late 1960s and early 70s to the U.S., the ZULWHU DSSHDUV HTXDOO\ GLVLOOXVLRQHG ZLWK WKH P\WK RI WKH IUHH ZRUOG WKDW KH portrays in Dusklands. This page has been left blank intentionally Chapter 2 5HIXVLQJWR³ Writing is not free expression. J. M. Coetzee, Doubling the Point 65 0DGQHVVFRQWLQXHVWRWDNHFHQWUHVWDJHLQ-0&RHW]HH¶VVHFRQGQRYHOIn the Heart of the Country KHUHDIWHUUHIHUUHGWRDVHeart of the Country 7KLV time, however, Coetzee enters the consciousness of a female narrator, Magda, ZKR OLYHV RQ WKH 6RXWK$IULFDQ .DURR DQG LV RI %RHU IDUPLQJ VWRFN DQG ZKR therefore inhabits the psychically and textually precarious position of being both oppressor, as white colonial, and oppressed, as female. The preoccupation of this novel is the female colonial writer’s psychic struggle with identity, achieved, as in the earlier novel Dusklands WKURXJKWKHSRUWUD\DORIDQDXWKRU¿JXUHZKR GHVFHQGVLQWRPDGQHVV6XFKDUHDGLQJPD\VWULNHVRPHDVFRQWUDU\WR&RHW]HH¶V intention because the protagonist only functions symbolically as author – of her life – but I will argue that it is the representation of Magda as writer that goes to WKHKHDUWRIWKHZRUN,WLVE\UHVLVWLQJDQGWKHQVXFFXPELQJWRZULWLQJWKDW0DJGD EDWWOHVDJDLQVWWKH³VSHFWUHRIUHDVRQ´WKDWRSSUHVVHVKHU +& RIWKLVWURSHLQ6RXWKHUQ$IULFDQ¿FWLRQDUHSOHQWLIXO 2OLYH6FKUHLQHU¶VThe Story of an African Farm 6DUDK*HUWUXGH0LOOLQ¶VGod’s Stepchildren William Plomer’s Turbott Wolfe 3HWHU$EUDKDP¶V The Path of Thunder 'RULV/HVVLQJ¶VThe Grass is Singing %HVVLH+HDG¶VA Question of Power 0RQJDQH:DOO\6HURWH¶VTo Every Birth Its Blood DQGSRVW DSDUWKHLG.6HOOR'XLNHU¶VThe Quiet Violence of Dreams ,WLVWKURXJKWKHWHQVLRQVJHQHUDWHGE\WKHFRQÀXHQFHRIJHQGHUHGDQGUDFHG RSSUHVVLRQWKDW0DJGD¶VLQVDQLW\ KHUVRFLDOFRQGLWLRQ FDQEHWUDFHG\HWVKHDOVR IXQFWLRQVDVWKH³XQVWDEOH´WH[WRUZKDW&DUROLQH5RG\KDVFDOOHGD³SDSHUWKLQ OLWHUDU\WURSH´ ³'DXJKWHU¶V5HYROW´ $VIRU'DZQLQDusklands, madness UHQGHUV0DJGDDQXQUHOLDEOHQDUUDWRU&RHW]HHKRZHYHULVVNHSWLFDODERXWWKH usefulness of reading Magda as mad: “Magda is passionate in the way that one FDQEHLQ¿FWLRQ ,VHHQRIXUWKHUSRLQWLQFDOOLQJKHUPDG ´ '3 $OWKRXJK WKLVDI¿UPVWKHERRN¶VH[SHULPHQWDOGHVLJQDV5RODQG%DUWKHV¶V³'HDWKRIWKH $XWKRU´ZDUQVXVZHVKRXOGQRWIHHOREOLJHGDVUHDGHUVWRWKHZKLPVRUZLOORI the author nor to the effect the author intends. I therefore will argue that Magda LVERWKPDGOLWHUDOO\DQGOLWHUDULO\ZRUNLQJRQWKHSULQFLSOHWKDWWKHFDWHJRULHV of the real and the literary in this novel are irrevocably entangled, deriving meaning from each other. In her struggle to retain her sanity and her sense of VHOIVKHLVFRQIURQWHGZLWKD&RHW]HDQGRXEOHELQG DVDFKDUDFWHULQDERRNVKH must represent herself through writing if she wants to assert her autonomy but WRGRVRPHDQVEHLQJVXEMHFWWRGLVFRXUVHZKLFKLQWKLVQRYHOLVDOZD\VDOUHDG\ SDWULDUFKDO DVZHOODVFRORQLDOLVW Shoshana Felman’s concern in Writing and Madness ZLWK ³PRGHV and structures of repressionZLWKLQOLWHUDU\ODQJXDJH´OHDGVKHUWRFRQFOXGHWKDW ³%HWZHHQOLWHUDWXUHDQGPDGQHVVWKHUHH[LVWVDQREVFXUHEXWHVVHQWLDONLQVKLS D NLQVKLSHQWDLOHGSUHFLVHO\E\whatever blocks them off, by that which destines WKHP DOLNH WR UHSUHVVLRQ DQG GLVDYRZDO´ Writing and Madness )HOPDQ whose approach is deconstructive, advocates reading correlations between the literariness of madness and the madness of literature because, she argues, both literature and madness are premised upon repression or what Freud calls “a failure RIWUDQVODWLRQ´ TWGLQ)HOPDQWriting and Madness E\ZKDWLVOHIWXQVDLG The duality of madness in Heart of the Country is made available by reading WKHVLOHQFHVVSRNHQLQ0DJGD¶VSV\FKRVLVand the literary history in which she is placed. Perhaps it is here, however, that Coetzee’s novel is compromised. As Clingman argues, Felman’s deconstructive methodology, that neglects the social IDFWRUV WKDW LQGXFH PDGQHVV LV ZHDNHQHG E\ LWV LQKHUHQW HVVHQWLDOLVP )HOPDQ UHDGV DOO OLWHUDU\ WH[WV DV ³PDG´ ³µZULWLQJ¶ DQG µPDGQHVV¶ DUH QRWKLQJ RWKHU WKDQPXWXDOO\UHIHUHQWLDO´ ³%H\RQGWKH/LPLW´ &RHW]HH¶VFRPPHQWRQWKH fruitlessness of reading Magda as mad points us in a similar direction, but, with Barthes in mind, on this point I would beg to differ. 7KHQDPHµ0DJGD¶ZKLFKZHOHDUQRQO\PLGZD\WKURXJKWKHQDUUDWLYHLQYRNHV WKHDEVXUGLVWQDPLQJE\0ROOR\RIWKHPRWKHU¿JXUHLQ6DPXHO%HFNHWW¶VQRYHO Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 35 I called her Mag, when I had to call her something … . For before you say mag, you say ma, inevitably. And da, in my part of the world, means father. Besides, IRUPHWKHTXHVWLRQGLGQRWDULVHDWWKHSHULRG,¶PZRUPLQJLQWRQRZ,PHDQWKH TXHVWLRQRIZKHWKHUWRFDOOKHU0D0DJRUWKH&RXQWHVV&DFD Molloy± So for Molloy, Mag-da is at once meaningless, or illustrative of the need to ¿QGPHDQLQJHYHQZKHUHQRQHH[LVWVDQGUHSUHVHQWVWKHIRUPDWLYHFKLOGSDUHQW UHODWLRQVKLSLQDFKLOG¶VGHYHORSPHQWWKDWLVNH\WR&RHW]HH¶VQRYHO7KLVSDUDGR[RI meaning and not-meaning is, moreover, indicative of Magda’s unstable condition – both literal and literary – and it is partly her construction as mad that allows Coetzee to achieve this. ³0DJGD´DOVRSDURGLHVWKHV\PEROLVPRIWKHZLIHRIWKHP\WKRORJL]HG*UHDW 7UHNOHDGHU3LHW5HWLHI *DOODJKHUStory WKHKHURLQHRI&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOGRHVQ¶W IXO¿OWKHKRPHO\UHTXLUHPHQWVRIWKHFHOHEUDWHG$IULNDQHUZRPHQDFFRUGHGWRKHU QDPHVDNH 6XVDQ9DQ=DQWHQ*DOODJKHULQYRNLQJWKHWLWOHRIWKHQRYHOQRWHVWKDW ³7UDGLWLRQDOGLVFRXUVHKROGVWKDWDPRUDOGRPHVWLFLW\PDNHVZRPHQWKHµKHDUW¶ RIWKHFRXQWU\´ Story 0DJGD¶VVSLQVWHUKRRGVHUYHVRQO\WRH[DJJHUDWHKHU marginality in what is a deeply patriarchal society with its expectations of women as wives and mothers (vrou en moeder ZKRDUHXSKHOGDVWKHFXVWRGLDQVRIUDFLDO purity and the morality of the tribe. The experience of alienation, Clingman suggests (and Magda is the SHUVRQL¿FDWLRQRIDOLHQDWLRQpar excellence ³IURPWKHIRUHLJQODQGWKHFRQWLQHQW DQGLWVSHRSOHV>@LVWKHUHDOLW\RIWKHFRORQLDOHQWHUSULVH´ ³%H\RQG´ 0DJGD IHHOV DOLHQDWHG E\ WKH VH[XDO UHODWLRQVKLSV WKDW VKH LPDJLQHV KDYH EHHQ EXLOW EHWZHHQKHUIDWKHUDQGKLVQHZEULGHEHWZHHQWKHEODFNVHUYDQWV+HQGULNDQG Klein-Anna, and between her father and Klein-Anna: “lines have been drawn, I DPH[FOXGHGIURPFRPPXQLRQ´ +& 6KHH[SHULHQFHVERWK(OHFWUDOIDQWDVLHV ±WKHGDXJKWHUKHUHLQIDQWLOL]HG +& GHVLULQJWKHIDWKHUDQGXVXUSHG E\WKH³PRWKHU´±DQGFRORQLDOLVWIDQWDVLHVRIWKHIHDURIDQGGHVLUHIRUWKHEODFN RWKHU0DJGDFRQFHLYHVRI+HQGULNDVDIDWKHU¿JXUHDQGWKHZRPHQZLWKZKRP KHUIDWKHUDQG+HQGULNKDYHUHODWLRQVKLSVDVPRWKHU¿JXUHV0DJGD¶VRZQPRWKHU has apparently died. She is also alienated from the land, as Rita Barnard and &DUROLQH5RG\KDYHDPSO\GLVFXVVHG %DUQDUG³'UHDP7RSRJUDSKLHV´ 5RG\ ³&RORQLDO'DXJKWHU¶V5HYROW´ Coetzee, in White Writing XQUDYHOVWKHP\WKRORJL]LQJZRUNRIHDUO\ $IULNDQHU OLWHUDWXUH SDUWLFXODUO\ WKDW SURSRJDWLQJ V DQG V QDWLRQDOLVP which, as with all new nationalisms, designated culture as a weapon in its ideological armour. The plaasromanKHDUJXHVEROVWHUVWKH$IULNDQHUP\WKRIWKH IRXQGLQJIDWKHUVUHLI\LQJLQWKHSURFHVVWKH$IULNDQHU¶V³QDWXUDOULJKW´WRWKHODQG ³7KXVZH¿QGWKHDQFHVWRUVKDJLRJUDSKLVHGDVPHQDQGZRPHQRIKHURLFVWUHQJWK IRUWLWXGHDQGIDLWKDQGLQVWLWXWHGDVWKHRULJLQDWRUVRIOLQHDJHV´ :: 7KHP\WKRIWKH³QDWXUDOULJKW´RIWKH$IULNDQHUWRWKHODQGQRWRQO\VXSSRUWVD ³KLVWRU\RIVHWWOHPHQW´EXWDOVRPDVNV³RQHRIdisplacement´RI6RXWK$IULFD¶V EODFNSHRSOHV5LWD%DUQDUGDUJXHV ³'UHDP7RSRJUDSKLHV´ DQGWKLVHUDVXUH 36 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship FRQVWLWXWHVDNLQGRIPDGQHVVHPEHGGHGLQ$IULNDQHUP\WKRORJ\+LJKOLJKWLQJD SDVVDJHLQWKHQRYHOLQZKLFK0DJGDLPDJLQHVDJHRJUDSK\SHRSOHGE\+HQGULN¶V IRUHEHDUVZKR³LQWKHROGHQGD\VFULVVFURVVHGWKHGHVHUWZLWKWKHLUÀRFNVDQGWKHLU FKDWWHOVKHDGLQJIURP$WR%RUIURP;WR<´ +& EHIRUHWKHZKLWHVFRORQL]HG the land, Barnard argues that Coetzee’s utopianist ethics lie in his endeavour to UHSRSXODWHWKLVODQGVFDSH ³'UHDP7RSRJUDSKLHV´ So the novel, which appeared in a South African edition in 1978 with the dialogue LQ$IULNDDQVXQZULWHVWKHP\WKRORJL]LQJRIWKHplaasroman that relies upon the VDPHNLQGRIERXQGDU\PDUNLQJRXWOLQHGDERYH9LFWRULD5RVQHUZULWLQJDERXWWKH 6RXWKHUQ$IULFDQSDVWRUDODUJXHVWKDW³,IWKHPDOHVHWWOHUZDVGH¿QHGLQUHODWLRQWR KLVPDVWHU\RIWKHODQGWKHIHPDOHVHWWOHUZDVGH¿QHGLQUHODWLRQWRWKHKRXVHDQG WKDWKRXVHZDVGH¿QHGLQUHODWLRQWRWKHERG\´6WHSSLQJRYHUWKHERXQGDULHVRIWKH ³KRXVHERG\´DV5RVQHUFDOOVLWPHDQWWUDQVJUHVVLQJQRWRQO\JHQGHUEXWUDFHDQG QDWLRQDOERXQGDULHVWRR 5RVQHU ,QRWKHUZRUGVWUDQVJUHVVLRQLQWKHFRQWH[WRI Boer cultural history threatened the limits of Boer identity and was to be guarded DJDLQVWDWDOOFRVWV7KHFRQVHTXHQFHRIVXFKWUDQVJUHVVLRQZDVQRWRQO\SXQLWLYHEXW psychological as well because the transgressive woman, by challenging the cultural LGHQWLW\LPSRVHGXSRQKHUH[HUFLVHGZKDWLWPHDQWWREH$IULNDQHUDQGLQVRGRLQJ invited madness. Clingman suggests that miscegenation constitutes a “return of the UHSUHVVHG´ ³%H\RQGWKH/LPLW´ RQFHZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQV¶IDQWDVLHVDERXW EODFNERGLHVEHFRPHUHDOLW\PDGQHVVHQVXHVDVDFRQVHTXHQFHRIVXFKWHVWLQJRI WKHVRFLDOOLPLWV7KHQRYHODOVR³XQZULWHV´WKH6RXWK$IULFDQWUDJHG\ZKLFKDV Ian Glenn suggests, typically portrays a doomed romance between the mixed-race FRXSOH ³*DPH+XQWLQJ´± WKDWWKUHDWHQVWKHSUHVHUYHRIZKLWHSXULW\ 6LQFH FULWLTXHV RI SDWULDUFK\ DQG FRORQLDOLVP DUH LPSOLFLWO\ SDUDOOHOHG DQG set in opposition in the text, understanding Magda’s plight entails addressing a ³KLHUDUFK\´RIRSSUHVVLRQVWKRVHRIZRPHQDQGRIFRORQL]HGSHRSOHVDVZHOODV that of the lunatic as other. (I use the word lunatic in the context that as sentient EHLQJVZHDUHDOOVXVFHSWLEOHWRPDGQHVV 7KHQRYHORSHQVZLWK0DJGDUHIHUULQJWR KHUVHOIKHUIDWKHUDQGKHUIDWKHU¶V³QHZEULGH´ZKRPD\EHWKH¿JPHQWRI0DJGD¶V LPDJLQDWLRQDVWKH³DQWDJRQLVWV´UDWKHUWKDQWKHSURWDJRQLVWVRIWKHWDOH +& LQWKLVZD\PDUNLQJDQ2HGLSDOEUHDNGRZQRIIDPLOLDOUHODWLRQVDQGLQYLWLQJD IHPLQLVWFULWLTXH/DWHU0DJGDXQGHUPLQHVWKLVYHUVLRQRIKHUVWRU\E\VWDWLQJWKDW KHUIDWKHUGLGQRWUHPDUU\$WVWDNHLVZKHWKHUWKHWH[WSULRULWL]HVIHPLQLVWRYHU DQWLFRORQLDOLVWGLVFRXUVH6WHSKHQ:DWVRQHYHQLGHQWL¿HVWUDFHVRIHXURFHQWULVP ZKHQ KH ZRQGHUV ³ZK\ 0DJGD JLYHV DPRQJ RWKHUV ZKDW LV VR REYLRXVO\ D )UHXGLDQH[SODQDWLRQIRUKHUSUHGLFDPHQW«UHIHU>ULQJ@WRWKHµFKLOGKRRGUDSH¶DV LIVKHZHUHVRPHJOLESV\FKRORJ\XQGHUJUDGXDWH´ ³&RORQLDOLVP´ 7KHHIIHFW RI0DJGDQRWRQO\EHLQJRSSUHVVHGE\WKHVWUXFWXUHVRI$IULNDQHUVRFLHW\EXWDOVR her attempts to institute oppression over her servants is one of displacement in the ³HTXDWLRQ´RILQMXVWLFHVWKDWRIJHQGHUVH[XDOLW\DQGUDFH 7KHSUREOHPRIHTXDWLQJRSSUHVVLRQVLVUHYLVLWHGLQWZRRIWKHODWHUZRUNV published concurrently, The Lives of Animals DQGREOLTXHO\LQDisgrace %\PHDQVRIZKDW/DXUD:ULJKWFDOOVWKHSURWDJRQLVW(OL]DEHWK&RVWHOOR¶V Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 37 IHPLQLVW ³UDQW´ ³)HPLQLVW9HJHWDULDQ´ Lives challenges commonly held DVVXPSWLRQV DERXW DQLPDO ³YHUVXV´ KXPDQ ULJKWV ,Q WKLV ZD\ Lives addresses some of the problems raised by Disgrace, a novel that closes with its protagonist, Professor David Lurie, in an act suggestive of atonement for his abuse of a female VWXGHQWJLYLQJXSRQHRIWKHVLFNGRJVXQGHUKLVFDUHIRUHXWKDQDVLD7KHLPSOLFDWLRQ KHUHLVWKDWRQWKHVFDOHVRIMXVWLFH/XULHLVDEOHWREDODQFHWKHOLIHRIDVXIIHULQJ DQLPDOZLWKWKDWRIDKXPDQRQHZKRE\6RXWK$IULFDQGHVLJQDWLRQVLJQL¿FDQWO\LV ³FRORXUHG´)UDQW])DQRQDGGUHVVHVWKHVDPHSUREOHPDWLFRIHTXDWLQJRSSUHVVLRQV in Black Skin, White Masks 2QWKHJURXQGVRIWKHLQWHUFRQQHFWHGQHVVRI race and class difference, he challenges O. Mannoni’s analysis of what Fanon JORVVHVDVWKH³VRFDOOHGGHSHQGHQF\FRPSOH[RIFRORQL]HGSHRSOHV´ 0DQQRQL ³KDVQRWXQGHUVWRRGLWVUHDOFRRUGLQDWHV´DQGLQVWHDGEDVHVKLVWKHVLVXSRQWKH FRQIURQWDWLRQEHWZHHQ³FLYLOL]HG´DQG³SULPLWLYH´ Black Skin )DQRQDVVHUWV that “All forms of exploitation resemble one another … . All forms of exploitation DUHLGHQWLFDOEHFDXVHDOORIWKHPDUHDSSOLHGDJDLQVWWKHVDPH³REMHFW´ ³PDQ´ )DQRQ¶VDQDO\VLVLVLWVHOIRIFRXUVHXQZLWWLQJO\KHJHPRQLFLQLWVWKHQ FRQYHQWLRQDOXVHRI³PDQ´WRVLJQLI\³SHRSOH´ Foe &RHW]HH¶V ¿IWK QRYHO JUDSSOHV ZLWK WKLV FRQXQGUXP 6XVDQ %DUWRQ¶VQDUUDWLYHZKLFKFRQVWLWXWHVWKH¿UVWWKUHHRIIRXUSDUWVRIWKHERRNLV VXEVXPHGV\PEROLFDOO\ DQGLQHWKLFRSROLWLFDOWHUPVRQO\PLQLPDOO\ E\WKDWRI )ULGD\WKHFRORQLDORWKHU,QWKHIRXUWKDQG¿QDOSDUW)ULGD\¶V³YRLFH´LVSRUWUD\HG DVDVHULHVRI³R¶V´LVVXLQJIURPKLVPRXWKZKLFKDUHWKH³VRXQGVRIWKHLVODQG´ ) 'XULQJWKHFRXUVHRIWKHQDUUDWLYH%DUWRQFRPHVWRWKHUHDOL]DWLRQWKDW KHUDWWHPSWVWRJLYHYRLFHWR)ULGD\ ) DVWKHVLOHQFHGDQGVLOHQWRWKHUDUH HWKLFDOO\LOOFRQFHLYHGWKDWVSHDNLQJIRUKLPDFWXDOO\SXUORLQV)ULGD\¶VULJKWWR self-determinism. /LNH)ULGD\0DJGDLPDJLQHVVKHLVDQ³2´EXWZKLOH)ULGD\¶V³R´VXJJHVWV autonomy, in Magda’s case it connotes femininity, realized only negatively: I am a hole crying to be whole … I am … not unaware that there is a hole EHWZHHQP\OHJVWKDWKDVQHYHUEHHQ¿OOHGOHDGLQJWRDQRWKHUKROHQHYHU¿OOHG either. If I am an O, I am sometimes persuaded, it must be because I am a woman. +& 7KH ³2´ RU ODFN ZLWK ZKLFK 0DJGD LGHQWL¿HV KHUVHOI KHU YDJLQD SDURGLHV 6LJPXQG)UHXG¶VVXSSRVLWLRQLQ³/HFWXUH;,,, )HPLQLQLW\´WKDWIHPDOHJHQLWDOLD DUHWKH³DWURSKLHG´YHUVLRQRIWKHPDOH¶VDQGWKDWWKHJLUOFKLOGLVDOZD\VLQLWLDOO\ homosexual, erotically desiring the body of the mother before bestowing her DIIHFWLRQXSRQWKHIDWKHU±0DJGD¶VGDXJKWHUVHGXFWLRQIDQWDV\1RWRQO\GRHV³2´ signify the atrophied condition of femininity in Coetzee’s novel, it also represents DGRXEOHVLJQL¿FDWLRQRIXQIXO¿OOHGGHVLUHVLQFH0DJGDLVDYLUJLQ:LWKDSHUYHUVH VHQVHRIORJLFVKHHYHQZRQGHUVLIKHU IDQWDV\RI UDSHZLOOKDYHPDGHKHUD ZRPDQ +& 38 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship The novel arms itself with the French feminist challenge to Freud. Luce Irigaray, IRULQVWDQFHGHPDQGV ³+RZFDQZHDFFHSWWKHLGHD>µSHQLVHQY\¶@WKDWZRPDQ¶V HQWLUHVH[XDOGHYHORSPHQWLVJRYHUQHGE\KHUODFNRIDQGWKXVE\KHUORQJLQJIRU MHDORXV\RIDQGGHPDQGIRUWKHPDOHRUJDQ"´ This Sex 0DJGD¶VODFNLVQRW only gendered, as spinster, on a textual level, it represents the repressed female voice more generally: as in Irigaray’s analysis, the Feminine Symbolic. However, ZKLOVW ,ULJDUD\ OLNH )UHXG KDV EHHQ FKDOOHQJHG IRU HVVHQWLDOL]LQJ IHPLQLQLW\1 0DJGD¶VVRFLDODOLHQDWLRQLVVSHFL¿FDOO\WKDWRIWKH$IULNDQHUVSLQVWHURQWKHIDUP EHFDXVHVKHKDVIDLOHGWRWDNHKHUSODFHDWWKDWKDOORZHGWDEOHRIvrou en moeder. In her relationship with her servants, Magda is unable to reconcile her needs as a woman with her position as colonizer. What is more, this relation inverts )DQRQLDQGLVFRXUVH,Q³7KH3V\FKRSDWKRORJ\RI%ODFNQHVV´)DQRQZULWHV ³:KHQ WKH1HJURPDNHVFRQWDFWZLWKWKHZKLWHZRUOGDFHUWDLQVHQVLWL]LQJDFWLRQWDNHV SODFH,IKLVSV\FKLFVWUXFWXUHLVZHDNRQHREVHUYHVDFROODSVHRIWKHHJR´ Black Skin )DQRQGHFRQVWUXFWVWKHFRQFHSWXDOO\GXELRXVQRWLRQWKDW³UDFH´LVD ELRORJLFDOFDWHJRU\LQ³7KH)DFWRI%ODFNQHVV´DUJXLQJWKDW³EODFNQHVV´FDQEH KLVWRULFL]HGDQGLVWKHUHIRUHVRFLDOO\FRQVWUXFWHG0RUHRYHUEODFNSHRSOHDGRSWWKH ZKLWHPDVNVEHVWRZHGE\ZKLWHV EODFNQHVVPDVTXHUDGHVDVZKLWHQHVV7KHHVVD\ GHWDLOVWKHHIIHFWVRIUDFLVPRQWKHSV\FKHRIEODFNSHRSOHE\WRUWXRXVO\VWDJLQJ D³GUDPDRIFRQVFLRXVQHVV´ 3DUU\³5HVLVWDQFH7KHRU\´ )DQRQLPDJLQHV this psychic confrontation with his own otherness: “I came into the world imbued ZLWKWKHZLOOWR¿QGDPHDQLQJLQWKLQJV«DQGWKHQ,IRXQGWKDW,ZDVDQREMHFW LQWKHPLGVWRIRWKHUREMHFWV´ Black Skin ,QDVLPLODUZD\0DJGDVWUXJJOHV WRGH¿QHWKHERXQGDULHVRIKHURZQVHOIZKHQVKHUHMHFWV+HQGULN¶VUHPRQVWUDWLRQ that as racially marginalized he and Klein-Anna will be punished for the murder of 0DJGD¶VIDWKHU LURQLFDOO\0DJGDGRHVWKLVLQSDUWE\GLVWLQJXLVKLQJKHUVHOIIURP RWKHUZKLWHVLQKHUUHVLVWDQFHWRWKHRWKHU¶VREMHFWLI\LQJJD]H KHUH+HQGULN¶V ³'R\RXWKLQN,DPWRRVSLQHOHVVWRDFNQRZOHGJHP\JXLOW"«,DPQRWVLPSO\ one of the whites, I am I. I am I, not a people. Why have I to pay for other people’s VLQV"´ +& ³7KH )DFW RI %ODFNQHVV´ PDSV WKH SDLQIXO WUDQVLWLRQ IURP )DQRQ¶V VHOI SHUFHSWLRQRIDQRQUDFHGLGHQWLW\RQHLQIRUPHGE\(QOLJKWHQPHQWWKLQNLQJWR RQH RI DOWHULW\ VXEMHFWHG WR ³FUXVKLQJ REMHFWKRRG´ DQG ³RYHUGHWHUPLQHG IURP ZLWKRXW´ $OWKRXJK KH JRHV RQ WR HPEUDFH D FHOHEUDWRU\ %ODFN &RQVFLRXVQHVV ³1RZWKHIUDJPHQWVKDYHEHHQSXWWRJHWKHUDJDLQE\DQRWKHUVHOI´ [Black Skin @ HYHQWKLVVWDJHLVVHOIOLPLWLQJDQG)DQRQWKHPRGHUQL]HULV IRUFHGWRTXHVWLRQWKHIRXQGDWLRQVRI1pJULWXGH ³2XWRIWKHQHFHVVLWLHVRIP\ struggle I had chosen the method of regression … I am made of the irrational «$QGQRZKRZP\YRLFHYLEUDWHV´ )DQRQ¶VVHQVHRIVHOILVIUDFWXUHG DORQJVLGHKLVIDLWKLQ(QOLJKWHQPHQWWKLQNLQJ UDFLVPGRHVQRWREH\WKHODZVRI 1 0DUJDUHW :KLWIRUG DQ H[SRQHQW RI ,ULJDUD\ EULHÀ\ RXWOLQHV WKHVH FULWLFLVPV ³,QWURGXFWLRQ´ VHHDOVR)HOPDQ³:RPHQDQG0DGQHVV´ ± Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 39 reason and is impossible to challenge based on reasoned or reasonable argument. 8QGHUWKHVHWHUPVUDFLVPLVLWVHOIDNLQGRIPDGQHVV 7KURXJK WKH GHFRQVWUXFWLRQ RI ³EODFNQHVV´ Heart of the Country tacitly FULWLTXHV WKH REVHVVLYH UDFLDO FDWHJRUL]DWLRQ WKDW ZHQW WR WKH KHDUW RI DSDUWKHLG WKLQNLQJDVZHOODVWKHUDFLVPLQKHUHQWLQFRORQLDOLVWLGHRORJ\ZKLFKVHUYHGLQ SDUWWRREVFXUHWKHHFRQRPLFPRWLYDWLRQVEHKLQGWKHZLOOWRFRORQL]H³%ODFNQHVV´ LQWKHQRYHOLVGHIDPLOLDUL]HGE\LWVVXEYHUVLRQDVDELRORJLFDOFDWHJRU\³%ODFN´ typically describes everything but+HQGULN¶VRU$QQD¶VEODFNVNLQGHVWDELOL]LQJ 0DJGD¶VVHQVHRIVHOIDVZKLWH 0DJGDFRQFHLYHVRIKHUVHOIDV³DPLVHUDEOHEODFN YLUJLQ´D³EODFNERUHGVSLQVWHU´ZKRVHVWRU\LV³DGXOOEODFNEOLQGVWXSLGPLVHUDEOH VWRU\LJQRUDQWRILWVPHDQLQJ´ +& 6KHFDVWVKHUVHOIDVWKHGHDGO\EODFNZLGRZ VSLGHUVSLQQLQJKHUWDOHDURXQGKHUODPHQWLQJWKDW³)URPZHDULQJEODFNWRRORQJ ,KDYHJURZQLQWRDEODFNSHUVRQ´ +& 6KHLPDJLQHV+HQGULN³WKURZLQJKLV KHDY\EODFNZRUGV´DWKHUZKHQVKHLVXQDEOHWRSD\KLVZDJHV +& Magda’s psychosis curbs the dominance that her whiteness accords her. Not RQO\GRHVPDGQHVVE\GH¿QLWLRQVLWXDWHKHUDVRWKHUDORQJVLGHKHUIHPLQLQLW\DQG in particular alongside her spinsterhood, any authority she attempts to give her VWRU\LVXQGHUPLQHGEHFDXVHLWLVWKHSURGXFWRISV\FKRVLV7KHWZR³GHDWKV´RI 0DJGD¶VIDWKHU LQKHU¿UVWDFFRXQWVKHFODLPVVKHNLOOVKLPZLWKDQD[HLQWKH second with a gun, yet he reappears at the end of the narrative a decrepit old PDQ DQGRIKHU³UDSH´E\+HQGULN UHKHDUVHG¿YHWLPHVDQGDOZD\VVXEMHFWWR GRXEW DUHMXVWWZRLQFRQVLVWHQFLHVLQKHUVWRU\7KHUDSHVFHQHWKURZVOLJKWRQ WKHGRXEOHVLJQL¿FDWLRQRIPDGQHVVLQWKHWH[WRQWKHVWDWHRI0DJGD¶VPLQGDV well as textual instability. Together these serve to expose what we might call the PDGQHVVRI³FLYLOL]DWLRQ´&ULWLFVDUHGLYLGHGRQWKHPHDQLQJRIWKHUDSH$WWZHOO DUJXHVWKDWWKHSRUWUD\DORIGLIIHUHQWYHUVLRQVLVVXJJHVWLYHRI FRORQLDOLVW IDQWDV\ (J. M. Coetzee ZKLOVW +HDG GLVSXWHV 'LFN 3HQQHU¶V FODLP WKDW LQ +HDG¶V words, “in successive versions of the rape scene, the violence of perpetrator and victim diminishes, while the victim’s acceptance increases, and this might also VXSSRUWWKHLGHDRIDFRORQLDOIDQWDV\´+HDGSRLQWVRXWWKDWWKHVHQVHRI0DJGDDV victim is “surely reinforced by the repetition which … serves to intensify rather WKDQDPHOLRUDWHWKHLPSUHVVLRQRIRUGHDO´ J. M. Coetzee± 5RG\LQWHUSUHWV the scenes as rape but argues nevertheless that, by repeatedly restaging it, Magda loses credibility: her story may or may not be authentic yet the crisis that ensues ³UHYHUVHV WKH SRZHU UHODWLRQV RI WKH EODFN PDQ DQG ZKLWH ZRPDQ´ ³&RORQLDO 'DXJKWHU¶V5HYROW´ $WWULGJHRQWKHRWKHUKDQGFRQWHQGVWKDWWKH³UDSH´ LVSUHVHQWHGLQRQO\WZRYHUVLRQVWKH¿UVWFRQVWLWXWLQJ0DJGD¶VIHDURIVH[ZLWK +HQGULN RUZLWKDQ\PDQIRUWKDWPDWWHU DQGWKHVHFRQGWKHH[SHULHQFHLWVHOI (J. M. Coetzee :KDWVHHPVFOHDULVWKDWWKHQDUUDWLYHVHOIFRQVFLRXVO\plays into and parodiesWKHFRORQLDOLVWIDQWDV\RIEODFNRQZKLWHUDSHZKLFKUHPDLQV a pathological anxiety of white South Africans today. As the versions layer XSRQRQHDQRWKHUZKLFK+HDGDUJXHVLVV\PSWRPDWLFRIWKHLQFUHDVLQJFRQÀLFW between violator and violated and Attridge argues is in fact the event of rape itself IROORZLQJ0DJGD¶VIDQWDV\+HQGULN¶VZRUGVWUDQVODWHLPSUREDEO\LQWRWKRVHRID 40 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship FKHDSERGLFHULSSHURUEDZG\IDUFH ³'RQ¶WEHDIUDLG´ ³(YHU\RQHOLNHVLW´ ³+ROG WLJKW´+HQGULN¶VHQFRXUDJHPHQWVDUHWKXVVXJJHVWLYHRI0DJGD¶VLQH[SHULHQFH in and therefore of her wild imaginings of sex. On each occasion Magda wonders whether she is hallucinating these utterances, lending weight to the idea that they are the product of an unstable mind and FRQVWLWXWHDWH[WWKDWVHOIUHÀH[LYHO\UH constructs the colonial fantasy. Fanon sheds light on this fantasy when he discredits O. Mannoni’s “Prospero FRPSOH[´ ,WLVGH¿QHGDVWKHVXPRIWKRVHXQFRQVFLRXVQHXURWLFWHQGHQFLHVWKDWGHOLQHDWH DWWKHVDPHWLPHWKH³SLFWXUH´RIWKHSDWHUQDOLVWFRORQLDODQGWKHSRUWUDLWRI³WKH racialist whose daughter has suffered an [imaginary] attempted rape at the hands RIDQLQIHULRUEHLQJ DGGHGWH[W)DQRQ¶V Black Skin 0DQQRQL The colonial rape complex is a well-rehearsed trope in South African literature. $QGUp%ULQN¶VImaginings of Sand DQGRights of Desire &RHW]HH¶V Disgrace 'DQJRU¶V Bitter Fruit )DULGD .DURGLD¶V Other Secrets /HZLV1NRVL¶VMating Birds DQG-R$QQH Richards’s The Innocence of Roast Chicken DUH MXVW VRPH H[DPSOHV %ULWLVKERUQ 'RULV /HVVLQJ¶V ¿UVWQRYHOThe Grass is Singing VHWLQ5KRGHVLD QRZ=LPEDEZH IURP where Lessing had recently emigrated, explores such white sexual neuroses about EODFNPDVFXOLQLW\ZLWKRXWVWDJLQJUDSH0HJ6DPXHOVRQZULWLQJDERXWUDSHLQWKH literature of the South African transition, pointedly warns that rape should not be read simply as a metaphor for racial division in South Africa because “It is an HQGHPLF±DQGSUROLIHUDWLQJ±VRFLDOGLVRUGHU´ 1HYHUWKHOHVVDV/XF\*UDKDP VKRZV LQ KHU FULWLTXH RI Disgrace, “sensationalized media accounts of white ZRPHQUDSHGE\EODFNPHQZHUHV\PSWRPVRIWKHµEODFNSHULO¶K\VWHULDRIWKHHDUO\ WZHQWLHWKFHQWXU\DQGFRQWULEXWHGWRRSSUHVVLYHOHJLVODWLYHPHDVXUHVDJDLQVWEODFN SHRSOHLQ6RXWK$IULFD´6XFKDFFRXQWV*UDKDPZDUQVKDYHEHHQUHVXUIDFLQJLQ WKHWUDQVLWLRQSHULRGRIWKH V ³5HDGLQJWKH8QVSHDNDEOH´ FI&OLQJPDQ ³%H\RQGWKH/LPLW´ 7KH6RXWK$IULFDQ3UHVLGHQW7KDER0EHNLSXEOLVKHGD UHVSRQVHWRJOREDOPHGLDUHSRUWVRIWKH³HSLGHPLF´RIUDSHLQ6RXWK$IULFDFODLPLQJ WKDWLWKDVEHFRPHDQLVVXHRIUDFLVPWKDWIHHGVXSRQZKLWHV¶IHDURIEODFNV ³,QWKH end [whites] fear freedom from their psychosis, convinced that this would destroy WKHLUVHQVHRILGHQWLW\´ ³*RRG1HZV´QSDJ 1RWHWKHDVVRFLDWLRQ0EHNLPDNHV between whites’ inability to delimit identity and madness. Graham, who argues WKDW0EHNLLVLQSDUWUHVSRQGLQJWRWKHVHHQWUHQFKHGZKLWHSHUFHSWLRQVRIEODFN men, points out that in fact most rapes in contemporary South Africa are intraracial UDWKHUWKDQLQWHUUDFLDO ³8QVSHDNDEOH´± 0DJGDEHOLHYHVWKDW+HQGULNUDSHVKHUWRVHHNUHWULEXWLRQIURPKHUIDWKHU¿UVWO\ IRUHQWHULQJLQWRVH[XDOUHODWLRQVZLWK.OHLQ$QQDDQGVHFRQGO\IRUVXEMHFWLQJ him in the colonial relation. As delusional, Magda’s narrative therefore has all the ingredients of Oedipal and colonialist fantasies of desire, fear and envy that are realized in actual rape in Disgrace. (Elizabeth Lowry suggests that Disgrace Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 41 re-evaluates issues raised by Heart of the CountryRIKRZEODFNVDQGZKLWHVFDQ OLYHSHDFHDEO\DORQJVLGHHDFKRWKHULQWKHLQFHSWLYHVWDWH>³/LNHD'RJ´@ Mirroring Magda’s earlier account of the return of the newly remarried father WRWKHIDUPWKHLPDJLQHGDUULYDORI+HQGULNZLWKKLVQHZEULGHFDVWV+HQGULNDVD IDWKHU¿JXUHWR0DJGDDQGWKHUHIRUHQRWRQO\PDLQWDLQVWKHGDXJKWHU¶VGHVLUHIRU the father of psychoanalytic theory, but also inverts colonialist racist hierarchies E\SRUWUD\LQJWKHEODFNVHUYDQWVXEMXJDWLQJWKHZKLWHPDVWHU¿JXUH(QUDJHGDW EHLQJGLVSODFHGE\.OHLQ$QQDDVVXUURJDWH 0 RWKHU0DJGDSLFWXUHVVKRRWLQJ KHUIDWKHUDQGZKHQKHVXSSRVHGO\GLHVRIKLVZRXQGVHQWUHDWLQJ+HQGULNWKH spurned husband, to help her bury him. In due course, Magda’s narrative records DVKLIWLQWKHG\QDPLFVRIWKHPDVWHUVHUYDQWUHODWLRQVKLS+HQGULNZLWKWKHDLG RI .OHLQ$QQD DSSDUHQWO\ JDLQV ³RZQHUVKLS´ RI ERWK WKH IDUP DQG 0DJGD ,Q 0DJGD¶V FDVH WKLV LV DFKLHYHG WKURXJK UDSH ZKLFK DOZD\V UHPDLQV VXEMHFW WR GRXEWDQGWKURXJK 0DJGD¶VGHVLUHIRU VH[XDOLQWLPDF\7KHZKLWHZRPDQ¶VERG\ in this novel and Disgrace is perceived by the victim as both a commodity within DSDWULDUFKDOV\VWHPRIH[FKDQJHDQGDVWKHVLWHZKHUH DQGURFHQWULF PDVWHUVODYH relations are acted out, though as Graham points out, Lucy in Disgrace “remains UHVROXWHO\VLOHQWDERXWKHUH[SHULHQFH´ ³8QVSHDNDEOH´ :RPHQLQWKHVHWH[WV KDYHEHHQFRGL¿HGZLWKLQDKLVWRULFDOO\SDWULDUFKDOV\VWHPRIUHWULEXWLRQUHYHQJH and reparations. In the eyes of Lurie in Disgrace, who is struggling to rationalize KLV GDXJKWHU /XF\¶V UDSH /XF\ UHSUHVHQWV ³%RRW\ ZDU UHSDUDWLRQV DQRWKHU LQFLGHQW LQ WKH JUHDW FDPSDLJQ RI UHGLVWULEXWLRQ´ ',6 *UDKDP VWULYHV WR PDNHWKH³XQVSHDNDEOH´VLOHQFHVDURXQGUDSHKHDUGEDVHGRQWKHTXHVWLRQ³ZKR does notVSHDNDQGZK\"´ +LJJLQVDQG6LOYHUTWGLQ³8QVSHDNDEOH´ VHHDOVR +LJJLQVDQG6LOYHU DisgraceVKHDUJXHV³GLVVROYHV>UDFH@ERXQGDULHV´EHWZHHQ /XULH DQG /XF\¶V DWWDFNHUV ³8QVSHDNDEOH´ DOORZLQJ WKH DPELYDOHQFH RI UDSH¶VVLOHQFHVWR³GRXEOH>@EDFN´VRWKDW&RHW]HHPDNHVKLPVHOIDQGKLVUHDGHU UHVSRQVLEOHLQWKHGLVVHPLQDWLRQRI/XF\¶VVWRU\ ³8QVSHDNDEOH´ 7KLVSDWWHUQ RIGHFRQVWUXFWLRQLVDGXPEUDWHGLQWKHHDUOLHUZRUNHeart of the Country. Given WKDWFRORQLDOPDVWHUVIUHTXHQWO\UDSHGWKHLUIHPDOHVHUYDQWVDQGVODYHVWKHQDWXUH RIWKHOLDLVRQEHWZHHQ0DJGD¶VIDWKHUDQG.OHLQ$QQDZKRP+HQGULNVHWVDERXW EHDWLQJRQFHWKHDIIDLULVPDGHSXEOLFUHTXLUHVFORVHUH[DPLQDWLRQ$WEHVWLWLV probably coercive. Magda fails to enlighten us, evidenced in the prospective nature of her version of the union: “In a month’s time, I can see it, I will be bringing my IDWKHUDQGP\PDLGEUHDNIDVWLQEHG´ +& What distinguishes the portrayal of madness in this text from other examples from South African literature is Magda’s self-consciousness, not as a psychotic FKDUDFWHUZKROLYHVRXWWKHFRORQLDOFRQGLWLRQ WKHUHDUHSOHQW\RIWKHVH EXWDV DPHWDWH[WXDOFRQFHLWVXEMHFWWRWKHZKLPVRIKHUDXWKRU:KLOVWWKHPDWHULDOLW\ of Magda’s story, which powerfully conveys her sense of dislocation, should not EHQHJOHFWHGLQDQ\GLVFXVVLRQRIWKHZRUNWKHQDUUDWLYHWDQJLEO\DQQRXQFHVLWV RZQ¿FWLRQDOLW\as text: Magda is not only controlled literally, under patriarchal DXWKRULW\MXVWDVVKHFRQWUROVWKHFRORQLDORWKHU VKHLVDOVRFRQWUROOHGOLWHUDULO\ 42 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship as a character in a text, both by her author and by literary history. Moreover, she struggles with her own authority as author: ,QDKRXVHVKDSHGE\GHVWLQ\OLNHDQ+,KDYHOLYHGDOOP\OLIHLQDWKHDWUHRI stone and sun fenced in with miles of wire, spinning my trail from room to room «7KHQZHKDYHUHWLUHGWRVOHHSWRGUHDPDOOHJRULHVRIEDXONHGGHVLUHVXFKDV ZHDUHEOHVVHGO\XQ¿WWHGWRLQWHUSUHW>@ +& Magda resists her role as colonial spinster and writer both in her dual function as ³UHDO´HQWLW\DQGOLWHUDU\WURSHDQGXOWLPDWHO\ERWKVKHDQGWKHWH[WUHJLVWHUWKH failure of this resistance. It is this tension between character and trope – Magda’s DZDUHQHVVRIKHU¿FWLRQDOLW\PLUHVKHUGHHSHUDQGGHHSHULQPDGQHVV±WKDWKDV preoccupied critics of the novel. Glenn, for instance, suggests that: “The play EHWZHHQWKH,DVQDUUDWRUDQGWKH,DVVXEMHFWLVRQHRIWKHQRYHO¶VPDQ\VW\OLVWLF games. A failure to decode that game means a failure to grasp what Coetzee is GRLQJ LQ WKH QRYHO´ ³*DPH +XQWLQJ´ 5RG\ UHFRJQL]HV WKH LQWULFDF\ RI &RHW]HH¶VFRQVWUXFWLRQWKDW0DJGD³LVSHUKDSVWKHEHVWVSRNHVSHUVRQZHKDYH IRUDSHUVRQ¶V±RUDWH[W¶V±HQWUDSPHQWLQODQJXDJH´ ³0DG&RORQLDO'DXJKWHU¶V 5HYROW´ ± )HOPDQ LQ KHU VWXG\ RI PDGQHVV DQG OLWHUDWXUH SHUFHLYHV WKH relation between character and trope rather differently, as resistance: madness, OLNHOLWHUDWXUHFRQVWLWXWHV³DQLUUHGXFLEOHUHVLVWDQFHWRLQWHUSUHWDWLRQ´ Writing and Madness Interviewed by Watson, Coetzee confoundingly argues that “Magda is not D FRORQLDO VSLQVWHU´ MXVW DV ³-DFREXV &RHW]HH LV QRW D>Q HLJKWHHQWK@FHQWXU\ IURQWLHUVPDQ´ WKH\ DUH ³,¿JXUHV LQ ERRNV´ TWG LQ *OHQQ ³*DPH +XQWLQJ´ &RHW]HHTWGLQ:DWVRQ³6SHDNLQJ´ LQOLQH*OHQQVXJJHVWVZLWKWKH VHPLRWLFVRI-DNREVRQDQG%HQYHQLVWH ³*DPH+XQWLQJ´ &RHW]HH¶VUHWUHDW LQWR WKH UHDOPV RI WH[WXDO SOD\ *OHQQ DSWO\ WLWOHV KLV HVVD\ ³*DPH +XQWLQJ´ might well allow him to prevaricate on the ethico-political issues the text raises ± WKH FRQGLWLRQ RI ZRPHQ LQ$IULNDQHU VRFLHW\ WKHLU SODFH LQ D ³KLHUDUFK\´ RI RSSUHVVLRQWKHGLI¿FXOW\LQUHSUHVHQWLQJVXFKZRPHQDUHMXVWWKUHHH[DPSOHV At the same time, paradoxically, the novel’s very textuality facilitates ethico- political debate by apportioning the reader interpretative autonomy through this YHU\DPELJXLW\ WKHUHDGHUPXVWWDNHUHVSRQVLELOLW\IRUFRQVWUXFWLQJDYHUVLRQRI HYHQWVDQGIRUPDNLQJVHQVHRI0DJGD¶VVWRU\$WWULGJHDGGUHVVHVWKLVUHDGHUO\ HQJDJHPHQWLQKLVGLVFXVVLRQRIWKHPRGHUQLVWDHVWKHWLFVRIWKHZRUNZKDWKHFDOOV LWV³WH[WXDORWKHUQHVV´RU³textualterity´7KH³IRUPDOVWUDWHJLHV´PRGHUQLVPXVHV to foreground language and the device of genre should not be written off simply DV WH[WXDO SOD\ EXW DQ DFNQRZOHGJHPHQW GHVSLWH ZKDW DXWKRUV PD\ WKLQN WKH\ are doing to the contrary, “that literature’s distinctive power and potential ethical force reside in a testing and unsettling of deeply held assumptions of transparency, instrumentality, and direct referentiality´ $WWULGJH FRQWHQGV WKDW VXFK WHVWLQJ allows the reader to apprehend otherness “which those assumptions had silently H[FOXGHG´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG J. M. Coetzee Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 43 An example of this strategy of fostering an agential reader is the division of the QDUUDWLYHLQWRQXPEHUHGSDUDJUDSKVZKDW&RHW]HHFDOOVD³PRQWDJH´HIIHFW In the Heart of the CountryLV«FRQVWUXFWHGRXWRITXLWHEULHIVHTXHQFHVZKLFK DUHQXPEHUHGDVDZD\RISRLQWLQJWRZKDWLVQRWWKHUHEHWZHHQWKHP WKHNLQG RI VFHQHVHWWLQJ DQG FRQQHFWLYH WLVVXH WKDW WKH WUDGLWLRQDO QRYHO XVHG WR ¿QG necessary – particularly the South African novel of rural life that In the Heart of the CountryWDNHVRIIIURP '3 ± Such a strategy has a defamiliarizing effect: the reader must decipher the narrative but also must reconstruct what is left unsaid, in its silences. The numbering of SDUDJUDSKV LV VXJJHVWLYH RI FRQIHVVLRQDO GLDU\ ZULWLQJV FRQ¿UPHG E\ 0DJGD ³, DP D VSLQVWHU ZLWK D ORFNHG GLDU\´ VKH ODPHQWV +& WKH WUXWKIXOQHVV RI her confession, of course, is thrown into doubt because her narrative suggests psychosis. She is compelled to give order to the seemingly sparse story of her life and, conceiving of herself as a mirror-image, believes she “will dwindle and expire here in the heart of the country unless she has at least a thin porridge of event to live RQ´ +& 7KHVHOIFRQVFLRXVQHVVRIWKHQDUUDWLYHLQWLPDWHVWKDWZULWLQJEUHDWKHV OLIHLQWRKHU VKHLVTXLWHREYLRXVO\³G\LQJ´RIERUHGRP \HWDWWKHVDPHWLPHDV WKHVXEMHFWRISDWULDUFKDODQGLQGHHGFRORQLDOLVWGLVFRXUVHVKHLVLPSULVRQHGE\ LW:RUNLQJDJDLQVWWKHFRQYHQWLRQVRIWKH UHDOLVW QRYHOWKHQXPEHUVLQIDFWSRLQW up a lack of order or rationality that their inclusion might imply. Magda herself experiences gaps in her memory: “A day must have intervened here. Where there is DEODQNWKHUHPXVWKDYHEHHQDGD\GXULQJZKLFKP\IDWKHUVLFNHQHGLUUHFRYHUDEO\ «,VXVSHFWWKDWWKHGD\WKHGD\ZDVPLVVLQJ,ZDVQRWWKHUH´ +&± 7KH SDVVLQJRIWLPHPXVWEHEURNHQGRZQLQWRVPDOOHUPDQDJHDEOHRUEHDUDEOHFKXQNV both for Magda and, apparently, for the reader of the novel. It is ironic of course that the missing day is when something apparently actually does happen. On a textual level, Magda is ensnared in a double bind for whilst she depends upon narrative for her substance, at the same time it girds her to the Law of the )DWKHU2QWKHRQHKDQGVKHEHOLHYHVWKDWVKHLVXQDEOHWREUHDNIUHHIURPWKH SURFHVVRIFUHDWLQJ¿FWLRQVRUIURPEHFRPLQJD¿FWLRQ ³,PDNHLWDOOXSLQRUGHU WKDWLWVKDOOPDNHPHXS,FDQQRWVWRSQRZ´ +& 2QWKHRWKHUWKHQDUUDWLYH LPSOLHVVKHLVWKHV\PEROLFDXWKRURIKHUWH[WIRUVKHZRQGHUVLIVKHKDV³LQN\ YLROHW´ EORRG LQ KHU YHLQV +& DV D ³SRHWHVV RI LQWHULRULW\´ +& VKH FODLPV³O\ULFLVP\PHGLXPQRWFKURQLFOH´ +& VKHLVWKH³EODFNZLGRZ VSLGHU´ ZHDYLQJ KHU WDOH +& ZKR VWUXJJOHV IRU DXWRQRP\ RI KHU VWRU\ ZKLFK VKRXOG KDYH ³D EHJLQQLQJ D PLGGOH DQG DQ HQG´ +& VKH VWUHVVHV WKDWVKH³GHDO>V@LQVLJQVPHUHO\´ +& 0DJGD¶VGLYLGHGVHOIDVRSSUHVVRU DQGRSSUHVVHGLV¿JXUHGLQWKLVDXWKRUFRQFHLWZKHUHDXWKRUVKLSDOZD\VDOUHDG\ connotes mastery. But as a character in a story she is also its servant, both dominated and marginalized, self and other. This is her predicament. She struggles to free herself from writing and being written since, as Irigaray’s speculations reveal, the DFWRIZULWLQJPDNHVKHUERWKFRPSOLFLWZLWK\HWVXEMHFWHGE\SKDOORJRFHQWULVP 44 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship It is from her phallogocentric self and from Coetzee as emblematic patriarch and DXWKRU LQWKHFRQWH[WRIWKLVQRYHOWKHWHUPVDUHFRYDOHQW WKDWVKHVWUXJJOHVWR liberate herself whilst at the same time needing to assert her autonomy, “I am ,´ +& 6HOIFRQVFLRXVO\DQGXQFRQVFLRXVO\WKURXJK³ZULWLQJ´DQGPDGQHVV UHVSHFWLYHO\VKHVSLQV¿FWLRQVDURXQGKHUVHOIYHU\PXFKDVDXWKRUVFRQVWUXFWWKHLU tales. As the story draws to a close, supposedly abandoned by her servants, Magda LPDJLQHVFRPPXQLFDWLQJZLWK³PDFKLQHVLQWKHVN\´ ³+DYLQJIDLOHGWRPDNHP\ VKRXWVKHDUG«,WXUQHGWRZULWLQJ´ +& 6KHHYHQÀLSSDQWO\WR\VZLWKKHU UHDGHUE\DQQRXQFLQJLQWKHRSHQLQJSDVVDJHVRIWKHERRNWKDWKHUIDWKHUDUULYHG home with his new bride “in a dog-cart drawn by a horse with an ostrich-plume ZDYLQJRQLWVIRUHKHDG´RQO\WRFDVWGRXEWXSRQWKLVDFFRXQW ³2USHUKDSVWKH\ ZHUHGUDZQE\WZRSOXPHGGRQNH\VWKDWLVDOVRSRVVLEOH«0RUHGHWDLO,FDQQRW JLYHXQOHVV,EHJLQWRHPEURLGHUIRU,ZDVQRWZDWFKLQJ´ +& 0DJGDERWK weaves and unravels a tale, thereby functioning minimally as both the writer and UHDGHURIKHUWH[W'HUDQJHGDQGKHDULQJYRLFHVFRQYH\HGE\³PDFKLQHVWKDWÀ\LQ WKHVN\´ +& VKHWULHVWRPDNHVHQVHRIWKHP Gallagher argues that the time of the narrative loosely spans the period 1870 to 1960 because references are made to the use of horses and carts, bicycles, trains and aeroplanes, and to the demand for taxes from Magda for municipal services (Story $V+HDGSRLQWVRXWVLQFHWKHSORWLVSUHVHQWHGXQUHDOLVWLFDOO\RUanti- UHDOLVWLFDOO\WKLVUHSUHVHQWDWLRQUHTXLUHVWKDWZHVXVSHQGRXUGLVEHOLHI J. M. Coetzee 0DJGD PD\ EH SUHVDJLQJ D IXWXUH WLPH QDUUDWLQJ IURP WKH ODWH WZHQWLHWK century whilst trapped psychologically in the colonial past, or, as a character-type LQDERRNPD\EHVWUXJJOLQJWRGLVORGJHKHUVHOIIURPFRORQLDOOLWHUDU\KLVWRU\:H DUH QRW H[SHFWHG WR KLVWRULFL]H WKH ZRUN DFFXUDWHO\ LQGHHG E\ GHIDPLOLDUL]LQJ KLVWRULFDOWLPH&RHW]HHFDUYHVDVSDFHWRDVNTXHVWLRQVDERXWFRORQLDO OLWHUDU\ history, including the status of the text and its author within that history. Gone PDGDQGWKXVHYHU\DFFRXQWWKDWVKH³ZULWHV´KDVWREHFRQGLWLRQDOVKHLPDJLQHV ³ZULWLQJ´PHVVDJHVWRWKH³VN\JRGV´ +& ZLWKVWRQHVGHVSHUDWHO\DQQRXQFLQJ her self and her body in a last-ditch attempt to escape her psychological committal WRWKHIDUP6KHLVIRUFHGVKHEHOLHYHVWRWXUQWR³ZULWLQJ´±ZKLFKLVVXEMHFW to the Law of the Father – because her shouts go apparently unheard. Indeed, she advertises herself within a masculinized notion of femininity, as a sexualized ERG\ ³)(00±$02532578´ +& 8OWLPDWHO\PDUNLQJWKHIDLOXUHRI her attempts to resist dominant modes of writing, and again negating the preceding events, the narrative draws to a close with the reappearance of the father, though now decrepit since he is deaf, blind and incontinent. 7KHYRLFHV0DJGDKHDUVIURPWKH³À\LQJPDFKLQHV´ +& ¿JXUHWKHFULVLV of the pathological space in which she resides: 7KH\DFFXVHPHLI,XQGHUVWDQGWKHPRIWXUQLQJP\OLIHLQWRD¿FWLRQRXWRI ERUHGRP«DVWKRXJK,ZHUHUHDGLQJP\VHOIOLNHDERRNDQGIRXQGWKHERRN GXOODQGSXWLWDVLGHDQGEHJDQWRPDNHP\VHOIXSLQVWHDG«ZKHQ,FRXOG¿QG no enemy outside, when hordes of brown horsemen would not pour out of the Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 45 hills waving their bows and ululating, I made an enemy out of myself. (HC ± 0DJGDUHDOL]HVWKDWKHUSV\FKLFGLVHDVHLVWXUQHGLQZDUGVWKDWWKHIHDURIEODFN ERGLHV ³EURZQ KRUVHPHQ´ LV WKH SURMHFWLRQ RI KHU RZQ SDUDQRLD 7KLV LV WKH point from which Coetzee’s third novel Waiting for the Barbarians EHJLQV ZKHUHWKHVHWWOHUVZDLWLQIHDURIWKHDUULYDORIWKHHQLJPDWLF³EDUEDULDQV´/LNH WKHVRFLHW\WKDWSRSXODWHV&RQVWDQWLQH3&DYDI\¶VSRHP WRZKLFKWKHODWWHU QRYHOPDNHVWLWXODUUHIHUHQFHZLWKRXWWKH³EDUEDULDQV´WRSUHRFFXS\KHUZKRLQ &DYDI\DUH³DNLQGRIVROXWLRQ´0DJGDSURMHFWVKHUQHXURVHVEDFNRQKHUVHOI Nonetheless, she is also attributed insight into this complex and her psychological IUDLOW\+HUOLIHLVFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\DODFNRIIXO¿OPHQWDQGGHVLUHDQGOLNHWKH VHWWOHUVLQWKHSRHPVKH¿QGVKHUVHOILQDSHUSHWXDOVWDWHRIZDLWLQJWUDSSHGLQWKH mythological and mythologizing colonial condition which, the novel suggests, is also a patriarchal domain. The psychic interiority mapped by Heart of the Country recalls Marlow’s SV\FKRORJLFDOMRXUQH\LQWRWKHLQWHULRURIWKHPLQGLQ-RVHSK&RQUDG¶VHeart of Darkness &ULWLFVVXFKDV&KLQXD$FKHEHKDYHFRQGHPQHG&RQUDG¶VQRYHO for its representation of the African as simply the foil against which Marlow’s psyche is explored: “Can nobody see the preposterous and perverse arrogance in WKXVUHGXFLQJ$IULFDWRWKHUROHRISURSVIRUWKHEUHDNXSRIRQHSHWW\(XURSHDQ PLQG"´ Hopes and Impediments $FKHEH¶V SULPDU\ FRQFHUQ LV WKH SROLWLFV RI FDQRQL]DWLRQ 6LPLODUO\ LQ Heart of the Country +HQGULN DQG .OHLQ$QQD DUHREMHFWL¿HGE\0DJGDXQGHUFRORQLDOLVWGLVFRXUVH 0DJGDDEXVLYHO\VHHNVWR IHPLQL]HKHUVHOIWKURXJKWKHLUERGLHVPDNLQJQRDWWHPSWWRUHSUHVHQWWKHRWKHU VDYHWKHRWKHUVLGHRIKHUVHOI)RULQVWDQFHVKHLPSHULRXVO\SUH¿[HVWKHVHUYDQW JLUO$QQD¶VQDPH³.OHLQ$QQD´±DK\EULGRI$QQD)UHXGDQG0HODQLH.OHLQERWK disciples of Freud who specialized in the psychoanalysis of children yet whose ZRUNEURXJKWWKHPLQWRFRQÀLFWZLWKHDFKRWKHU $QQD)UHXGGHYHORSHGWKHPRGHO RIWKH*RRG0RWKHU However, in Heart of Darkness Conrad preserves an ironic distance from the imperialist discourse he presents through the formal device of the framed narrative: 0DUORZUHFRXQWVKLVWDOHWRDQXQQDPHGQDUUDWRURQDVKLSGRFNHGLQWKH7KDPHV In Conrad’s defence, Edward Said argues that “Conrad’s self-consciously circular QDUUDWLYHIRUPVGUDZDWWHQWLRQWRWKHPVHOYHVDVDUWL¿FLDOFRQVWUXFWLRQVHQFRXUDJLQJ XVWRVHQVHWKHSRWHQWLDORIDUHDOLW\WKDWVHHPHGLQDFFHVVLEOHWRLPSHULDOLVPMXVW EH\RQGLWVFRQWURO´ Culture and Imperialism DQGFRQ¿UPHGE\%HQLWD3DUU\ ZKHQVKHUHIHUVWRWKHQRYHOOD¶V³SOXUDODQGFRQWUDGLFWRU\GLVFRXUVHV´ ³$IWHUOLIH´ Q SDJ /LNHZLVH &RHW]HH GLVWDQFHV KLPVHOI IURP FRORQLDOLVW DQG $IULNDQHU nationalist discourse by portraying a character en abyme, laying bare the processes by which she is written. She is a character who, as insane and unreliable, is a paltry UHSUHVHQWDWLYHRIWKH³JUHDWFRORQL]LQJPLVVLRQ´ 7KH VOLSSHULQHVV RI &RHW]HH¶V FULWLTXH FDQ SHUKDSV EHVW EH H[SODLQHG E\ Barnard’s contention that “The capacity for changing the rules of the game is 46 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship SUHFLVHO\ZKDW>&RHW]HH@YDOXHVPRVWLQDZRUNRIDUW´ ³'UHDP7RSRJUDSKLHV´ DQGWKLVLVQRPRUHHYLGHQWWKDQLQKLVVHOIFRQVFLRXVPDQLSXODWLRQRIWKH plaasroman genre in this novel. Magda wonders whether it might be better to “give XSWKH¿FWLRQRIIDUPLQJ´ +& DQGLVDOOWRRDZDUHZKHQSRVLWLRQLQJKHUVHOI DQGEHLQJSRVLWLRQHGE\&RHW]HHWKDWVKHLVDVWRFNFKDUDFWHURIWKHJHQUH ³,DP the one who´VKHVD\V+HUIDWKHULVWKHDUFKHW\SDOKHDGRIWKH%RHUKRXVHKROG “My father is the one whoSDFHVWKHÀRRUERDUGVEDFNDQGIRUWK´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG +& :KHUHVH[XDOSDVVLRQLQ&RHW]HHLVDQDORJRXVWRDUWLVWLFSURGXFWLRQLQ this novel Magda struggles with her sexual identity and analogously is oppressed E\ZRUGVDQG OLWHUDU\ ODQJXDJH)LQGLQJKHUVHOILQWKHJHQUHRIWKHplaasroman, DOEHLWDKLJKO\LURQL]HGYHUVLRQIRU0DJGDWKHZULWWHQZRUGVLJQL¿HVLVRODWLRQDQG the denial of sexual and social intercourse. Language is isolating on two counts: ¿UVWO\LWVVXEMHFWLVWKHVHOIDOZD\VDOUHDG\FRQVWLWXWHGE\WKHPDVFXOLQHV\PEROLF IURPZKLFK0DJGDLVVWULYLQJWREUHDNIUHHDQGVHFRQGO\KHUVWRU\HYHQWKRXJK other-directed, is a monologue rather than a dialogue, connoting the struggle with ZRUGV DQG VSHHFK RI WKH VRFLDOO\ DOLHQDWHG DV LQ 6DPXHO %HFNHWW¶V SOD\V WKH VWUXJJOHWREHKHDUG FI5RG\ Magda’s place in the novel is paradoxical since she is both entrapped E\ ODQJXDJH RU ³ZULWHV´ DERXW EHLQJ WUDSSHG ZKLOVW VKH SUHVVHV DJDLQVW LW WUDQVJUHVVLQJ ERXQGDULHV 5HL¿HG LQ PDGQHVV IHPDOH UHSUHVVLRQ DQG FRORQLDO DQ[LHW\DUHLQHOXFWDEO\ERXQGWR0DJGDDVPHWD¿FWLRQDOWURSH6KHLQKDELWVWKH VSDFHWKDW)HOPDQLGHQWL¿HVDVWKHEULGJHEHWZHHQPDGQHVVDQGZULWLQJ ³OLWHUDWXUH and madness are informed byHDFKRWKHU«SUHFLVHO\OLQNHGE\ZKDWDWWHPSWVWR VKXWWKHPRXW´ Writing and Madness ,QDQHVVD\RQ*HUULW$FKWHUEHUJ¶VSRHP³%DOODGHYDQGH*DV¿WWHU´&RHW]HH ORFDWHV D VLPLODU OD\HULQJ RI VLJQL¿FDWLRQ LQ WKH XVH RI WKH SHUVRQDO SURQRXQV ³,´ DQG ³\RX´ ³VKLIWHUV´ DFFRUGLQJ WR -DNREVRQ >TWG LQ '3 @ ZKLFK LV a relationship between the self and other as well as the self’s relationship to ODQJXDJH7KHGLVWDQFHEHWZHHQWKH³,´DQG³ Consciousness is presented [in Sartre] as a hole through which nothingness pours LQWRWKHZRUOG,IZHUHFRJQL]H6DUWUHDVWKHGDUNHUVSLULWEHKLQG$FKWHUEHUJWKH TXHVWRIWKHIIRUWKHKROHEHFRPHVDQDEVXUGTXHVWIRUFRQIURQWDWLRQZLWKWKH YRLG>@ '3 Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 47 &RHW]HHFRQFOXGHVWKDWWKH³IDWHRIWKHJDV¿WWHULVSUHFLVHO\VHOIDQQLKLODWLRQD GZLQGOLQJDZD\RIVHOIKRRG´ '3 /LNH$FKWHUEHUJ¶VJDV¿WWHUDVDFKDUDFWHUDQG³DXWKRU´LQDQGRIKHUVWRU\ 0DJGDRFFXSLHVSRODUL]HGSRVLWLRQVRI³ Aching to form the words that will translate me into the land of myth and hero «,DPQRWDKDSS\SHDVDQW,DPDPLVHUDEOHEODFNYLUJLQDQGP\VWRU\LV P\VWRU\HYHQLILWLVDGXOOEODFNEOLQGVWXSLGPLVHUDEOHVWRU\LJQRUDQWRILWV PHDQLQJ«,DP, +& $OOXGLQJWRKHU¿FWLRQDOLW\VKHFRPSDUHVKHUVHOILQKHULVRODWLRQ³OLNHDJRRG FDVWDZD\´WRWKHUHVRXUFHIXO5RELQVRQ&UXVRHDQGWRWKHQHJOHFWHGDUFKHW\SDO YLFWLP &LQGHUHOOD ³&,1'5/$ (6 0, « 48,(52 81 $875 « 621 ,62/$'2´ +& 7KDWWKHPHDQLQJRI³$875´LVOHIWDPELJXRXVUHJLVWHUV 0DJGD¶VGXDO³IXQFWLRQ´ LQ)UHQFKl’autrePHDQV³RWKHU´ZKLOHl’auteur translates DV³DXWKRU´2IFRXUVH0DJGDPL[HV6SDQLVKDQG)UHQFK7KHWH[WRIIHUVWZR SRVVLEOH UHDGLQJV )LUVWO\ OLNH 0DJGD¶V GHVLUH WR HVFDSH ZRUGV DQG ODQJXDJH DXWKRUVKLSLQWKHVHUYLFHRISDWULDUFK\ WKHDFWRIZULWLQJLVSUHVHQWHGDVDQWL IHPLQLVW 0DJGDDGRSWVWKHVWHUHRW\SHGUROHRIWKHREMHFWL¿HGDQGVXEVHUYLHQW ZRPDQ LQ KHU LQVFULSWLRQV LQ VWRQHV 6HFRQGO\ IHPLQLVW DQG TXHHU WKHRULHV RI performativity would suggest that she is minimally resistant because she self- FRQVFLRXVO\PLPHVZRPDQKRRGSDURG\HIIHFWLQJFULWLTXH FI,ULJDUD\This Sex %XWOHUBodies ± +RZHYHUKHUIDLOXUHWRUHVLVWDVLQWKH¿UVWPRGHORI writing, is evidenced in the futility of her bid for freedom by laying messages in stones, a futility which is accentuated by her delusion that she is communicating in Spanish or her idea of Spanish, because it is a language she does not understand. Believing intercourse, both sexual and social, would enable her to resist the masculinist notion of fathering stories (as a spinster, authorship for Magda HQJHQGHUVRSSUHVVLRQ VKHVWUXJJOHVWRHPEUDFHVH[XDOORYH\HWHYHQWKHVHHIIRUWV are thwarted: “The law has gripped my throat, I say and do not say … its one hand RQP\WRQJXHLWVRWKHURQP\OLSV´ +& ± /LSVDUHLQWHUFKDQJHDEO\WKRVH of the mouth and female genitalia. Magda’s conception of herself as both socially DQGVH[XDOO\RSSUHVVHGE\WKH)DWKHU¶VZLOOLVUHL¿HGVRPDWLFDOO\UHSUHVHQWHGE\ WKHPRXWK VSHHFK DQGJHQLWDOLD FRSXODWLRQ UHVSHFWLYHO\6KHLVLQKDELWHGE\WKH Father. In a desperate bid to communicate with others, she turns to sexual love because, she believes, this will bypass the written word. In the same manner that VKHLPDJLQHVHQWHULQJWKHERG\RI.OHLQ$QQDLQRUGHUWRH[SHULHQFH³DXWKHQWLF´ 48 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship human feelings, she unwittingly inverts the motif of being entered by the body of WKH)DWKHU KHUIDWKHU ZKHQVKHSLFWXUHVFOLPELQJOLNH+DPOHWLQWRKLVJUDYH2 DQGE\RFFXS\LQJWKHJUDYHLQWKLVZD\VLJQDOVVHOIDI¿UPDWLRQ'HVSLWH0DJGD¶V SOHDVWRVWRS+HQGULNODWHUGUHVVHVXSLQKHUGHDGIDWKHU¶VFORWKHVWRWDXQWKHULQD JURWHVTXHSDWULDUFKDOPDVTXHUDGH +& Sexual love for Magda, therefore, is the path to agency and resistance, whilst writing and reading, or being written or read, which signify entrapment and RSSUHVVLRQEORFNWKLVSDWKRII,QWKLVUHVSHFW0DJGDLVDQWLWH[WXDOMXVWDVKHU madness renders her uninterpretable: :KDWGR,ODFN"«,VLWPHUHSDVVLRQ",VLWPHUHO\DYLVLRQRIDVHFRQGH[LVWHQFH passionate enough to carry me from the mundane of being into the doubleness RIVLJQL¿FDWLRQ"«:KDWDXWRPDWLVPLVWKLVZKDWOLEHUDWLRQLVLWJRLQJWREULQJ PHDQGZLWKRXWOLEHUDWLRQZKDWLVWKHSRLQWRIP\VWRU\"«:KRLVEHKLQGP\ RSSUHVVLRQ" +&± The light begins to dawn on Magda that she also is oppressed by her author, Coetzee: that she is an unwilling and unwitting participant in the system ZKLFKRSSUHVVHVKHURQHZKLFKVKHFDQQRWHVFDSH,QKHUDQJXLVKHGTXHVWIRU meaningful liberation she exposes the ethical residues of the text. Any ethico- SROLWLFDOO\PLQGHGZRUNPXVWRIIHUVRPHNLQGRIUHVROXWLRQRUDOWHUQDWLYHWRWKH dilemmas it constructs and without future orientation or divergent perspectives this becomes untenable. In Heart of the CountryWKLVUHVROXWLRQLVWKHPHWD¿FWLRQDO TXDOLW\RI0DJGD¶VWDOHWKHYRLFLQJRIDQ[LHWLHVDERXWODQJXDJHDQGDXWKRUVKLS and Magda’s developing awareness of her predicament, as oppressor and oppressed. Paradoxically, her attempts to liberate herself through sexual love are inappropriate and simply reinstall another form of oppression, this time the UDFLDORSSUHVVLRQRI+HQGULNDQG.OHLQ$QQD7KHODWWHUDFFRUGLQJWR0DJGDLV ³RSSUHVVHGSDUWLFXODUO\E\P\WDON´ +& 5HYHDOLQJWKHSDWKRVRI0DJGD¶V plight, these failed attempts at communion render the sincerity or authenticity of KHUOHVVRQLQORYLQJLQYDOLGDQGLQVWHDGOD\EDUH0DJGD¶VQDwYHWpDQGUHSUHVVLRQ 0RUHRYHU0DJGDDFWLYHO\SXUVXHVWKH³UHDO´H[SHULHQFHWKDWLVHQFRGHGLQWKH YHU\GLVFRXUVHVKHUHVLVWV6KHWDNHVLWXSRQKHUVHOIWRUHFODLPDSODFHIRUWKH ³FRORQLDOGDXJKWHUV´ZKROLNHFRORQL]HGLQGLJHQHV¿QGWKHPVHOYHVRWKHUHGE\ colonial discourse: “I am not a principle, a rule of discourse … I need a history DQGDFXOWXUH«,DPDORQHDJDLQ«LQWKHKLVWRULFDOSUHVHQW´ +&± Of course, Magda neglects to mention here that she is complicit in the act of othering as well. Magda situates herself and is situated by the author Coetzee as the “madwoman LQWKHDWWLF´RIIHPLQLVWWKHRU\ ³,DPWKHRQHZKRVWD\VLQKHUURRPUHDGLQJRU 2 ,Q 6KDNHVSHDUH¶V 2HGLSDO WUDJHG\ +DPOHW WKURZV KLPVHOI LQWR 2SKHOLD¶V JUDYH GHVSDLULQJ ³+ROGRIIWKHHDUWKDZKLOH7LOO,KDYHFDXJKWKHURQFHPRUHLQPLQHDUPV´ $FW ± Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 49 ZULWLQJRU¿JKWLQJPLJUDLQHV7KHFRORQLHVDUHIXOORIJLUOVOLNHWKDWEXWQRQH, WKLQNVRH[WUHPHDV,´ +& 7KHSULYLOHJHRISULYDF\VLJQDOVRQO\KHULVRODWLRQ DQGPDUJLQDOLW\DVVKHVD\V ³%HWZHHQIRXUZDOOVP\UDJHLVEDIÀHG5HÀHFWHG IURPSODQHVRISODVWHUDQGWLOHDQGERDUGDQGZDOOSDSHUP\RXWSRXULQJVUDLQEDFN RQPH´ +& DQGWKDW³,QWKHFORLVWHURIP\URRP,DPWKHPDGKDJ,DP GHVWLQHGWREH´ +& 7KLVPRWLIKDVEHHQZLGHO\UHDGLQWRZRPHQ¶VWH[WVOLNH &KDUORWWH3HUNLQV*LOPDQ¶VThe Yellow Wallpaper &KDUORWWH%URQWs¶VJane Eyre DQG-HDQ5K\V¶VWide Sargasso Sea ZKLFKDOOSROLWLFL]HWKH marginalization of early women writers through the trope of the mad, incarcerated DQGLVRODWHGIHPDOH³QHXURWLF´ Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar argue that the trope of the “mad woman in the DWWLF´LQQLQHWHHQWKFHQWXU\ZRPHQ¶VWH[WVFRQVWLWXWHVWKHUHVLVWLQJIHPDOHZULWHU DQGLQWKLVVHQVHPDGQHVVWKHUHIRUHVLJQL¿HVDXWRQRP\+HUHWKH\UHDG%HUWKDLQ Jane Eyre as Jane’s mad alter-ego: it is disturbingly clear from recurrent images in [Jane Eyre] that Bertha not only acts for Jane, she also acts like Jane. The imprisoned Bertha, running ³EDFNZDUGVDQGIRUZDUGV´RQDOOIRXUVLQWKHDWWLFIRULQVWDQFHUHFDOOVQRWRQO\ -DQHWKHJRYHUQHVVZKRVHRQO\UHOLHIIURPPHQWDOSDLQZDVWRSDFH³EDFNZDUGV DQGIRUZDUGV´LQWKHWKLUGVWRU\EXWDOVRWKDW³EDGDQLPDO´ZKRZDVWHQ\HDU old Jane, imprisoned in the red-room, howling and mad … . At that point, VLJQL¿FDQWO\ZKHQWKH%HUWKDLQ-DQHIDOOVIURPWKHUXLQHGZDOORI7KRUQ¿HOG DQGLVGHVWUR\HG«WKHEXUGHQRIKHUSDVWZLOOEHOLIWHG±DQGVKHZLOOZDNH 1RWXQOLNH$FKHEH¶VUHDGLQJRI&RQUDGDQG&OLQJPDQ¶VUHDGLQJRIWKHOLPLWVWKDW ERXQG LGHQWLW\ *D\DWUL 6SLYDN KDV SRLQWHG XS WKH HXURFHQWULVP RI *LOEHUW DQG Gubar’s reading: Bertha Rochester, a white Caribbean Creole, merely serves as a PLUURUDJDLQVWZKLFKWRPHDVXUH³SODLQ-DQH¶VSURJUHVV´±WKHWLWOHRI*LOEHUWDQG Gubar’s essay. As Edward Said demonstrates in Culture and Imperialism WKHERQHVRIQRYHOVOLNHJane EyreDUHEXULHGLQFRORQLDOSODFHV)RU6SLYDNJane EyreLVJXLOW\RIUHSURGXFLQJDQLPSHULDOLVWFRQFHUQIRUVXEMHFWFRQVWLWXWLRQEDVHG RQ³FKLOGEHDULQJDQGVRXOPDNLQJ´±LQWKHODWWHUFDVHLPSHULDOLVPZDVUHJDUGHGDV DKLJKHUVRFLDOPLVVLRQDQGVDZLWVGXW\DVFLYLOL]LQJWKH³QDWLYH´-DQHHVWDEOLVKHV her sense of self, therefore, through her romantic love for Rochester and through evidence of her moral fortitude. By portraying Bertha Rochester, on the other KDQG DV DQ LQGHWHUPLQDWH EHLQJ SDUWKXPDQ SDUWDQLPDO DV %URQWs FKRRVHV WR %HUWKD¶V HQWLWOHPHQW WR D ³VRXO´ LQ WKH QRYHO LV ZHDNHQHG )RU 6SLYDN WKLV PHDQVWKDW³1DWLYH´DJDLQVHUYHVDV³VHOIFRQVROLGDWLQJ2WKHU´ 6SLYDN³7KUHH :RPHQ¶V7H[WV´ ,QGHHGLQWKHHFRQRP\RIWKHQRYHO%HUWKDmust die for Jane to achieve herSODFHLQLW7KHSURFHVVRIVXEMHFWFRQVWLWXWLRQLVVWDJHGVHOI consciously in Heart of the CountryDV0DJGDVWUXJJOHVWRGH¿QHKHUVHOILQKHU attempts at communicating with the other. The novel inverts Gilbert and Gubar’s thesis: madness and sexuality are set at odds with writing in the novel (because ZULWLQJLVDOZD\VDOUHDG\SKDOORFHQWULF VHUYLQJRQO\WRHPSKDVL]H0DJGD¶VVWDWXV 50 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship DVV\PEROLF\HWUHVLVWDQW³DXWKRU´RIKHUVWRU\:KHQ0DJGDHYHQWXDOO\WXUQVWR ZULWLQJ LQ VWRQHV VKH LV FRQVFLRXV WKDW VKH KDV VXFFXPEHG WR WKH /DZ RI WKH Father. She is born into a language which she uses to give birth to her frustration, anguish and psychosis (Head appropriately calls her invasion of other bodies ³PRQVWURXVELUWK>V@´>J. M. Coetzee@ $QVZHULQJ$WWZHOO¶V TXHVWLRQ DERXW D ³KLVWRU\ RI VHOIFDQFHOOLQJ OLWHUDWXUH´ ZKLFKFHQWUHVRQD³SRHWLFVRIIDLOXUH´DQGZKLFK$WWZHOOLGHQWL¿HVZLWKHeart of the Country&RHW]HHVXJJHVWVWKDW0DJGDLV³DQDQRPDORXV¿JXUH KHUSDVVLRQ [for South Africa, its landscape and its people] doesn’t belong in the genre [the SDVWRUDO@ LQ ZKLFK VKH ¿QGV KHUVHOI´ '3 ± Heart of the Country DVNV TXHVWLRQV DERXW LWV JHQUH TXHVWLRQV ZKLFK IRU $WWZHOO DUH EDVHG RQ D IDLOXUH of reciprocity that undermines the colonial humanism that resides in the South African pastoral. Yet, returning us to the real/literary perception of reciprocity captured in the Achterberg essay, Coetzee says that he is more interested in the ZD\WKDWWKHSRVWPRGHUQQRYHOWUHDWVDFRQGLWLRQVXFKDV³IDOOLQJLQORYH´DV³WKH ¿JXUHRIDUHODWLRQVKLS«UDWKHUWKDQWKHUHODWLRQVKLSSHUVH´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV '3 7KLVKHSXWVGRZQWRDSURFHVVRIKLVWRULFL]LQJIDOOLQJLQORYH$JDLQ Magda inhabits a site of dislocation both literally and literarily: parodying the 6RXWK$IULFDQSDVWRUDOVKHFDQQRWDXWKHQWLFDWHKHUUHODWLRQVKLSZLWK+HQGULNDQG Klein-Anna though she attempts to do so, nor can she resolve her alienation from OLWHUDU\ ODQJXDJH Anticipating the later novels, Life & Times of Michael K DQGDisgrace 0DJGDGUHDPVXSDXWRSLDQLVWSDVWRUDOFORVXUHWRKHUVWRU\DVDPHDQVRI reconciling herself to the land and her lot. Ultimately, a happy ending is forestalled because this vision commits her to a life without companionship or agency. At every turn her desire to escape, or escapism, is frustrated: “am I going to yield to WKHVSHFWUHRIUHDVRQDQGH[SODLQP\VHOIWRP\VHOILQWKHRQO\NLQGRIFRQIHVVLRQ ZHSURWHVWDQWVNQRZ"7RGLHDQHQLJPDZLWKDIXOOVRXORUWRGLHHPSWLHGRIP\ VHFUHWV´ +& 0RGHUQLW\WKHUHIRUHLVFRQFHLYHGRQO\QHJDWLYHO\7KHDUULYDO RIWKHKDOOXFLQDWRU\³VN\JRGV´WHPSRUDOO\PDUNLQJWKHGDZQLQJRIWKHPRGHUQ age, forces her to communicate through writing, and thus to bend to the Law of the Father having failed to realize a feminine symbolic. Rody argues that Magda’s UHYHDOV ³DQ H[WUHPH GHJUHH RI DOLHQDWLRQ LQ ODQJXDJH´ WKURXJK KHU ³HIIXVLYH subversive écriture feminine´ 5RG\ , ZRXOG SXW WKLV UDWKHU GLIIHUHQWO\ Magda’s encounters with writing only reinforce her social and textual alienation. 6KHDOVRUHDOLVHVWKDWVKH³ZULWHV´DQGLVZULWWHQDJDLQVWWKHJUDLQRI$IULNDQHU mythology: “Perhaps my rage at my father is simply rage at the violations of the ROGODQJXDJHWKHFRUUHFWODQJXDJH´VKHVD\V +& 7KH³ROG´DQG³FRUUHFW´ language operate within the criss-crossing paradigms of patriarchy and colonialism ERWKGHQRWHGE\WKH/DZRIWKH)DWKHU EXWLVDOVR$IULNDDQVDK\EULGZKLFKKDV been used to administer oppression. Because Magda’s father is also the symbolic )DWKHU VKH EHOLHYHV WKDW DXWKHQWLF FRPPXQ LFDW LRQ EHWZHHQ KHUVHOI ZKLWH IHPDOH DQG+HQGULN EODFNPDOH LVRQO\SRVVLEOHWKURXJKVH[XDOORYHUDWKHUWKDQ WKHVSRNHQRUZULWWHQZRUG ³7KHODQJXDJHWKDWVKRXOGSDVVEHWZHHQP\VHOIDQG Refusing to “Yield to the Spectre of Reason” 51 these people was subverted by my father and cannot be recovered. What passes EHWZHHQXVQRZLVDSDURG\«,WZDVP\IDWKHUWRQJXH´ +& 'LVFRXUVHDFFRUGLQJWR,ULJDUD\LWVHOIFDQEHUHDGDVDNLQGRI³JUDPPDU´ZLWK ³LWVV\QWDFWLFODZVRUUHTXLUHPHQWVLWVLPDJLQDU\FRQ¿JXUDWLRQVLWVPHWDSKRULF QHWZRUNVDQGDOVRRIFRXUVHZKDWLWGRHVQRWDUWLFXODWHDWWKHOHYHORIXWWHUDQFH its silences´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV This Sex $VDQ$IULNDQHUVSLQVWHU0DJGD associates silence with a literary history that suppresses or occludes women’s VWRULHV3DUDGR[LFDOO\KHUPRQRORJXHZKLFKVKHUHFRJQL]HVDV³VSXULRXVEDEEOH´ is meaningless within such a system: “a history so tedious in the telling that it PLJKWDVZHOOEHDKLVWRU\RIVLOHQFH:KDW,ODFNLVWKHFRXUDJHWRVWRSWDONLQJ WRGLHEDFNLQWRWKHVLOHQFH,FDPHIURP´ +& 7KDWGLVFRXUVHLVLQKHUHQWO\ masculinist, having the power in Irigaray’s words to “reduce all others to the HFRQRP\RIWKH6DPH´ This Sex PHDQV0DJGD¶VRQO\UHIXJHLVVLOHQFHDQG the refusal to participate within it. $VDFKDUDFWHULQDERRN0DJGDVHOIFRQVFLRXVO\FDOOVXSRQKHUDXWKRU&RHW]HH to listen to the silences enshrouding women’s histories. She wonders if “One day VRPHDV\HWXQERUQVFKRODU«VKRXOGVWXG\WKHNHUQHORIWKHWUXWKRIWKLVIDQF\>WKH FKLOGKRRGUDSH@´ +&± 1RWRQO\GRHVVKHDOOXGHWR&RHW]HHDVDQ³XQERUQ VFKRODU´DQGFKDPSLRQRIWKHDQWLSDVWRUDOPRYHPHQWLURQLFDOO\VKHDOVRHQJDJHVLQ VXFKDSURMHFWDV PLQLPDO DXWKRURIKHURZQVWRU\(PRWLRQDOO\LQHSWDQGXQORYHG 0DJGD¿QDOO\LVH[FOXGHGIURPWKHP\WKLFDOWUDGLWLRQRIERWKplaasroman and the 6RXWK$IULFDQWUDJHG\7KHGXDOLW\RI&RHW]HH¶VFULWLTXHLVVXJJHVWHGWKURXJKLURQ\ DQGSDUDGR[LQWKHWLWOHRIWKHERRN³KHDUW´FRQQRWLQJDSURIRXQGO\QDWLRQDOLVW rural community with the vrou en moederDVLWV¿JXUHKHDGEXWDOVRSDVVLRQDQG HPSDWK\0DJGDUHSHDWHGO\UHIHUVWRWKHIDUPVWHDGDVD³GHVHUW´ +& DQGDVWKH³KHDUWRIQRZKHUH´ +& 6KHEHPRDQVKHUODFNRI passion and agency, placing desire and authorship in opposition: A woman with red bloodLQKHUYHLQV ZKDWFRORXULVPLQH"DZDWHU\SLQN"DQ inky violet" ZRXOGKDYHSXVKHGDKDWFKHWLQWR>+HQGULN¶V@KDQGVDQGEXQGOHG him into the house to search out vengeance. A woman determined to be the DXWKRURIKHURZQOLIHZRXOGQRWKDYHVKUXQNIURPKXUOLQJRSHQWKHFXUWDLQVDQG ÀRRGLQJWKHJXLOW\GHHGZLWKOLJKW>@ HPSKDVLVDGGHG +& For Magda, desire cannot be accommodated by phallocentric language. Her imagined dialogue with her racial other, Klein-Anna, reveals to her that “Words alienate. Language is no medium for desire… . It is only by alienating the desired WKDW ODQJXDJH PDVWHUV LW´ +& ± 3DUDGR[LFDOO\ 0DJGD LV DQ XQUHOLDEOH QDUUDWRUZKRUHVLVWVZULWLQJ\HWVKHLVDOZD\VREVHVVLYHO\³ZULWLQJ´KHULQFHVVDQW diatribe which, given its philosophic and literary nature, is both not-mad and mad. Felman notes that “literature is … in a position of excess, since it includes that ZKLFK SKLORVRSK\ H[FOXGHV E\ GH¿QLWLRQ PDGQHVV 0DGQHVV WKXV EHFRPHV DQ RYHUÀRZWKDWZKLFKUHPDLQVRIOLWHUDWXUHDIWHUSKLORVRSK\KDVEHHQVXEWUDFWHG IURPLW´ Writing and Madness 7KHVXFFHVVRI0DJGD¶VRSSRVLWLRQWRZULWLQJ 52 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship LVDPELJXRXV PDGQHVVRUKHUÀLJKWVRIIDQF\SURYLGHVKHUZLWKDSODFHWRUHVLVW EHLQJ¿JXUHGLQDQGE\GLVFRXUVHDQGWRFRPEDWKHUERUHGRPDVWKHDUFKHW\SDO colonial spinster, whilst her textual instability allows her to subvert dominant OLWHUDU\JHQUHV 0LJKWLWQRWEHSRVVLEOHWRGH¿QHWKHYHU\VSHFL¿FLW\RIOLWHUDWXUHDVWKDWZKLFK suspends the answerWRWKHTXHVWLRQRINQRZLQJZKHWKHUWKHPDGQHVVOLWHUDWXUH VSHDNV RI LV OLWHUDO RU ¿JXUDWLYH" 7KH VSHFL¿F SURSHUW\ RI WKH WKLQJ FDOOHG literature is such, in other words, that the rhetorical status of its madness can no longer be determined. (Writing and Madness )HOPDQ DUJXHV WKDW OLWHUDWXUH¶V SDUWLFXODU TXDOLW\ LV LWV DELOLW\ WR ³XQVHWWOH WKH ERXQGDU\´EHWZHHQZKDWVKHFDOOV³SV\FKRVLV´DQG³VWHUHRW\SH´ RUEHWZHHQ the clinical condition of madness and the ways that madness gets represented in writing, which always relies on preconceptions because madness resists language, the conduit of reason. Magda recognizes the radical potential of madness as resistance, as a means of remaining outside and beyond dominant forms of writing, but it is a challenge she is unable to meet. She is reduced to communicate via the V\PEROLFRUGHUVKHUHMHFWV\LHOGLQJWRWKHVSHFWUHRIUHDVRQ:KLFKOHDGVPHWR FRQFOXGHWKDWZKDWPLJKWEHFDOOHGWKH³SRHWLFVRIUHFLSURFLW\´LQWKHQRYHOERWK Magda’s attempts at communion with her servants and the relationship between WKH ³ We have yet to write the history of that other form of madness, by which men, in an DFWRIVRYHUHLJQUHDVRQFRQ¿QHWKHLUQHLJKERUVDQGFRPPXQLFDWHDQGUHFRJQL]H each other through the merciless language of non-madness. Michel Foucault, Madness and Civilization L[ $QGVRPHZKRKDYHMXVWUHWXUQHGIURPWKHERUGHUVD\ there are no barbarians any longer. $QGQRZZKDW¶VJRLQJWRKDSSHQWRXVZLWKRXWEDUEDULDQV" 7KH\ZHUHWKRVHSHRSOHDNLQGRIVROXWLRQ &RQVWDQWLQH3&DYDI\³:DLWLQJIRUWKH%DUEDULDQV´ J. M. Coetzee’s third novel Waiting for the Barbarians KHUHDIWHU Barbarians ZKLFKPDNHVDWLWXODUDOOXVLRQWRWKH*UHHNPRGHUQLVW&RQVWDQWLQH P. Cavafy’s poem, stages the state of waiting of a colonizing people, who live in IHDURIDWWDFNE\WKHHOXVLYH³EDUEDULDQV´ 7KHWH[WUHQGHUVWKHWHUP³EDUEDULDQ´ DQ HIIHFW RI LPSHULDO GLVFRXUVH 7KH 0DJLVWUDWH ZKR QDUUDWHV WKH VWRU\ LV WKH administrator of a settler outpost of an indeterminate place and time and which WKXVFRQVWLWXWHVDNLQGRIWHPSRUDOQRPDQ¶VODQGRU³LQWHUUHJQXP´7KLVWHUPFR opted by Gordimer from the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci’s reinterpretation, denotes a transitional period between regimes when, in Gramsci’s words, “the ROGLVG\LQJDQGWKHQHZFDQQRWEHERUQ´ TWGLQ*RUGLPHUEssential Gesture 7KH0DJLVWUDWH¶VDXWKRULW\LVXVXUSHGE\3ROLFH&RORQHO-ROODQGKLVVLGHNLFN Mandel when they arrive with a relief battalion to protect the outpost. In the interim the Magistrate forms an obsessive relationship with an enigmatic barbarian girl ZKRKDVEHHQWRUWXUHGDWWKHKDQGVRI-ROO RQO\FRQVXPPDWHGRQWKHMRXUQH\WR UHWXUQWKHJLUOWRKHUSHRSOH $VDUHVXOWRIWKLVXQGHUWDNLQJZKLFKWKH0DJLVWUDWH construes as a moral obligation, Joll accuses him of treason for supposedly FROOXGLQJZLWKWKHHQHP\DQGOLNHWKHFDSWXUHGEDUEDULDQVKHLVLPSULVRQHGDQG tortured. At the same time, the Magistrate is aware of his shortcomings in his role as administrator: that his relationship with the barbarian girl and what he calls his ³TXHVWLRQDEOHGHVLUHV´ :% DUHQRWXQWRXFKHGE\VHOILQWHUHVW±herSDLQGH¿QHV hisJXLOW\FRQVFLHQFH±DQGQRWXQOLNH0DJGD¶VUHODWLRQVKLSZLWKKHUVHUYDQWVLQIn the Heart of the Country LVDQDEXVHRISRZHU+HUHDOL]HVWKDWWKHGLVWDQFH between himself and the vile Joll is therefore not so great. Wounded bodies are 54 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship WH[WVVXEMHFWWREHLQJUHDG WKLVLVWKHFRPPRQDOLW\WKDWEULQJVWKH0DJLVWUDWHDQG KLVDGYHUVDU\WRJHWKHU ³7KRXJK,FULQJHZLWKVKDPH«,PXVWDVNP\VHOIZKHWKHU … I was not in my heart of hearts regretting that I could not engrave myself on >WKHEDUEDULDQJLUO@DVGHHSO\´DV-ROOKHVD\V :% 3UHSDULQJWKHJURXQG IRUWKHSURWDJRQLVWVLQWKHODWHUZRUNV'RVWRHYVN\LQThe Master of Petersburg DQG3URIHVVRU'DYLG/XULHLQDisgrace WKH0DJLVWUDWHVHHVKLPVHOI ³VLQNLQJIXUWKHUDQGIXUWKHULQWRGLVJUDFH´ :% MXVWDVWKHWRZQVSHRSOHDUH GLVJUDFHGE\WKHVSHFWDFOHRIWRUWXUHWRZKLFKWKH\DUHSDUW\ :% 7KHSRZHU of the novel lies in part in the Magistrate’s realization that the boundaries between himself and the dehumanizing regime of Empire and the warped notions of reason LWSURPRWHVDUHGLVWXUELQJO\XQFOHDU LQIHULRUEHLQJ´ DGGHGWH[W)DQRQ¶V Black Skin 0DQQRQL WKH0DJLVWUDWH observes: Once in every generation, without fail, there is an episode of hysteria about the barbarians. There is no woman living along the frontier who has not dreamed RIDGDUNEDUEDULDQKDQGFRPLQJIURPXQGHUWKHEHGWRJULSKHUDQNOHQRPDQ who has not frightened himself with visions of the barbarians carousing in his KRPH«UDSLQJKLVGDXJKWHUV7KHVHGUHDPVDUHWKHFRQVHTXHQFHRIWRRPXFK HDVH :% The colonial mind, festering upon the luxury of free time made possible by the indenture and enslavement of others, willfully confuses fantasies of rape with UDSH SURSHU +HUH ZH VHH D WHQVLRQ EHWZHHQ IHPLQL]HG VH[XDO GHVLUH IRU DQG PDVFXOLQL]HG IHDUDQGMHDORXV\RIWKHUDFLDORWKHU WKHYHUE³WRGUHDPRI´PHDQLQJ ERWK³GUHDPLQJ´LQDOLWHUDOVHQVHDQG³OXVWLQJDIWHU´DQG³WRIULJKWHQ RQHVHOI ´ suggestive of both an unconscious fear of otherness and consciously willed fear in WKHIRUPRIREVHVVLRQDOMHDORXV\ 7KHIURQWLHUSHRSOH¶VDQ[LHW\DERXWDWWDFNKRZHYHULVQRWZKROO\XQIRXQGHG EHFDXVHWKHERGLHVRIWZRGHDGVROGLHUVRQKRUVHEDFNDUHUHWXUQHGE\WKHEDUEDULDQV strapped to their horses in retaliation of the threat the soldiers’ presence would present. Attwell observes that it is the manner in which Empire “imagines´WKH EDUEDULDQWKDWLVLPSRUWDQW RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV J. M. Coetzee ZKLFKZRXOG PDNHWKHFRORQL]DWLRQRIVXEMHFWKRRGWKHQRYHO¶VFHQWUDOWKHPH7RFRQYH\WKH limits of the discourses of reason, Barbarians stages an orientalizing process ZKLFKWKHUHIRUHDV(GZDUG6DLGDUJXHV³KDVOHVVWRGRZLWKWKHµ2ULHQW¶WKDQ LWGRHVZLWKµRXU¶ZRUOG´ Orientalism WKDWLQWKHFRQWH[WRIWKLVQRYHOLV Empire’s colonial outpost. Here, the Occident is inserted within the Orient. 7KHPDGQHVVRIWKHSURWDJRQLVWVLQDOOWKUHHWH[WVLVUHDOL]HGLQWKHLUEUHDNGRZQ of self (the Magistrate is constructed as mad when Mandel forces him to dress in DZRPDQ¶VIURFNDQGRUGHUVDPRFNKDQJLQJ EXWLVDOVRORRVHO\DQDORJRXVWR the unreason of apartheid ideology outlined by Coetzee in his essay “Apartheid 7KLQNLQJ´ Giving Offense 5REHUW6SHQFHULVVWUXFNE\WKHSUHVFLHQFHRIWKLV QRYHOLQWKHFRQWH[WRIWKH³:HVW¶V´³ZDURQWHUURU´DQGLWVGHSOR\PHQWRIPHWKRGV RI WRUWXUH >³&RORQLDO9LROHQFH´@ ZKLFK DV WKH SLFWXUHV IURP$EX *KUDLE JDRO UHYHDOPLJKWEHUHDGDVDNLQGRIPDGQHVV &RHW]HHUHFRJQL]HVWKHSLWIDOOVRI calling apartheid mad: to call apartheid mad is by no means to imply that the liberal-capitalist VHJUHJDWLRQLVPWKDWSUHFHGHGLWZDVVDQH,WPDNHVVHQVHRIDNLQGLQGHHGWR argue that both were mad … How short-sighted does self-interest have to be before it ceases to be sane, and how much more short-sighted before it begins WREHFUD]\" *2 56 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship In these words, upon which I suggest, Barbarians turns, the Magistrate surprises KLPVHOIWR¿QGWKDWKHLVWKHHPERGLPHQWRIWKLVVHOILQWHUHVWSDUH[FHOOHQFHLQKLV relationship with the barbarian girl. 8QOLNHPRVWRI&RHW]HH¶VQDUUDWRUVWKH0DJLVWUDWHRQO\HQJDJHVPLQLPDOO\ ZLWKWKHSURMHFWRIZULWLQJ PRUHDFFXUDWHO\KHLVDQDUFKDHRORJLVWDQDUFKLYLVW and, above all, a reader of texts and critic of Empire. Not only has he collected a VHULHVRIH[FDYDWHGSRSODUVOLSVEHDULQJVWUDQJHLQVFULSWLRQVLQWKH¿QDOSDVVDJHV RIWKHERRNKHVWUXJJOHVWRSUHSDUHDUHFRUGRIWKHVHWWOHUWRZQKDYLQJJDWKHUHG KLV ³KLVWRULFDO´ UHVRXUFHV LQFOXGLQJ WKH LQVFUXWDEOH EDUEDULDQ JLUO ZLWK ZKRP he becomes intimate. The passivity of the girl, who nonchalantly accepts his ULWXDOLVWLFEDWKLQJRIKHUIHHWUHQGHUVKHUDUHVLVWLQJXQUHDGDEOH³WH[W´EXWWKH 0DJLVWUDWHXQGHWHUUHGSURPLVHVKLPVHOIWKDW³XQWLOWKHPDUNVRQWKLVJLUO¶VERG\ DUHGHFLSKHUHGDQGXQGHUVWRRG,FDQQRWOHWJRRIKHU´ :% 7KH0DJLVWUDWH UHDGVWKHJLUODVDEODQNSDJH ³VKHLVLQFRPSOHWH´ LURQLFDOO\GLVWRUWLQJWKH³GDUN LQWHULRU´RIFRORQLDOLVWGLVFRXUVHKHEHOLHYHV³ZLWKWKLVZRPDQLWLVDVLIWKHUH LV QR LQWHULRU´ /RRNLQJ XSRQ WKH JLUO EHIRUH WKH\ SDUW KH XQZLWWLQJO\ UHYHDOV that to understand her is to better understand himself: “This is the last time … to scrutinize the motions of my heart, to understand who she really is… . There is RQO\DEODQNQHVVDQGGHVRODWLRQWKDWWKHUHKDVWREHVXFKEODQNQHVV´ :% 7KHGHSUDYHG-ROOZKRRSHUDWHVZLWKLQDGLIIHUHQWPRUDOFRGHZKLFK,UHDGDV ³PDG´OLNHZLVHSUHVHQWVWKH0DJLVWUDWHZLWKWKHSUREOHPRIUHDGLQJIRULWLVQRW XQWLOWKHHQGRIWKHVWRU\WKDW-ROOUHPRYHVKLVGDUNPLUURUHGJODVVHVWRUHYHDOKLV H\HVWKH³ZLQGRZWRWKHVRXO´ Just as he reacts to the girl as inscrutable text, the Magistrate’s imagination VWDOOVLQIURQWRIWKHEODQNSDJHDVKHWULHVWRVHWGRZQDUHFRUGRIWKHWRZQ ³ZKDW, ¿QGP\VHOIEHJLQQLQJWRZULWHLVQRWWKHDQQDOVRIDQ,PSHULDORXWSRVWRUDQDFFRXQW of how the people of that outpost spent their last year composing their souls as WKH\ZDLWHGIRUWKHEDUEDULDQV´ :% 6XFKKLVWRULHVRULHQWDOL]HWKHRWKHUDQG DUHDOZD\VDOUHDG\XQGHUZULWWHQE\SRZHU,QVWHDGKHWXUQVWRWKH³FKDUP´RIWKH natural world: to a nomadic symbiosis with the changing seasons, the harvests and WKH³PLJUDWLRQVRIZDWHUELUGV´ :% $SDUWIURPWKLV\HDUQLQJIRU1DWXUHDQG the pastoral, writing in the novel is couched consistently in negative terms: Joll’s PDFDEUHLQVFULSWLRQVRQWKHERGLHVRIWKHEDUEDULDQSULVRQHUV WKH0DJLVWUDWH¶V XQVXFFHVVIXODWWHPSWVWRZULWHDKLVWRU\RIWKHWRZQ DQGHDUOLHUKLVH[SHULHQFHRI ZULWHU¶VEORFNWKDWLQDIDPLOLDU&RHW]HDQFRQFHLWOLQNVVH[XDOSRWHQF\ZLWKWKH ÀRZRIWKHSHQ ³,WVHHPVDSSURSULDWHWKDWDPDQZKRGRHVQRWNQRZZKDWWRGR ZLWKWKHZRPDQLQKLVEHGVKRXOGQRWNQRZKRZWRZULWH´ :% &RQVFLRXVRI his obligations to the settlers in any account he sets down, the Magistrate realizes that not until he has been pushed to the limits of human suffering, as the text implies the barbarians have, “will [he] abandon the locutions of a civil servant ZLWKOLWHUDU\DPELWLRQVDQGEHJLQWRWHOOWKHWUXWK´ :% $WWKHHQGRIWKH novel he is confronted by the culmination of these problems of history and ethical understanding: Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 57 ,ZDQWHGWROLYHRXWVLGHWKHKLVWRU\WKDW(PSLUHLPSRVHVRQLWVVXEMHFWVHYHQ LWVORVWVXEMHFWV,QHYHUZLVKHGLWIRUWKHEDUEDULDQVWKDWWKH\VKRXOGKDYHWKH KLVWRU\RI(PSLUHODLGXSRQWKHP+RZFDQ,EHOLHYHWKDWWKDWLVFDXVHIRUVKDPH" :% ± In these penultimate passages the Magistrate struggles for closure, for the end of (PSLUHDQGWKHUHOLQTXLVKLQJRIDXWKRULW\ KH³GUHDPVRIHQGV>@GUHDPVQRWRI KRZWROLYHEXWRIKRZWRGLH´ :% 7KHRSSUHVVLYH(PSLUHRQWKHRWKHU KDQGUHVLVWVREVFXULW\DQGLWVRZQGHPLVHWKURXJKFRQTXHVWZKLFKLV³$PDG YLVLRQ\HWDYLUXOHQWRQH´ :% As a cynical critic of Empire, the Magistrate even politicizes the act of reading. 0RUGDQWO\KHSUHWHQGVWRGHFLSKHUWKHSRSODUVOLSVIRU-ROO¿UVWUHDGLQJWKHVFHQHV of torture in the opening passages of the novel: Now let us see what the next one says. See, there is only a single character. It is the barbarian character war, but it has other senses too. It can stand for vengeance DQG LI \RX WXUQ LW XSVLGH GRZQ OLNH WKLV LW FDQ EH PDGH WR UHDG justice7KHUHLVQRNQRZLQJZKLFKVHQVHLVLQWHQGHG7KDWLVSDUWRIEDUEDULDQ cunning… . [The slips] form an allegory. They can be read in many orders. Further, each single slip can be read in many ways. Together they can be read as DGRPHVWLFMRXUQDORUWKH\FDQEHUHDGDVDSODQRIZDURUWKH\FDQEHWXUQHGRQ their sides and read as a history of the last years of the Empire – the old Empire, ,PHDQ :% 1RWRQO\GRHVWKLVDFWRIUHDGLQJDOORZWKH0DJLVWUDWHWRODXQFKDFRYHUWDWWDFNRQ -ROOLWDOVRFDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQWKH0DQLFKHDQDOOHJRU\HPSOR\HGE\(PSLUHWRSROLFH LWVDXWKRULW\%\RIIHULQJDOWHUQDWLYHUHDGLQJVDQGDOOXGLQJWRWKHEDUEDULDQV¶MXVW ZDU±RUWKH0DJLVWUDWH¶VWUDQVODWLRQRI³ZDU´ZKLFKFDQDOVRPHDQ³YHQJHDQFH´ DQG³MXVWLFH´±WKH0DJLVWUDWHVDWLUL]HVWKHPRQROLWKRI(PSLUH¶VFRORQLDOKLVWRU\ suggesting that truth is far more malleable than such histories would allow. The 0DJLVWUDWH SOD\V XSRQ (PSLUH¶V SDUDQRLD VLQFH WKH VOLSV DUH PRVW OLNHO\ WR EH innocuous and certainly are not a secret code between him and the barbarians. We ZLOOQHYHUNQRZWKHLUWUXHPHDQLQJEHFDXVHWKH0DJLVWUDWHVLPSO\PLPHVWKHDFW RIUHDGLQJ ³,GRQRWHYHQNQRZZKHWKHUWRUHDGIURPULJKWWROHIWRUIURPOHIWWR ULJKW´>:%@ SURYLGLQJZLWKVKDUSWRQJXHGLURQ\WKHQDUUDWLYHVRIZDUWKDW Joll and his cronies crave and which would bolster Empire’s mission. The novel self-consciously invites allegorical readings, not only here but in WKHUHSUHVHQWDWLRQVRI(PSLUHDQGWRUWXUHLQWKHJLUODQG-ROODVEODQNWH[WVLQWKH 0DJLVWUDWH¶VDWWHPSWVWRZULWHDKLVWRU\RIWKHVHWWOHPHQWLQWKHGUHDPVHTXHQFHV Paradoxically, these passages also alert the reader to the dangers allegory engenders ZKLFK LV ZK\ RQH FULWLF WLWOHV KHU HVVD\ ³$OOHJRU\ RI $OOHJRULHV´ >'RYH\@ SULPDULO\WKHIRUHVWDOOLQJRILPDJLQDWLYHDQGWKXVFULWLFDOHQTXLU\:KDWLVPRUH DV,KDYHH[SODLQHGDERYHWKH0DJLVWUDWHPDNHVDVVRFLDWLRQVEHWZHHQWKLVNLQG RIUHDGLQJSUDFWLFHDQGWKHZRUNRI(PSLUHZKLFKGLVJXLVHVLWVGHVLUHWRVXEMHFW 58 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship WKHEDUEDULDQSULVRQHUVE\SURIHVVLQJDGHVLUHWR³UHDG´WKHP,WDFKLHYHVWKLVHQG through torture. 7KDW WKH QRYHO LV VHW LQ DQ XQVSHFL¿DEOH SODFH DQG WLPH OHDGV VRPH FULWLFV to suggest that it offers a universal ethical message. Susan VanZanten Gallagher agrees with Anthony Burgess in his review that the novel is about nowhere DQGWKHUHIRUHDERXWHYHU\ZKHUH ³7RUWXUHDQGWKH1RYHO´ %XUJHVV &RPPHQWLQJRQWKHXVHRI³(PSLUH´LQWKHWH[W'RPLQLF+HDGVXJJHVWVWKDW³7KH RPLVVLRQRIWKHGH¿QLWHDUWLFOHKHOSVWRZLGHQWKHFRQQRWDWLRQVRIµ(PSLUH¶ZKLFK EHFRPHVDYDLODEOHDVDQHPEOHPRILPSHULDOLVPWKURXJKKLVWRU\´ J. M. Coetzee ± VHHDOVR$WWZHOOJ. M. Coetzee $EGXO5-DQ0RKDPHGLVFULWLFDORI the novel’s political opacity on the grounds that it espouses the universalism of colonialist literature. The novel, a deliberate allegory, epitomizes the dehistoricizing, desocializing tendency RIFRORQLDOLVW¿FWLRQ«>,W@UHIXVHVWRDFNQRZOHGJHLWVKLVWRULFDOVRXUFHVRUWR PDNHDOOXVLRQVWRWKHVSHFL¿FEDUEDULVPRIWKHDSDUWKHLGUHJLPH7KHQRYHOWKXV LPSOLHVWKDWZHDUHDOOVRPHKRZHTXDOO\JXLOW\DQGWKDWIDVFLVPLVHQGHPLFWRDOO VRFLHWLHV ³(FRQRP\´ $WWZHOOPDNHVDFDVHIRU³KLVWRU\DVP\WK´EHLQJWKH³IXOFUXP´RIWKHZRUNVXS to and including Age of Iron EXWLQBarbarians the focus is history “as GLVFXUVLYH¿HOG´DQG³DQREMHFWLQLWVHOI´ J. M. Coetzee ZKLFKZRXOGVHHPWR FRUURERUDWH-DQ0RKDPHG¶VSRLQW:HVKRXOGTXHVWLRQZKHWKHU&RHW]HHLVJXLOW\ DV-DQ0RKDPHGFODLPV+RPL%KDEKDLQ³7KH2WKHU4XHVWLRQ´LVRIVNLUWLQJWKH PDWHULDOUHDOLW\RIFRORQLDOFRQÀLFWWRSULRULWL]HFRORQLDOGLVFRXUVH³DVLILWH[LVWHG LQDYDFXXP´ -DQ0RKDPHG³(FRQRP\´ :HPLJKWDVNZKHWKHUBarbarians HPSOR\V WKH YHU\ PDGQHVV ³EOLQGQHVV´ WR WKH RWKHU WKDW LW PHDQV WR FULWLTXH This is implied in JanMohamed’s words: “In its studied refusal to accept historical UHVSRQVLELOLW\WKLVQRYHOOLNHDOOµLPDJLQDU\¶FRORQLDOLVWWH[WVDWWHPSWVWRP\VWLI\ the imperial endeavour by representing the relation between self and Other in PHWDSK\VLFDOWHUPV´ ³(FRQRP\´ ,UHWXUQWRWKLVGHEDWHEHORZ Given that the novel, which portrays torture and police brutality in the most graphic terms, was published in 1980, soon after the Soweto uprisings and the PXUGHURIWKHVWXGHQWOHDGHU6WHYH%LNRZKLOVWLQSROLFHFXVWRG\DVFULWLFVKDYH DEXQGDQWO\FRPPHQWHGWKHLQWHQWLRQWRFULWLTXHWKHFRQWHPSRUDU\PLOLHXLQ6RXWK $IULFDLVFOHDU,QGHHGPDQ\RIWKHVHFULWLFVOLQNWKHWRUWXUHRIWKHROGPDQDWWKH EHJLQQLQJRIWKHQRYHOZLWKWKHGHDWKRI%LNR$WWZHOOULJKWO\FRQWHQGVWKDWWKH UHDGLQJRI³HWKLFDOXQLYHUVDOLVP´LVQRWZKROO\DFFXUDWHRIDQRYHOWKDWXWLOL]HV D ³VWUDWHJLF UHIXVDO RI VSHFL¿FLW\´ J. M. Coetzee 3HWHU ' 0F'RQDOG KDV recently discovered that Barbarians was put before the censors, which would suggest that, with its allusions to the contemporary situation, it offended the DSDUWKHLGUHJLPH7KHQRYHOZDVVXEVHTXHQWO\SDVVHGE\WKHFHQVRUVKLSERDUGWKH Directorate of Publications, because of its apparently universal scope (McDonald ³1RW8QGHVLUDEOH´ ³7KH:ULWHU´± Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 59 %\ ULGLFXOLQJ -ROO DQG SDURG\LQJ WKH SURFHVVHV E\ ZKLFK (PSLUH NQRZV LWV VXEMHFWVWKH0DJLVWUDWHH[SRVHVWKH³WUXWKV´RI(PSLUHDQGVLPXOWDQHRXVO\FDOOV LQWRTXHVWLRQRYHUGHWHUPLQHGUHDGLQJSUDFWLFHV$WWULGJHSRLQWVRXWKRZHYHUWKDW LWLVQRWVXUSULVLQJWKDW6RXWK$IULFDQZULWHUVOLNH&RHW]HHKDYHGHFRQVWUXFWHGWKH allegorizing process in this way, “[g]iven the extensive suffering caused in South $IULFDE\GHKXPDQL]LQJFRGL¿FDWLRQV´ J. M. Coetzee +HIHOOIURPWKHQLQWKÀRRU He hanged himself He slipped on a piece of soap while washing He hanged himself He slipped on a piece of soap while washing +HIHOOIURPWKHQLQWKÀRRU He hanged himself while washing +HVOLSSHGIURPWKHQLQWKÀRRU +HKXQJIURPWKHQLQWKÀRRU %ULQNDQG&RHW]HHA Land Apart 7KH KHDY\ LURQ\ WKURXJK ZRUGSOD\ PDNHV QRQVHQVH RI ³IDFWXDO´ HYLGHQFH submitted by the police. Madness manifests itself in the audacity of the lying to reveal, paradoxically, the truth of apartheid rule. In a similar fashion, the Magistrate PRFNV -ROO LQ -ROO¶V ODQJXDJH RI [HQRSKRELF VWDWH LGHRORJ\ ³&DQ \RX WHOO XV ZKHWKHUZHKDYHDQ\WKLQJWRIHDU>IURPWKHEDUEDULDQV@"&DQZHUHVWVHFXUHO\DW QLJKW"´ :% $FWVRIPLVUHDGLQJDQGPLVUHSUHVHQWDWLRQVXFKDVWKLVWKHUHIRUH convey the, often state-orchestrated, wilful confusion of reason and unreason that LVV\PSWRPDWLFRIWKHPDGQHVVRI³FLYLOL]DWLRQ´ In Foucault, Coetzee writes, madness and reason are 1 See also Alex la Guma’s In the Fog of the Season’s End DQG0RQJDQH:DOO\ Serote’s To Every Birth Its Blood IRURWKHUH[DPSOHVRIQRYHOVWKDWSRUWUD\VXFK accounts. 60 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship reduc[ed] … to the status of warring twins. In this perspective, each of the twins sees the other as possessing an overmastering prestige … which it must at all costs have for itself. This in turn may help us to see why it is that the actions RI UHDVRQ FRPH WR ORRN PRUH DQG PRUH OLNH PDGQHVV MXVW DV PDGQHVV DQG SDUWLFXODUO\WKHPDGQHVVRISDUDQRLDORRNVOLNHDQH[FHVVRIUHDVRQ EHFDXVH HDFKLVLPLWDWLQJWKHRWKHU *2 0DGQHVV LV D ODFN RI VHOINQRZOHGJH EXW KHUH SDUDGR[LFDOO\ LW LV WKH SRVW Cartesian model of reason that tries to distinguish itself from madness. Coetzee JORVVHV)RXFDXOW ³,WGRHVQRWNQRZLWVHOILQWKDWLWFODLPVWREHEDVHGRQIXOOVHOI NQRZOHGJHRQNQRZOHGJHRILWVHOIDVWKHYRLFHRIWUDQVFHQGHQWUHDVRQZKHUHDV LWLVLQIDFWRQO\WKHYRLFHRIDFHUWDLQSRZHU´ *2 )RXFDXOWLVLQWHUHVWHGQRW LQWKHPHGLFDOGH¿QLWLRQRIPDGQHVVEXWLQWKHUHODWLRQEHWZHHQVWDWHDXWKRULW\ DQGWKHVXEMHFW PDGQHVVLVGH¿QHGE\DXWKRULW\DVXQUHDVRQLQFRQÀLFWZLWKWKH reasonable discourse of modernity (Madness and Civilization Paradoxically, because madness is conceptualized as unreason, it is already placed, albeit QHJDWLYHO\ZLWKLQDV\VWHPRINQRZOHGJH,QWKH¿QDODQDO\VLVUHDVRQLVFROODSVHG as mad or unreasonable: “madness and non-madness, reason and non-reason are inextricably involved: inseparable at the moment when they do not yet exist, and existing for each other, in relation to each other, in the exchange which separates them´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG Madness and Civilization[LL The Magistrate’s desire for the barbarian girl also should be read as mad given WKDWLWLVEDVHGRQDODFNRIUHFLSURFLW\VHOILQWHUHVWDQGDQLUUDWLRQDOQHJOHFWRI WUXWKMXVWL¿HGWKURXJKWKH0DJLVWUDWH¶VZDYHULQJEHOLHILQKLVDOWUXLVWLFPRWLYDWLRQV IRU WDNLQJ KHU LQ +HUH WKH IHWLVKLVWLF GHVLUH LQ FRORQLDO GLVFRXUVH WR ZKLFK JanMohamed refers, the desire to be recognized by the other in order to clarify RQH¶VVHQVHRIVHOIHPHUJHVLQWKH0DJLVWUDWH¶VFRQFHUQIRUWKHJLUO ³(FRQRP\´ ± 6KHLV¿QDOO\UHWXUQHGWRKHUSHRSOHLQKLVZRUGV³DVWUDQJHU DYLVLWRU IURP VWUDQJH SDUWV QRZ RQ KHU ZD\ KRPH DIWHU D OHVV WKDQ KDSS\ YLVLW´ :% 7KH 0DJLVWUDWH¶V VHOILQWHUHVW LV FOHDUO\ VLJQDOOHG ZKHQ KH PDNHV XVH RI KHUWRUWXUHGERG\WRVDWLVI\KLVRZQGHVLUHVQRWXQOLNH0DJGD¶VPLVXVHUHDORU LPDJLQHGRIWKHERGLHVRI+HQGULNDQG.OHLQ$QQDLQIn Heart of the Country. +HUHDQ\FRPSDULVRQZLWK0DJGDHQGVEHFDXVHWKH0DJLVWUDWHXQOLNH0DJGD is increasingly conscious of the dubious motives that drive the charity he shows WKHJLUO (DFKQLJKWXQLQYLWHGWKH0DJLVWUDWHULWXDOO\EDWKHVDQGRLOVKHUEURNHQ IHHWDQGLQWKHSURFHVVLVOXOOHGLQWRDWUDQFHOLNHVOHHSLURQLFDOO\REOLYLRXVRIWKH presence of the girl herself. The Magistrate’s somnambulistic state is symptomatic RIKLVODFNRIHWKLFDOYLVLRQ5HSUHVHQWLQJKLV¿[DWLRQZLWKWKHJLUO¶VYLFWLPKRRG (which Attwell is right to attribute to a South African liberal consciousness [J. M. Coetzee@ HDFKWLPHKHSDUWDNHVLQWKHULWXDOKHLVVDWLDWHGE\KHUZRXQGHGQHVV DQGLVRYHUWDNHQE\VOHHS+HLV¿[DWHGZLWKKHUas maimed victim and is driven WR¿QGRXWWKHWUXWKDERXWKHUWRUWXUHDWWKHKDQGVRI-ROO ³SDLQLVWUXWK DOOHOVH LVVXEMHFWWRGRXEW7KDWLVZKDW,EHDUDZD\IURPP\FRQYHUVDWLRQZLWK&RORQHO -ROO´ :% 7KH0DJLVWUDWH¶VHQGHDYRXUWRXQGHUVWDQGWKHJLUORUPRUHSURSHUO\ Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 61 to understand himself, through her pain, though continually undermined by his GHVLUH SDUDGR[LFDOO\ WR REOLWHUDWH LW XOWLPDWHO\ REMHFWL¿HV KHU VHUYLQJ RQO\ WR SHUSHWXDWHKHURSSUHVVLRQEHJXQDWWKHKDQGVRIKHUWRUWXUHUV7KHPDGQHVV¿JXUHG in washing therefore resonates with ethnic cleansing. Laura Wright suggests that, ¿JXUHGLQWKHPHWDSKRURIKLVZDVKLQJWKHJLUO¶VERG\WKH0DJLVWUDWHDWWHPSWV to wash himself clean from his sense of complicity with Empire “through the intellectualization of his ambivalent position as a champion of an anachronistic LPSHULDOLVP´ Writing ,Q ³:RXQGHG $WWDFKPHQWV´ :HQG\ %URZQ LGHQWL¿HV D SDUDGR[ LQ OLEHUDO LGHQWLW\SROLWLFV WKDWLQLWVDWWHPSWWRHPSRZHULGHQWLW\ZRUNVHUYHVWKHIRUFHV RIPDUJLQDOL]DWLRQ ³WKHWULXPSKRIWKHZHDNDVZHDN´>:LOOLDP&RQQROO\TWGLQ %URZQ@ %URZQH[SODLQVWKDW In its emergence as a protest against marginalization or subordination, politicized identity … becomes attached to its own exclusion both because it is premised on this exclusion for its very existence as identity and because the formation of identity at the site of exclusion, as exclusion, augments or “alters the direction RIWKHVXIIHULQJ´HQWDLOHGLQVXERUGLQDWLRQRUPDUJLQDOL]DWLRQE\¿QGLQJDVLWHRI blame for it. But in so doing, it installs its pain over its unredeemed history in the IRXQGDWLRQRILWVSROLWLFDOFODLPLQLWVGHPDQGIRUUHFRJQLWLRQDVLGHQWLW\ In other words, the foundations of identity politics intended to bolster marginal identities are built upon wounded attachments. In Barbarians the girl’s is a ³QDUFLVVLVWLFZRXQG´ %URZQ by proxy. The Magistrate admits, however, that ZKLOVWKHFDQRQO\NQRZKHUERG\DVZRXQGHGKRZWKHJLUOSHUFHLYHVKHUZRXQGV LVOLNHO\WREHGLIIHUHQW ³VKHKDVSHUKDSVE\QRZJURZQLQWRDQGEHFRPHWKDWQHZ GH¿FLHQWERG\IHHOLQJQRPRUHGHIRUPHGWKDQDFDWIHHOVGHIRUPHGIRUKDYLQJ FODZV LQVWHDG RI ¿QJHUV´ :% %URZQ FKDOOHQJHV LGHQWLW\ SROLWLFV ZKLFK DUHSUHGLFDWHGRQWKHUHJXODWLRQRIRWKHUQHVVEHWZHHQ³SDUWLFXODULVWLFµ,¶V¶DQGD XQLYHUVDOµZH¶´ 6KHWXUQVWR1LHW]VFKHWR¿QGDZD\RXWRIWKLVLPSDVVH WRWKH³µYLUWXHVRIIRUJHWWLQJ¶IRULILGHQWLW\VWUXFWXUHGLQSDUWE\UHVVHQWLPHQW UHVXEMXJDWHVLWVHOIWKURXJKLWVLQYHVWPHQWLQLWVRZQSDLQ«PHPRU\LVWKHKRXVH RI WKLV DFWLYLW\ DQG WKLV UHIXVDO´ +RZHYHU VKH TXLFNO\ DEDQGRQV 1LHW]VFKH erasure through forgetting is unviable given that marginalized identities are W\SLFDOO\DOUHDG\³LQVFULEHG´E\HUDVXUH %URZQ 0RUHRYHULQJHRSROLWLFDO paradigms such as Empire, erasure and forgetting are not only inappropriate EXWVKRXOGEHDFWLYHO\FKDOOHQJHG%URZQ¶VVROXWLRQLV³WRFRQ¿JXUHDUDGLFDOO\ GHPRFUDWLFSROLWLFDOFXOWXUHWKDWFDQVXVWDLQVXFKDSURMHFWLQLWVPLGVWZLWKRXW EHLQJRYHUWDNHQE\LW´DQGSDUWRIWKLVUHFRQ¿JXUDWLRQZRXOGEHSUHPLVHGXSRQ H[SUHVVLQJ³GHVLUHV´7KH0DJLVWUDWHJOLPSVHVDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIEDUEDULDQJLUO when he witnesses her easy interaction and garrulousness with the young men HQOLVWHGWRPDNHWKHWULSEDFNWRKHUKRPH1RWDEO\WZRRIWKHVHDUHFRQVFULSWV WKHRWKHULVDORFDO VRWKH0DJLVWUDWHZLWQHVVHVDQLQWHUUDFLDOLQWHUDFWLRQDQGRQH that is not based upon the Manichaean paradigm. 62 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship The reciprocity between the girl and the Magistrate is consolidated in the motif of eyes and blindness: not only is the barbarian girl blind – blindness W\SLFDOO\V\PEROL]LQJSKLORVRSKLFDOYLVLRQ±-ROO¶VGDUNH\HJODVVHVDVD³QHZ LQYHQWLRQ´DUHOLQNHGLPSOLFLWO\WRWKHGDZQLQJRIPRGHUQLW\ :% 0RUHRYHU WKH0DJLVWUDWHGHVFULEHV-ROO¶VKHQFKPDQ0DQGHODVORRNLQJWKURXJKWKRVH³ORYHO\ EOXHH\HV«DVDQDFWRUIURPEHKLQGDPDVN´ :% $VWH[WVWREHUHDGWKH girl and these servants of Empire are inscrutable: the Magistrate misreads the girl’s LPSHQHWUDELOLW\IRUEODQNQHVVDQGWKHIDFHLQ-ROO¶VJODVVHVRQHLPDJLQHVLVWKH 0DJLVWUDWH¶VRZQVWDULQJEDFNDWKLP7KHVHDFWVRI³UHDGLQJ´VXJJHVWWKDWLWLV WKHSURFHVVRIUHDGLQJ WKHVHOI WKDW&RHW]HHKROGVXSIRUVFUXWLQ\UDWKHUWKDQWKH ³WH[WV´WKHPVHOYHV )RXFDXOW TXRWHV WKH Encylopédie¶V GH¿QLWLRQ RI PDGQHVV ³WR GHSDUW IURP UHDVRQµZLWKFRQ¿GHQFHDQGLQWKH¿UPFRQYLFWLRQWKDWRQHLVIROORZLQJLW¶´7KH obscuring of truth results in madness, Foucault elaborates. Blindness constitutes a ODFNRIPRUDOUDWKHUWKDQSK\VLFDOWUXWKDQGKHQFHDNLQGRIPDGQHVV%OLQGQHVV ³UHIHUVDOVRWRLOOIRXQGHGEHOLHIVPLVWDNHQMXGJHPHQWVWRWKHZKROHEDFNJURXQG RIHUURUVLQVHSDUDEOHIURPWKHPDGQHVV´ )RXFDXOWMadness and Civilization 104– )RXFDXOWGLVWLQJXLVKHVEHWZHHQSK\VLFDODQGPRUDOWUXWKE\TXRWLQJIURPDQ article on mania in the Encyclopédie: “Physical truth consists of the accurate relation of our sensations with physical REMHFWV´ WKHUHZLOOEHDIRUPRIPDGQHVVGHWHUPLQHGE\WKHLPSRVVLELOLW\RI DFFHGLQJWRWKLVIRUPRIWUXWK«³0RUDOWUXWK´RQWKHRWKHUKDQG³FRQVLVWV LQWKHH[DFWLWXGHRIWKHUHODWLRQVZHGLVFHUQHLWKHUEHWZHHQPRUDOREMHFWVRU EHWZHHQ WKRVH REMHFWV DQG RXUVHOYHV´ )RXFDXOW Madness and Civilization The blindness to reading observed here by Foucault in Barbarians manifests itself not in the barbarian girl but in the Magistrate and Colonel Joll. Blindness to physical WUXWKLQ)RXFDXOW¶VDQDO\VLVLVSV\FKRVLV EOLQGQHVVWRLWVPRUDOFRXQWHUSDUWLVWKH ³PDGQHVVRIFLYLOL]DWLRQ´LQWKHWKUDOORIZKLFKERWK-ROODQGWKH0DJLVWUDWHDUH KHOG7KRXJK-ROOLVDSURSRQHQWRI³SK\VLFDOWUXWK´±³SDLQLVWUXWK´KHVRFUXHOO\ SURFODLPV :% ±KHLVSDWHQWO\GHOXVLRQDOLQPRUDOWHUPVDQGWKH0DJLVWUDWH despite championing moral truths, is morally suspect in his wounded attachment WRWKHJLUO¶VEURNHQERG\0DGQHVVOXUNVLQKLVLQDELOLW\WRUHDGKHURXWVLGHWKH imperious mindset. Nevertheless, the Magistrate is partially redeemed by his awareness of the self-interested motives behind his decision to house the girl. 1RWRQO\LVWKH0DJLVWUDWH¿[DWHGZLWKWKHJLUOLQKHUSDLQKHLVWRUPHQWHGE\ DVHULHVRIGUHDPVLQZKLFKKHVWUXJJOHVWRUHVROYH WRLQWHUSUHW KLVDPELYDOHQW relationship with her, but which, in actuality, reinforces the failure of reciprocity that colours their relationship. Symbolically loaded, as Foucault suggests, “dreams, madness, the unreasonable can … slip into [an] excess of meaning´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG Madness ZKLFKDOOUHTXLUHLQWHUSUHWLQJ&RORQLDOLVWQRWLRQV RIVXEMHFWIRUPDWLRQRIZKLFKWKHUHFXUULQJLPDJHRIWKHVQRZPDQLVDPHWDSKRU Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 63 DUHUHDOL]HGLQWKHLOOXVRU\VSDFHRIGUHDPVDQGSDURG\WKH¿FWLRQDOVWDWXVRIWKH other constructed by colonialist discourse. (Snow not only connotes inhospitability EXWDOVRLPSHUPDQHQFH 7KH¿UVWGUHDPORRNVIRUZDUGWRWKHDSSHDUDQFHRIWKH EDUEDULDQJLUOLQWKHQDUUDWLYH WKHIDFHRIWKHJLUOLQWKHGUHDPLVEODQNVXJJHVWLQJ the impossibility of authentic communication with or reading of the other. In a later GUHDPWKHJLUO¶VIDFHEHFRPHVDQHPEU\R LQDQRWKHUWKH0DJLVWUDWH¶VDWWHPSWV to communicate with the children that populate it through speech and touch are thwarted because ice covers both his mouth and hands. The narrative thus presses WKHODFNRIUHFLSURFLW\EHWZHHQWKH0DJLVWUDWHDQGKLVRWKHUVZKLFKLQWKHGUHDPV DUHFKLOGUHQ/LNHZLVHWKHVQRZIRUWLVDOZD\VXQSHRSOHGHPSKDVL]LQJWKHODFNRI FRPPXQLRQ7KH0DJLVWUDWHWKHQGUHDPVRI³WKHJLUO´ZKRPKH¿UVWPLVWDNHQO\ EHOLHYHVWREH³GLJJLQJDZD\LQWKHERZHOVRIWKHFDVWOH´ :% RQO\WRUHDOL]H WKDWVKHLVEDNLQJEUHDGZKLFKVKHRIIHUVWRKLPLQDQDFWRIIHOORZVKLSFDVWLQ Christian mythology. In one dream the girl’s feet become abstracted from her body, suggestive of the fetishistic nature of the Magistrate’s interest in her. In general, read as allegories of the Manichaean struggle, the dreams show how colonialism, with the Magistrate as its reluctant representative, attempts to construct the colonial other as a means of clarifying and maintaining notions of the self. As Attwell points out, “continuity and reciprocity [which] ultimately depend on the LGHDRIKXPDQFRPPXQLW\´DUHDEVHQWIURPWKHGUHDPVHTXHQFH J. M. Coetzee, MXVWDVWKH\DUHDEVHQWLQWKH0DJLVWUDWH¶VZDNLQJVHOI $UUHVWHGE\-ROOIRUVXSSRVHGO\³WUHDVRQDEO\FRQVRUWLQJZLWKWKHHQHP\´ :% GUHVVHGLQDZRPDQ¶VIURFNDQGJLEEHWHGRQDWUHHWKH0DJLVWUDWHLVUHGXFHG WRZKDW0DQGHO-ROO¶VKHQFKPDQFDOOVD³FORZQDPDGPDQ´ :% 0DQGHO VFDSHJRDWV WKH 0DJLVWUDWH E\ FRQVWUXFWLQJ KLP DV WKH IRRO ¿QDOO\ GHHPLQJ LW unnecessary, as the result of this construction, to imprison him, Mandel allows him to roam freely, half-mad, through the town. The construction of the Magistrate by Mandel as insane corresponds with Foucault’s thesis in Discipline and Punish RIWKHELUWKRIWKHFULPLQDOVXEMHFWGXULQJWKH(QOLJKWHQPHQW$V)RXFDXOWZULWHV “From being an art of unbearable sensations punishment has become an economy RI VXVSHQGHG ULJKWV´ Discipline 0RGHUQ SHQDO PHWKRGV VXFK DV -HUHP\ %HQWKDP¶V3DQRSWLFRQVKLIWHGWKHREMHFWRISXQLVKPHQWIURPWKHSK\VLFDOERG\ to the soul, to the self-regulation and consciousness-raising of the prisoner who, NHSWDOLYHLVJLYHQWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRH[SHULHQFHJXLOWUHPRUVHDQGWRUHIRUP 7KH0DJLVWUDWHGHFODUHVWKDW0DQGHO³GHDOVZLWKP\VRXO´ :% 2IFRXUVH in Barbarians both the soul and the physical body are disciplined, pointing up, inadvertently perhaps, Foucault’s prematurely optimistic claim that torture is no ORQJHUSUDFWLVHGE\WKH³:HVW´ )RXFDXOW¶VHSLVWHPLFFULWLTXHLQMadness and Civilization demonstrates that madness, or more accurately, social conceptions of madness, can be historicized WREHUHDGSROLWLFDOO\UHQGHULQJPDGQHVV³QRWPDG´,QOLWHUDU\UHSUHVHQWDWLRQV of the fool madness typically symbolizes sagacity. In this vein Coetzee turns in ³(UDVPXV 0DGQHVV DQG 5LYDOU\´ WR (UDVPXV¶V Praise of Folly ZKLFK PDSV³WKHSRVVLELOLW\RIDSRVLWLRQIRUWKHFULWLFRIWKHVFHQHRISROLWLFDOULYDOU\´ 64 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship a response which, he says, was surprisingly prescient given the rivalry that would XQIROGDGHFDGHODWHUEHWZHHQWKH3RSHDQG/XWKHU *2 (UDVPXVDGRSWVWKH ZHOONQRZQSROLWLFDOSRVLWLRQRUPRUHSURSHUO\WKH³nonSRVLWLRQ´ *2 RIWKH fool, which allows him to challenge opposing sides without reprisal but that often brings together such rivals in their efforts to overcome him. As both fool and not- fool, this split self corresponds with of the dialectic of unreason and reason. Fool in this context functions as empowered mediator. This constitutes a position not ZKROO\XQOLNHWKDWRIQRQSDUWLVDQVKLSRXWOLQHGE\(GZDUG6DLGLQKLVPRGHORI WKHSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOZKRVKRXOGEH³LQGHSHQGHQWDXWRQRPRXVO\IXQFWLRQLQJ´ (Representations H[FHSWWKDW6DLG¶VLQWHOOHFWXDOZLOODFWdespite the threat of UHSULVDODQGUHMHFWVRXWULJKWQRQSRVLWLRQDOLW\ Representations For Erasmus, the apparently uncommitted position of “mad-but-not-really- PDG´ XQFRPPLWWHGEHFDXVHRILWVUHWUHDWLQWRPDGQHVV LQIDFWIXQFWLRQVDWWKH OHYHORIHWKLFDOUHSUHVHQWDWLRQ &RHW]HHDOHUWVXVWR³DKLJKO\VHOIDZDUHUHÀHFWLRQ >LQ(UDVPXV@RQWKHOLPLWDWLRQVRQDQ\SURMHFWVSHDNLQJRQEHKDOIRIPDGQHVV´ *2 )RU -DFTXHV 'HUULGD ZULWLQJ DERXW )RXFDXOW KHUH OLHV WKH LPSDVVH VSHDNLQJUHVSRQVLEO\RQEHKDOIRIPDGQHVVUHSUHVHQWLQJLWVVLOHQFHVQHFHVVDULO\ means passing over to enemy lines, to order and the voice of reason (Writing *2 +HQFHFHQWUDOWR)RXFDXOW¶VDQDO\VLVLVDGLVFRXUVHWKDWUHDGVPDGQHVVRQ its own terms and this, Derrida argues, “is the most audacious and seductive aspect of [Foucault’s] venture … But it is also, with all seriousness, the maddest aspect of KLVSURMHFW´ Writing TWGLQ*2 From the outset the Magistrate is conscious of the mechanics of Empire’s GLVFXUVLYH SRZHU KH DQG -ROO ³SDXVH VDYRXULQJ IURP RXU GLIIHUHQW SRVLWLRQV WKH LURQLHV RI WKH ZRUG >µFLYLOL]DWLRQ¶@´ :% +LV WRUWXUHUV VKRZ KLP ³WKH PHDQLQJ RI KXPDQLW\´ :% (PSLUH¶V KHQFKPHQ KH VD\V DUH WKH ³QHZ EDUEDULDQV´ :% 7KHQRYHOVXJJHVWVWKDWQXUWXULQJWKHfear of the threat of WKHEDUEDULDQVLV(PSLUH¶VPHDQVRIGH¿QLQJWKH³FLYLOL]HG´VHOI2IFRXUVHWKH settler community’s own paranoiac xenophobia is instead exposed. Through a Foucauldian lens, ambivalence in Barbarians, including the ambivalent discourse of colonialism and a Janus-faced modernity, lays bare the madness of reason and WKH³FLYLOL]LQJ´PLVVLRQ 7KH PDGQHVV RI FLYLOL]DWLRQ LV QR PRUH VWDUNO\ DSSDUHQW WKDQ LQ WKH WRUWXUH FKDPEHU&RHW]HH¶VVXEMHFWLQ³,QWRWKH'DUN&KDPEHU´ ³5HODWLRQVLQWKHWRUWXUH room provide a metaphor, bare and extreme, for relations between authoritarianism and its victims. In the torture room unlimited force is exerted upon the physical being of an individual in a twilight of legal illegality´ HPSKDVLV DGGHG '3 7KHJUDWXLWRXVQDWXUHRIWKHYLROHQFHHQDFWHGXSRQWKH0DJLVWUDWHLQKLV PRFNH[HFXWLRQH[SRVHVWKHPDGQHVVRIKLVWRUWXUHU0DQGHO7KLVLVWKH+HJHOLDQ dialectic rather than the Manichaean allegory that JanMohamed theorizes: tortured DQGWRUWXUHUDUH¿JXUHGDURXQGDNLQGRILURQLFGRXEOLQJRUdoppelgänger effect. The Magistrate is paired variously with Joll, Mandel and the barbarian girl, and WKHVH SDLULQJV IXQFWLRQ DV ³GDUN WZLQV´ RU ³VFKL]RSKUHQLF´ GLVFRXUVH $V WKH 0DJLVWUDWHFRQIHVVHV³ZKRDP,WRDVVHUWP\GLVWDQFHIURP>-ROO@",GULQNZLWK Madness and Civilization in Waiting for the Barbarians 65 KLP,HDWZLWKKLP,VKRZKLPWKHVLJKWV´ :% 5HIHUULQJWRWKHPRVWH[SOLFLW scene of torture in the novel, when the barbarian prisoners are beaten mercilessly XQGHUWKHZDWFKIXOH\HRI-ROOWKHPRUDOO\VLFNHQHG0DJLVWUDWHLQYHUWVWKHREMHFW of Joll’s vile game from prisoner to Joll himself. Courageously putting his own IUHHGRPLQMHRSDUG\LQWKHQDPHRIMXVWLFHKHUDLOV ³You are the enemy, you have made the war, and you have given them [the barbarians] all the martyrs they need ±VWDUWLQJQRWQRZEXWD\HDUDJRZKHQ\RXFRPPLWWHG\RXU¿UVW¿OWK\EDUEDULWLHV KHUH´+HHYHQLQYRNHV+LVWRU\LQKLVGHIHQFH ³+LVWRU\ZLOOEHDUPHRXW´ :% 'HVLUH«GRHVQRWNQRZLWVHOI,WSURFHHGVIURPDODFN:KDWWKHGHVLULQJVXEMHFW ODFNVDQGXOWLPDWHO\GHVLUHVLVIXOOQHVVRIEHLQJ7KHPRGHOLVDGRSWHGDVPRGHO because it appears endowed with superior being. Imitating the desires of the model is a way of gaining being … . It is loss of difference rather than difference LWVHOIWKDWOHDGVWRFRQÀLFW«)URPORVVRIGLIIHUHQFHHPHUJHVULYDOU\«$V differences dwindle and mimetic violence mounts, there is ultimately nothing done or felt by one protagonist that is not done or felt by the other. There is no ZD\RIGLIIHUHQWLDWLQJWKHP WKHSURWDJRQLVWVEHFRPHGRXEOHV *2 The tortured girl in the Magistrate’s eyes distils the truth of Empire and of the 0DJLVWUDWH¶VULYDO-ROO ³7KHUHLVQRWKLQJWROLQNPHZLWKWRUWXUHUV«,PXVWDVVHUW P\GLVWDQFHIURP&RORQHO-ROO,ZLOOQRWVXIIHUIRUKLVFULPHV´KHVD\V :% However, the Magistrate comes to an awareness that he is not so different from KLVULYDO-ROODIWHUDOOFRQVFLRXVWKDW³DQLQWHUURJDWRUFDQZHDUWZRPDVNVVSHDN ZLWKWZRYRLFHVRQHKDUVKRQHVHGXFWLYH´ :% DQGODWHUWKDWWKH³GLVWDQFH EHWZHHQP\VHOIDQG>WKHJLUO¶V@WRUWXUHUV«LVQHJOLJLEOH´ :% :LWKJUHDW HIIRUWWKH0DJLVWUDWHZKRKDVUHPDUNHGXSRQKLVRZQXQDWWUDFWLYHQHVVFDOOVWR PLQGWKHJLUO¶V³XJOLQHVV´ XQWLOWKLVPRPHQWVKHKDVUHPDLQHG³IHDWXUHOHVV´>@ which is mirrored by the settlers’ collective imagining of the barbarian accused of raping one of their children: “[the girl’s] friends claim a barbarian did it … . They UHFRJQLVHGKLPDVDEDUEDULDQE\KLVXJOLQHVV´ :% 7KHQDUFLVVLVWLF-ROO wears sunglasses to maintain a youthful appearance, and Mandel is described by WKH0DJLVWUDWHDV³YDLQ´DQGRQHZKRPLJKW³ÀH[>@KLVPXVFOHVIRU>KLVJLUOIULHQG@ IHHGLQJRQKHUDGPLUDWLRQ´ :% 7KLVSUHRFFXSDWLRQZLWKWKHDHVWKHWLFVRIWKH ERG\ DQGFRQYHUVHO\WKHDEKRUUHQFHRISK\VLFDOLPSHUIHFWLRQ UHFDOOVWKHVLQLVWHU SURPRWLRQRIWKHDWKOHWLFSK\VLTXHLQIDVFLVWGLVFRXUVH7KH0DJLVWUDWH¶VDWWHPSWV WRXQGHUVWDQGWKHJLUODVPLUURUHGVXUIDFH WRWRXFKKHU³LVOLNHFDUHVVLQJDQXUQ RUDEDOOVRPHWKLQJZKLFKLVDOOVXUIDFH´>:%@ LQIDFWFRQVWLWXWHDPHDQVRI casting light upon his own identity. The ugliness of the barbarians recalls the often 66 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship cited passage in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, when Marlow, observing the natives leap and turn, recognizes their humanity, or more properly, his ownODFN RIFLYLOLW\ ³:KDWWKULOOHG\RXZDVMXVWWKHWKRXJKWRIWKHLUKXPDQLW\±OLNH\RXUV «8JO\´ ± The scene in Barbarians referred to above depicting the spectacle of torture of the barbarian prisoners alludes not only to Foucault’s construction of criminality EXW DOVR WR )UDQ] .DIND¶V ³,Q WKH 3HQDO &RORQ\´ LQ ZKLFK D (XURSHDQ WUDYHOOHUWRDQXQVSHFL¿HGLVODQGLVLQYLWHGE\WKH&RPPDQGDQWWRZLWQHVVWKHFUXHO PHWKRGVRISXQLVKPHQWHPSOR\HGE\WKHROGUHJLPH&RHW]HHDQG.DINDGHSLFWWKH WDLQWLQGXFHGLQZLWQHVVHVRIWRUWXUH&RHW]HH¶V-ROOGUDZVWKHZRUG³(1(0<´RQ HDFKSULVRQHU¶VGLUWFRYHUHGEDFNDQGWKH\DUHZKLSSHGXQWLOWKHZRUGVDUHZDVKHG DZD\E\WKHLURZQEORRG,Q.DIND¶VVWRU\WKHRI¿FHUDGPLQLVWHULQJWKHROGPHWKRG of torture rationalizes acts of seemingly gratuitous violence in the following WHUPV RQWKHEULQNRIGHDWKWKH³FRQGHPQHGPDQ´XQGHUWRUWXUHH[SHULHQFHVDQ ³HQOLJKWHQPHQW´WKDW³EHJLQVDURXQGWKHH\HV´DVWKHZLQGRZWRWKHVRXO/LNH .DIND¶VH[SORUHUWKH0DJLVWUDWHLVIRUFHGWRTXHVWLRQKLVFRQVFLHQFHZKHQPDGH party to the spectacle of torture: ultimately, both characters feel morally impelled WRVSHDNRXWDJDLQVWWKHEDUEDULW\WKH\ZLWQHVV%RWKKRZHYHUDUHSRUWUD\HGDV HWKLFDOO\ DPELYDOHQW MXVW DV WKH 0DJLVWUDWH¶V UHODWLRQVKLS WR WKH EDUEDULDQ JLUO UHYHDOVKLVPRUDOWXUSLWXGHVRWKHH[SORUHUDVKHTXLWVWKHLVODQGGULYHVEDFN two prisoners as they attempt to board his departing boat. The explorer leaves the FRORQ\DSSDUHQWO\KDYLQJOHDUQWQRWKLQJIURPKLVMRXUQH\ZKLFKLVDOVRDMRXUQH\ of conscience. Similarly, the explorer reveals a perverse sense of morality when WKHRI¿FHU¶VLPSOHPHQWRIWRUWXUHWKH³+DUURZ´PDOIXQFWLRQVDIWHUWKHRI¿FHU SODFHVKLPVHOIEHQHDWKLWDQGLVTXLFNO\NLOOHG,QUDWLRQDOWHUPVWKHRI¿FHUVXIIHUV a merciful death yet the explorer construes the execution differently: “this was QRH[TXLVLWHWRUWXUHVXFKDVWKHRI¿FHUKDGGHVLUHGWKLVZDVSODLQPXUGHU´ :KLOHWKHRI¿FHULVRYHUWO\IDVFLQDWHGE\WKHWRUWXUHFKDPEHU DV6RXWK$IULFDQ ZULWHUVZHUHDFFRUGLQJWR&RHW]HHGXULQJDSDUWKHLG>'3@ WKHSURWDJRQLVW¶V YHU\LGHQWL¿FDWLRQLQWKHVWRU\DVH[SORUHUDQGDOLHQWRWKHFRORQ\VXJJHVWVWKDW KHLVDQH[SORUHULQWRWKHGHSWKVRIKXPDQGHSUDYLW\LQFOXGLQJKLVRZQ.DIND HYHQFRQWH[WXDOL]HVWKHWDOHZLWKLQDSRVWFRORQLDOSDUDGLJP WKHRI¿FHUDQWLFLSDWHV the explorer’s criticisms of his methods with statements such as: “In our country ZHKDYHDGLIIHUHQWFULPLQDOSURFHGXUH´RU³:HKDYHQ¶WXVHGWRUWXUHVLQFHWKH 0LGGOH$JHV´ ± (YLGHQFHGLQWKLVGDUNVDWLUHRIWKHPRGHUQVWDWH.DIND doesn’t suffer from the myopia of Foucault. ,QERWK&RHW]HH¶VDQG.DIND¶VVWRULHVWKHSULVRQHULVUHGXFHGE\KLVWRUWXUHU to animalistic behaviour. In BarbariansWKHEDUEDULDQSULVRQHUVMRLQHGE\DZLUH FRUG WKURXJK WKHLU PRXWKV DQG KDQGV DUH DFFRUGLQJ WR WKHLU FDSWRUV SDFL¿HG ³PHHN DV ODPEV´ :% WKH 0DJLVWUDWH GHQRXQFHV -ROO¶V LQWHQWLRQ WR NLOO WKHEDUEDULDQVZLWKDKHDY\KDPPHU ³ (PSLUH¶VGDUNSURMHFWWKHDQLPDOPHWDSKRUVUHQGHUWKHRWKHUOHVVWKDQKXPDQ7KH prisoners in both narratives function as texts upon which their torturers inscribe WKHLUPDFDEUHZULWLQJ,QGHHGERWKVWRULHVWDNHDFFRXQWRIWKHRSSUHVVLRQEHKLQG WKHZLOOWRFRORQL]HLQFOXGLQJWKHDFWRIZULWLQJWKHFRORQLDOVXEMHFWWKURXJKWKH SDURGLFWUHDWPHQWRI³ZULWLQJ´DQG³DUFKDHRORJ\´LQWKHQDUUDWLYHVLOOXVWUDWHGLQ the Magistrate’s interest in the slips and his anthropological fascination for the girl. Nonetheless, and undermining JanMohamed’s Manichean reading, as Foucault suggests, “Impossible animals, issuing from a demented imagination, become the VHFUHWQDWXUHRIPDQ´ Madness MXVWDVWKHGHPHQWHGLPDJLQDWLRQRI-ROODQG WKHRI¿FHUSURMHFWWKHLURZQEHVWLDOLW\RQWRWKHLUSUH\2 ³,PDJLQDU\´ OLWHUDWXUHV OLNH Barbarians, according to JanMohamed, not RQO\IDLOWRLOOXPLQDWHWKHFRQGLWLRQRIWKHUDFLDORWKHUWKH\UHDI¿UPWKHLURZQ ³HWKQRFHQWULF DVVXPSWLRQV´ ³LQVWHDG RI DFWXDOO\ GHSLFWLQJ WKH RXWHU OLPLWV RI µFLYLOL]DWLRQ¶>µLPDJLQDU\¶OLWHUDWXUH@FRGL¿HVDQGSUHVHUYHVVWUXFWXUHVRILWVRZQ mentality … instead of seeing the native as a bridge towards syncretic possibility, LW XVHV KLP DV D PLUURU WKDW UHÀHFWV WKH FRORQLDOLVW¶V VHOILPDJH´ ³(FRQRP\´ ± +RZHYHU &RHW]HH VHOIUHÀH[LYHO\ VWDJHV WKLV SURFHVV HYHQ HPSOR\LQJ the motif of the mirrored surface – Joll’s glasses, the girl as mirrored ball – to express the ethnocentric impulse. Dividing colonial literature into two categories, WKH³LPDJLQDU\´PHQWLRQHGDERYHZKLFKREMHFWL¿HVWKHRWKHUDQGWKH³V\PEROLF´ ZKLFK VWULYHV WR EUHDN GRZQ WKH 0DQLFKHDQ GLYLGH -DQ0RKDPHG JRHV RQ WR argue that Joseph Conrad successfully occupies the latter. Heart of Darkness, -DQ0RKDPHG ZULWHV LV D ³µV\PEROLF¶ QRYHOOD WKDW deliberately thematizes the OLELGLQDO HFRQRP\ RI WKH µLPDJLQDU\¶´ HPSKDVLV DGGHG 2 While in these scenes Coetzee is faithful to his source, there are a number of clear GHSDUWXUHVPRVWVLJQL¿FDQWO\LQ.DIND¶VVWRU\WKHFRQGHPQHGPDQLVKLPVHOISRUWUD\HGDV morally depraved, for when he is freed from the Harrow he is as fascinated by torture as the RI¿FHUDQGLVKDSS\WRVHHKLVSHUVHFXWRUVXIIHUHYHQPRUHWKDQKHKDV 68 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship persecuted. Yet Barbarians leaves us with the possibility of the Magistrate’s ³HWKLFDODZDNHQLQJ´±WKHWLWOHRI'RPLQLF+HDG¶VFKDSWHURQWKHQRYHO J. M. Coetzee± ,ZRXOGJRIXUWKHU &RHW]HH¶VQRYHODOZD\VFDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQ its own procedures and encourages an agential reader who engages actively, and thus critically, in the life of the text. Perhaps this is where its radicality lies. In IDFW &RHW]HH EUHDNV GRZQ WKH 0DQLFKDHDQ DOOHJRULHV KH HPSOR\V ± EDUEDULDQ civilized, mad/not-mad, reason/unreason, self/other – which leads me to conclude that, whilst the servants of Empire struggle to maintain boundaries that can only be described as Manichean, Hegel’s dialectical relationship, which is “mutually GDPDJLQJ´ +HDGJ. M. Coetzee PRUHDFFXUDWHO\GHVFULEHVWKHSDWWHUQLQJRI the text and the Magistrate’s own self-doubt. The efforts of the children, representing future generations, in the closing GUHDPVHTXHQFHWREXLOGZKDWWKH0DJLVWUDWHHYDOXDWHVDV³QRWDEDGVQRZPDQ´ offer only the barest hope of redemption for the settler community. As Mrs. Curren in Age of Iron LVDZDUH³:HHPEUDFHRXUFKLOGUHQWREHIROGHGLQWRWKHDUPV RIWKHIXWXUHWRSDVVRXUVHOYHVRQEH\RQGGHDWKWREHWUDQVSRUWHG´ $, :KLOH BarbariansWDFLWO\DVVLJQVFKLOGUHQVXFKYDOXHLWVPHVVDJHLVSURIRXQGO\EOHDNIRU WKH0DJLVWUDWHQRWHVWKDW³VRPHZKHUHDOZD\VDFKLOGLVEHLQJEHDWHQ´ :% a phrase lifted from Freud’s essay “A Child is Being Beaten: A Contribution to the 6WXG\RIWKH2ULJLQRI6H[XDO3HUYHUVLRQ´7KHLQFRQFOXVLYHQHVVRIWKHQRYHO±WKH Magistrate confesses that “There has been something staring me in the face, and VWLOO,GRQRWVHHLW´ :% ±LVVXJJHVWLYHRIDEOLQGQHVVWRKLVWRU\$IWHUDOO WKH³WH[WV´WKDWWRJHWKHUIRUPDFRORQLDOKLVWRU\±WKHVOLSVWKHJLUO-ROO±FRQWLQXH to confound him. However, that he has learnt that he has learnt nothing amounts WRDQHWKLFDODZDNHQLQJWRWKHPDGQHVVWKDWHQJXOIVKLP Chapter 4 Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K: ³6WUDWHJLHVLQWKH6HUYLFHRI6NHSWLFLVP´ Rousseau was right, in his particular confessional economy, to point out what is held back PRQH\WKHWUXWK DVEHLQJNH\WRIUHHGRP -0&RHW]HH³7UXWKLQ$XWRELRJUDSK\´ %XWLQWKHVPDOOHVWDQGJUHDWHVWKDSSLQHVVWKHUHLVDOZD\VRQHWKLQJWKDWPDNHV it happiness: the power of forgetting, or, in more learned phrase, the capacity of IHHOLQJ³XQKLVWRULFDOO\´WKURXJKRXWLWVGXUDWLRQ Fredrich Nietzsche, The Use and Abuse of History 6 The tone of J. M. Coetzee’s fourth novel Life & Times of Michael K LV set in the opening sentence: “The ¿UVWWKLQJ the midwife noticed about Michael K when she helped him out of his mother into the world was that he had a hare lip´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG 0. 6LQFHKLVHDUOLHVWPHPRU\WKHSURWDJRQLVW0LFKDHO .SDVVLYHO\DFFHSWVKLVPDUJLQDOLW\ ³ 1 3DWULFLD 0HULYDOH VXPPDUL]HV .DINDQ UHDGLQJV RI Life & Times as follows: ³:KHWKHUWREHVOLJKWHG :DUG*DOODJKHU SDUHQWKHWLFDOO\UHIXWHG *RUGLPHU WDNHQIRU JUDQWHG 6WHLQHU=DPRUD/D]DUXVDQG$WWZHOO FULWLFL]HG /HKPDQQ+DXSW WKH.DINDQ ³WULEXWHV´DQG³ERUURZLQJV´³DUHRYHUGRQHDQGFDOODQXQQHFHVVDU\DPRXQWRIDWWHQWLRQWR WKHPVHOYHV´ LQÀDWHG %ULQN ³>0LFKDHO.@FRPELQ>HV@WKH¿JXUHVRI&KULVWDQG.DIND¶V .´ RUDOWHUQDWHO\HYDGHGDQGJUXGJLQJO\FRQFHGHGE\&RHW]HHKLPVHOI«GLIIHUHQFHV RU«VSHFL¿FHFKRHVDQGJHQHUDOUHVHPEODQFHV 2OVRQ3RVWRU6pYU\ ´ ³$XGLEOH´± 2QDQXPEHURIFRXQWVKRZHYHU0HULYDOHLVVRPHZKDWPLVOHDGLQJ $WWZHOOJLYHVD UHODWLYHO\GHWDLOHGWUHDWPHQWRI.DINDIRULQVWDQFHDQGUHJDUGLQJ0HULYDOH¶VVXPPDWLRQ RI%ULQN&RHW]HHGRHVPDNHDVVRFLDWLRQVEHWZHHQ&KULVWDQG0LFKDHO. Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 71 E\WKHQRYHO¶VDSSDUHQWODFNRIDFRPPLWWHGSROLWLFDOYLVLRQ ³7KHDEVHQFHRIDQ\ meaningful relationship between Michael K and anybody else … means that in fact we are dealing not with a human spirit but an amoeba, from whose life we FDQGUDZQHLWKHUH[DPSOHQRUZDUQLQJ´ TWGLQ$WWZHOOJ. M. Coetzee :KDW unites all these critics is the need to extract the novel’s allegorical meaning. Indeed, JUDSSOLQJZLWKWKHZLGHUVLJQL¿FDQFHRIDWH[WVRPHWLPHVWKURXJKDOOHJRU\LVD need that goes to the heart of all reading and that includes an understanding of the condition humaine. For Gordimer, the use of allegory in the text, Michael K as the “little man of KLVWRU\´DQGJDUGHQHUIDOOVZRHIXOO\VKRUWRIKHUFDOOIRUWKHSURWHVWLQJZULWHU¶V ³HVVHQWLDO JHVWXUH´ WR ³GHFODUH KLPVHOI SRVLWLYHO\ DV DQVZHUDEOH WR WKH RUGHU VWUXJJOLQJWREHERUQ´ Essential Gesture 6KHDUJXHV 7KHXQLTXHDQGFRQWURYHUVLDODVSHFWRIWKLVZRUNLVWKDWZKLOHLWLVLPSOLFLWO\ DQGKLJKO\SROLWLFDO&RHW]HH¶VKHURHVDUHWKRVHZKRLJQRUHKLVWRU\QRWPDNHLW «7KHSUHVHQWDWLRQRIWKHWUXWKDQGPHDQLQJRIZKDWZKLWHKDVGRQHWREODFN VWDQGVRXWRQHYHU\SDJH \HWLWGHQLHVWKHHQHUJ\RIWKHZLOOWRUHVLVWHYLO ³,GHD´ ± *RUGLPHU DUJXHV WKDW ZKDW *HRUJ /XNiFV LGHQWL¿HV ³DV WKH LQWHJUDO UHODWLRQ EHWZHHQSULYDWHDQGVRFLDOGHVWLQ\´LQWKHQRYHOLVVNHZHGLQIDYRXURIWKHSULYDWH WKUHDWHQLQJ³WKHZRUN¶VXQLW\RIDUWDQGOLIH´ ³,GHD´ /XNiFV¶VWKHRU\RIWKHV\QFUHWL]DWLRQRISULYDWHDQGSXEOLFLVWDNHQXSLQD different fashion by Fredric Jameson in his notorious summation of “Third-World OLWHUDWXUHVLQWKHHUDRIPXOWLQDWLRQDOFDSLWDOLVP´LQZKLFKDGPLWWLQJWKDWKHLV PDNLQJD³VZHHSLQJK\SRWKHVLV´KHSURFODLPVWKDW³DOOWKLUGZRUOGOLWHUDWXUHVDUH QHFHVVDULO\«DOOHJRULFDODQGLQDYHU\VSHFL¿FZD\ WKH\DUHWREHUHDGDV« national allegories´ ³7KLUG:RUOG/LWHUDWXUHV´ +HLGHQWL¿HVDUDGLFDOVSOLWLQ WKH:HVWHUQUHDOLVWDQGPRGHUQLVWQRYHO XQOLNH/XNiFVKHEUDFNHWVWKHWZR EHWZHHQ the political and the private, because, he argues, sexuality and the unconscious – the libidinal, private sphere – on the one hand, and economics, class and politics ±WKHSXEOLF±RQWKHRWKHUDUHWKRXJKWLQFRPPHQVXUDEOH,QWKH³7KLUG:RUOG´ context such a distinction cannot be made for “the story of the private individual destiny is always an allegory of the embattled situation of the public third-world culture and society´7KHUHH[LVWVLQ³7KLUG:RUOG´OLWHUDWXUHVD³GLIIHUHQWUDWLRRI WKHSROLWLFDOWRWKHSHUVRQDO´DQGDFFRUGLQJO\³OLELGLQDOLQYHVWPHQW>@LVWREHUHDG LQSULPDULO\SROLWLFDODQGVRFLDOWHUPV´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV ± 7KH³FXOWXUDOUHYROXWLRQ´WRZKLFK³7KLUG:RUOG´WH[WVLQHYLWDEO\DOO\WKHPVHOYHV Jameson contends, rests upon the Marxist Antonio Gramsci’s notion of subalternity, “namely the feelings of mental inferiority and habits of subservience and obedience ZKLFKQHFHVVDULO\DQGVWUXFWXUDOO\GHYHORSLQVLWXDWLRQVRIGRPLQDWLRQ´ :KDW *RUGLPHUZRXOGPDNHRIWKLVDVSHFWRI-DPHVRQ¶VDQDO\VLVLV,WKLQNVHOIHYLGHQW ,PSRUWDQWO\DVHQVHRILQIHULRULW\SURMHFWHGLQVXFKZRUNVLVQ¶WDSV\FKRORJLFDO LVVXHEXWRQHRIDQ³REMHFWLYHDQGFROOHFWLYHVSLULW´D³SV\FKLFVWUXFWXUH´WKDWLV 72 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship PDWHULDOO\DQGHFRQRPLFDOO\GHWHUPLQHG -DPHVRQ ³1DWLRQDODOOHJRULHV´FDQ WKHUHIRUHXVHIXOO\RSHQXSD³FRQFUHWHSHUVSHFWLYHRQWKHUHDOIXWXUH´ -DPHVRQ has been useful in demonstrating how, in postcolonial literatures, the private can carry the full weight of the political, yet he has also rightly been challenged, PRVWSURPLQHQWO\E\$LMD]$KPDGIRUKLV³UKHWRULFRI2WKHUQHVV´WKDWLVJXLOW\ RIHVVHQWLDOL]LQJWKH³7KLUG:RUOG´VXEMHFW $KPDG $KPDGGLVSXWHVWKHYHU\ QRWLRQRID³7KLUG:RUOGOLWHUDWXUH´³ZKLFKFDQEHFRQVWUXFWHGDVDQLQWHUQDOO\ FRKHUHQWREMHFWRIWKHRUHWLFDONQRZOHGJH7KHUHDUHIXQGDPHQWDOLVVXHV«ZKLFK cannot be resolved at this level of generality without an altogether positivist UHGXFWLRQLVP´ $KPDG $KPDGMRLQVWKDWFRKRUWLQSRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHVWKDWLV prudently suspicious of the Western-centrism of postcolonial discourse itself. In WKHOLJKWRI-DPHVRQZKDWLVDWVWDNHLQLife & Times is the way in which Coetzee engages or, indeed, disengages, with the idea of the national allegory attributed WRWKHZRUNLQRWKHUZRUGVWKHZD\LQZKLFKWKHQRYHOHQFRGHVWKHUHODWLRQVKLS between privacy and the political, and, more importantly, what the purpose and effect of such a strategy might be. &RHW]HH WDFLWO\ DFNQRZOHGJHV WKH XUJHQF\ RI FRPPLWWHG OLWHUDWXUH GXULQJ DSDUWKHLGLQ³7KH1RYHO7RGD\´ E\VWDWLQJWKDWKHGRHVQ¶WDGYRFDWHFXUOLQJ XSZLWKDJRRGUHDGRYHUDQGDERYH³UHYROXWLRQDU\DUW´ EXWLVOHIWFROGE\ SROLWLFDOODQJXDJHRIDQ\KXH$FFHSWLQJ'DYLG$WWZHOO¶VODEHORI³ODWHPRGHUQLVW´ '3 DQGWKHUHE\SODFLQJKLPVHOIRQWKHPDUJLQVRI6RXWK$IULFDQSURJUHVVLYHV ZKR GXULQJ DSDUWKHLG W\SLFDOO\ DOLJQHG WKHPVHOYHV ZLWK UHDOLVP KH LGHQWL¿HV /XNiFV¶V DSSHDO WR UHDOLVP DJDLQVW ³PRGHUQLVW GHFDGHQFH´ '3 DV FHQWUDO WRWKHPRYHPHQWIRUFRPPLWWHGOLWHUDWXUH/XNiFVDUJXHVWKDWLQWKHPRGHUQLVW ZRUNZKLFKKHEHOLHYHVLVSDWKRORJLFDODQGQDUFLVVLVWLF³0DQLVUHGXFHGWRD VHTXHQFHRIXQUHODWHGH[SHULPHQWDOIUDJPHQWV KHLVDVLQH[SOLFDEOHWRRWKHUVDVWR KLPVHOI´ 7KH³LGHRORJ\RIPRGHUQLVP´ ZKLFKLVWKHWLWOHRI/XNiFV¶VHVVD\ has important ethico-political implications: “Every human action is based on a SUHVXSSRVLWLRQRILWVLQKHUHQWPHDQLQJIXOQHVVDWOHDVWWRWKHVXEMHFW$EVHQFHRI PHDQLQJ>DVLQWKHPRGHUQLVWZRUN@PDNHVDPRFNHU\RIDFWLRQDQGUHGXFHVDUWWR QDWXUDOLVWLFGHVFULSWLRQ´ /XNiFV Yet in the modernist Life & Times, that encodes a radical disruption of linear WLPHDQGVHOIUHÀH[LYLW\DV,DPDUJXLQJ³PHDQLQJOHVVQHVV´±RUPRUHSURSHUO\ PHDQLQJWKDWLVHQFU\SWHGLQWH[WV±LWVHOIEHDUVPHDQLQJ$VFULWLFVOLNH1HLO/D]DUXV KDYHVKRZQLWZRXOGEHZURQJWRGLVUHJDUGPRGHUQLVWZRUNVRQWKHJURXQGVWKDW WKH\ODFNUDGLFDOSRWHQWLDOLW\6XFKZULWLQJ/D]DUXVDUJXHVLVRSSRVLWLRQDOLQWKH way that it “enters into history, or more precisely refuses to be encoded seamlessly into history´ LQ LWV VWDWXV DV OLWHUDU\ WH[W HPSKDVLV DGGHG ³0RGHUQLVP DQG 0RGHUQLW\´ &ULWLFLVPVOHYHOOHGDJDLQVWLife & Times – the elusiveness and REVFXULW\RIWKHSURWDJRQLVWZKRWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUGHVFULEHVDVWKH³REVFXUHVW RIWKHREVFXUH´ 0. DQGWKHRSDFLW\RIWKHDOOHJRULHVLWHPSOR\V±KDYH FHQWUHG RQ LWV DSSDUHQWO\ TXHVWLRQDEOH SRVWFRORQLDOLW\ 1RQHWKHOHVV WKH WH[W¶V autocritical mode established by its self-diminishing allegories chimes with the appeal of a number of progressive South African intellectuals during apartheid, Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 73 including Gordimer, for a self-scrutinizing and thus more ethico-politically HIIHFWLYHNLQGRIZULWLQJWKDQZKDWWKH\UHJDUGHGDVWKHSROLWLFDOO\GHEDVHGIRUPV of some committed texts (Nedebele, Rediscovery ,WPXVWEHVDLGWKDW6RXWK $IULFDQOLWHUDWXUHRIDWUDGLWLRQDOO\FRPPLWWHGPRGHZRUNE\$OH[/D*XPDDQG Mongane Wally Serote, for instance, is also capable of such self-scrutiny. Coetzee admits in Doubling the Point WR D GLI¿FXOW\ ZLWK ³VWDWLQJ SRVLWLRQV WDNLQJ SRVLWLRQV´ '3 7KH SDUDOOHOV WKLV ³QRQSRVLWLRQ´ HOLFLWV between his own marginality and his elusive protagonist hinge upon the subversive SRWHQWLDORIDOLHQDWLRQ&RHW]HHWDFLWO\DFNQRZOHGJHVKLVRZQVHQVHRIDOLHQDWLRQ when he comments with some irony, “What is left of Michael K after he has been H[SODLQHGLQWHUPVRIP\PDUJLQDOLW\LQ$IULFD"´ '3 2IFRXUVHZLWKWZR %RRNHUSUL]HVDQGWKH1REHO/DXUHDWHEHKLQGKLPZLWKWKHFRPPHUFLDOVXFFHVVRI Disgrace DQGWKHLQWHQVHJOREDOLQWHUHVWLQKLVZRUNLWZRXOGEHGLI¿FXOWWR VSHDNDERXW&RHW]HHDVPDUJLQDOWRGD\&RHW]HHSLFNVXSWKHWKHPHRIDOLHQDWLRQ ZKHQ KH UHIHUV WR .DIND¶V LQÀXHQFH RQ KLV ZULWLQJ LQ Doubling the Point: ³DOLHQDWLRQLV«DVWUDWHJ\LQWKHVHUYLFHRIVNHSWLFLVP´ '3 +RZHYHUKLV recoil from the idea that alienation is a “stateDVWDWHRIEHLQJ´DQGWKHLGHDWKDW “art [can] become[ ] the alienated artist’s private means, his private vice even, for WXUQLQJODFNDQGZRHLQWRJDLQ´LQWKHVDPHLQWHUYLHZDUHSDOSDEOH)RU&RHW]HH we might surmise, this attributes too much subversive energy to alienation. Rather, KHFRQFHGHVWKDWDOLHQDWLRQLVQRWRQO\D³SRVLWLRQ´EXWD³SUDFWLFH´ '3 This is the crux of a novel in which, though its unloved and loveless protagonist is not only racially oppressed but is the exemplar of social alienation, Michael K practices alienation by transgressing the very foundations of apartheid law: QDPHO\FODVVL¿FDWLRQDQGVHJUHJDWLRQ2QKLVMRXUQH\WRKLVPRWKHU¶VFKLOGKRRG IDUPKHTXHVWVIRUPHDQLQJEXWWUDSSHGLQDQLJKWPDULVK.DINDQZRUOGRIVWDWH oppression, the world of the camp and the prison, this meaning must exist beyond WKHFDPSV 0. ,QWKHVWUXJJOHWRPDNHVHQVHRIKLVOLIH 0LFKDHO.NQHZWKDWKHZRXOGQRWFUDZORXWDQGVWDQGXSDQGFURVVIURPWKH GDUNQHVV LQWR ¿UHOLJKW WR DQQRXQFH KLPVHOI +H HYHQ NQHZ WKH UHDVRQ ZK\ because enough men had gone off to war saying the time for gardening was ZKHQWKHZDUZDVRYHU ZKHUHDVWKHUHPXVWEHPHQWRVWD\EHKLQGDQGNHHS JDUGHQLQJDOLYHRUDWOHDVWWKHLGHDRIJDUGHQLQJ>@ 0. ,I ZH HTXDWH JDUGHQLQJ ZLWK D GHVLUH IRU DHVWKHWLF SOHDVXUH DQG D VWDWH RI FRQWHPSODWLRQ WKH OLJKW WKDW EXUQV DW WKH KHDUW RI WKLV ZRUN LW VHHPV LV ZKDW Dominic Head in a different context has called Coetzee’s “enduring belief in ¿FWLRQ´ ³%HOLHILQ)URJV´ 7KLVEHOLHILVIRXQGHGRQWKHZD\VWKDW¿FWLRQ operating within an autonomous discursive universe, can unsettle other modes of discourse, history, for example, or apartheid ideology. ,QDIDPLOLDU&RHW]HDQGHYLFHWKLVWUDQVJUHVVLRQRIDSDUWKHLGODZLVDOVR¿JXUHG WH[WXDOO\E\WKHZRUN¶V DQG0LFKDHO.¶V UHVLVWDQFHWRDOOHJRULFDOUHDGLQJVHYHQ WKRXJKDVDQXPEHURIFULWLFVKDYHFRPPHQWHGWKHZRUNLVVWUXFWXUHGSDUDGR[LFDOO\ 74 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship by allegory (cf. Attridge, J. M. Coetzee +HDGJ. M. Coetzee± 6OHPRQ “Post-&RORQLDO$OOHJRU\´ 7KLVLVRQHZD\WKDWWKHQRYHOERUURZVIURPWKH SULQFLSOHRI.DIND¶VParables and Paradoxes ZKLFKDVWKHWLWOHVXJJHVWV is also framed on paradox. This self-diminishing allegorical device is signalled PRVWWUDQVSDUHQWO\LQWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU¶VZRUGVWR0LFKDHO. 6R0LFKDHO.UHVLVWVQRWRQO\VWDWHRSSUHVVLRQEXWDVDFKDUDFWHULQDERRNKH resists interpretation. 'DYLG,*URVVYRJHOZULWLQJDERXW.DINDLGHQWL¿HVDSUREOHPLQWKHIDEULFRI WKHSDUDEOHZKLFKLVDNLQGRIPRUDODOOHJRU\LQWKDWLW³DFNQRZOHGJHVLQWHOOHFWXDO VOLSSDJH D IDLOXUH RI WKH PLQG WR DSSUHKHQG LWV REMHFW « LW PHDQV ERWK same and resembling±WKDWLVWRVD\LGHQWLFDODQGGLIIHUHQW´$OOHJRU\LVDOVRDNLQG RI VXEVWLWXWH ERWK WKH ³VDPH DQG UHVHPEOLQJ´ ³HYLGHQF>LQJ@ WKH SHUSOH[LW\ RI NQRZLQJ´ *URVVYRJHO ,QGHHG WKH FDSDFLW\ IRU VWUDWHJLHV RI VNHSWLFLVP &RHW]HH DVFULEHV WKH SDUDEOH ZKLFK OLHV LQ WKLV SHUSOH[LW\ FRXOG HTXDOO\ EH attributed to the Coetzean allegory. The parable, Coetzee argues, is “a mode favoured by marginal groups – groups that don’t have a place in the mainstream, LQWKHPDLQSORWRIKLVWRU\±EHFDXVHLWLVKDUGWRSLQGRZQXQHTXLYRFDOO\ZKDWWKH SRLQWLV´ 17 :KDWLVLQVWDQWO\VWULNLQJLQLife & Times LVWKDWJUDSKLFDOO\³0LFKDHO.´ODFNV WKH IXOO VWRS RI .DIND¶V SURWDJRQLVW ERWK KHLJKWHQLQJ WKH VHQVH RI HOXVLYHQHVV he embodies and signalling the incompleteness of his story. (The ending of K.’s story in The Trial> @LVDEVROXWHEHFDXVHKHLVH[HFXWHG³/LNHDGRJ´ 7KLV is borne out by Coetzee’s comments on the inconclusiveness of the title of the ZRUN ³7RP\HDUµ7KH/LIH¶LPSOLHVWKDWWKHOLIHLVRYHUZKHUHDVµ/LIH¶GRHVQRW FRPPLWLWVHOI´ 0RUSKHW³7ZR,QWHUYLHZV´ /LNHKLVQDPHVDNH&RHW]HH¶V .LVFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\DODFNRIDJHQF\ WKLQJVhappen to him, he allows them to KDSSHQ KLVUHVLVWDQFHWRWKH6WDWHDQGLWVSOD\HUVWRKLVPRWKHUWRWKHZDUWR KLVWRU\WREHLQJDXWKRUHGDQGWRZULWLQJLVSDVVLYHWDNLQJWKHIRUPRIHOXVLYHQHVV ERWK UHDO DQG WH[WXDO DV D FKDUDFWHU IXQFWLRQLQJ ZLWKLQ WKH SDJHV RI D ERRN WRZDUGVWKRVHZKRZRXOGFRQ¿QHKLP .DIND KDV EHHQ D PDMRU LQÀXHQFH RQ FRQWHPSRUDU\ 6RXWK $IULFDQ ZULWHUV EHFDXVH.DINDQWKHPHVLQFOXGLQJWKHGLVWUXVWIXOIHDUIXOLQWHUSUHWHUDQGVNHSWLFDO reading practices, readily capture the paranoiac and brutalizing apartheid mindset. &RHW]HH¿QGVWKDW.DINDHQGXUHVEHFDXVHRIWKHVLOHQFHWKDWKLV¿FWLRQVSHDNV ³,V LWQRWZKDW.DINDGRHVnotVSHDNUHIXVHVWRVSHDNXQGHUWKDWLQWHUURJDWLRQWKDW ZLOOFRQWLQXHWRIXHORXUGHVLUHIRUKLP ,KRSHIRUHYHU "´ '3 ± 7KURXJK the vehicle of the elusive and reticent Michael K, Coetzee cultivates a reader who Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 75 reads between the lines, attentive to what is left unsaid. In White Writing Coetzee WUDFHVDFRQWHPSRUDU\DI¿QLW\IRUVLOHQFHZKLFKKH\RNHVWRDPRGHUQLVWSURMHFW 2XUHDUVWRGD\DUH¿QHO\DWWXQHGWRPRGHVRIVLOHQFH:HKDYHEHHQEURXJKWXS on the music of Webern: substantial silence structured by tracings of sound. Our craft is all in reading the other JDSVLQYHUVHVXQGHUVLGHV WKHYHLOHG WKHGDUN WKHEXULHGWKHIHPLQLQH DOWHULWLHV RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV :: /RQJEHIRUH.DINDWXUQVIRUPDOO\WRWKHSDUDEOHKHKDVDOUHDG\FRQVWUXFWHGD ¿FWLRQWKDWSURYHVLQWKHPXOWLSOHLQVWDQFHVRILWVRZQVOLSSDJHWREHPRUHWKDQ DPHUH¿FWLRQ$QGLQWKLVHQGHDYRXUKHLVVHFRQGHGE\DQLURQLFIDWH QRQHRI KLVPDMRU¿FWLRQLVFRPSOHWHLQWKHIRUPZHKDYHRILW«,WLVRQWKLVVKLIWLQJ ground that contrives the deceptive revelation of a parable whose magnitude is HTXDOWRWKHWRWDOLW\RIWKH¿FWLRQWKDW.DINDHVWDEOLVKHVDFHQWUDOSDUDEOHWKDW KLV¿FWLRQWUHDWVDVDSUREOHPDWLFWH[W±DSDUDEOHZKRVHOHVVRQLVWKHGRXEWIXO QDWXUHRISDUDEOHV ,I .DIND¶V ¿FWLRQ LV PHWDSDUDEROLF &RHW]HH¶V LV PHWDDOOHJRULFDO DQ DOOHJRU\ ³ZKRVHOHVVRQLVWKHGRXEWIXOQDWXUH´RIDOOHJRULHVDVWKH\FRQIRUPWRsystems of meaning1RWDEO\&RHW]HHFKRRVHVWRDSSURSULDWHXQ¿QLVKHGRULQFRPSOHWHWH[WV adding to this sense of slippage, not only here with The Trial, The Castle 76 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship DQG³7KH%XUURZ´ ± EXWDOVRLQWaiting for the Barbarians ZLWK .DIND¶V³,QWKH3HQDO&RORQ\´ DQGLQThe Master of Petersburg ZLWK )\RGRU 'RVWRHYVN\¶V The Possessed ,Q VR GRLQJ Barbarians and Life & Times JHVWXUHWRZDUGVWKHLQVFUXWDEOHDQGUHVLVWDQWRWKHUDV³WH[W´DQGThe Master of Petersburg resonates with debates on censorship. /LNH .DIND¶V SURWDJRQLVW 0LFKDHO . LV UHSHDWHGO\ PLVUHSUHVHQWHG DQG PLVXQGHUVWRRG PLVUHDG E\WKRVHZKRVHSDWKKHFURVVHVRQKLVMRXUQH\WRWKH 9LVDJLH IDUP PRVW QRWDEO\ WKH 0HGLFDO 2I¿FHU ZKR OLNH &DSWDLQ 2RVWKXL]HQ 0. PLVQDPHV KLP ³0LFKDHOV´ $W ¿UVW WKH 0HGLFDO 2I¿FHU IDLOV WR recognize the innate sagacity and meaning of Michael K and only later reappraises his perception, adopting him as both his literal and spiritual guide to beyond the FDPSV ³,KDYHFKRVHQ\RXWRVKRZPHWKHZD\´>0.@ *URVVYRJHOÀHVKHV RXW WKH FRQVHTXHQFHV PLVUHDGLQJ KDV IRU WKH UHDGHU OLQNLQJ .DIND¶V ¿FWLRQ WR ZKDWKHFDOOVWKH³%RUJHVLDQ´RU³UHÀHFWLQJ´VXUIDFH DWH[WWKDWOLNHD³PLUURU´ ³NHHSVKLVUHDGHURXWHYHQDVLWWDONVWRWKDWUHDGHUDERXWKLPDQGKLVSUREOHPDWLF ZRUOG´ 7KHFRQVHTXHQFHRIWKLVNLQGRIWH[WLVDVHOIFRQVFLRXVDJHQWLDO UHDGHUDZDUHRIWKH³GHVLUHWRSHQHWUDWHWKH%RUJHVLDQVXUIDFH´ ,WWKHUHIRUH LVSODXVLEOHWKDWWKHRQO\FUHGLEOHUHDGLQJVRI.DINDand Coetzee, confoundingly, would be misreadings. Joseph K.’s situation, as a reader impelled to interpret his surroundings, is UHSURGXFHGLQWKHHPEHGGHGSDUDEOH³%HIRUHWKH/DZ´DWWKHHQGRIThe Trial, UHFRXQWHGWRKLPE\WKHSULHVW,IDV-DFTXHV'HUULGDKDVVXJJHVWHGWKH³ODZ´LV a metaphor for literature (Acts± WKHQRYHOVWDJHVLWVRZQDUWL¿FH$ZDLWLQJ KLV GHDWK VHQWHQFH IRU LQVWDQFH WKH LOOIRUWXQHG -RVHSK . FXUVHV WKH ³/DZ´ ³7HQWKUDWHROGDFWRUVWKH\VHQGIRUPH«7KH\ZDQWWR¿QLVKPHRIIFKHDSO\´ 7KHGULYHWRLQWHUSUHWLVDOOWKHPRUHH[LJHQWEHFDXVH.VWDQGVWULDOIRUD crime punishable by death but one that, in the manner of totalitarian authority, UHPDLQVDP\VWHU\WRKLP(DFKUHDGLQJ.PDNHVRIWKHSULHVW¶VVWRU\LVIUXVWUDWHG WKHSULHVWLQVWUXFWVKLPE\DQLQFRPSOHWHQHVVRUODFNRIFODULW\MXVWDVLife & TimesDQG0LFKDHO. DVWH[W EORFNLQWHUSUHWDWLRQ $OWKRXJK LWV DOOXVLRQV WR WRWDOLWDULDQLVP FUHGLW .DIND ZLWK D 6DLGLDQ ³ZRUOGOLQHVV´ 6DLG³7H[W´ 'HUULGDFODLPVWKDW³%HIRUHWKH/DZ´³GRHVQRWWHOO RUGHVFULEHDQ\WKLQJEXWLWVHOIDVWH[W´(YHQWKRXJKWRP\PLQGWKLVUHDGLQJLV overdetermined, Derrida is useful when he points out that the parable “guards LWVHOIPDLQWDLQVLWVHOI«,WLVWKHODZPDNHVWKHODZDQGOHDYHVWKHUHDGHUEHIRUH WKHODZ´ Acts± ,IWKHSULHVW¶VSDUDEOH³JXDUGVLWVHOI´VRThe Trial frustrates LQWHUSUHWDWLRQERWKE\-RVHSK.DVUHDGHUDQGE\WKHUHDGHURI.DIND¶VVWRU\7KH parallels with Life & Times are therefore self-evident. However, Derrida is not UHDGLQJWKH³ODZ´RU³OLWHUDWXUH´LQWHUPVRI¿FWLRQDOOHJRU\P\WKV\PERORU parable (Acts EXWLQWKH)UHQFKVHQVHRIla loiHTXDWLQJLWZLWKWKHWD[RQRPLF TXDOLWLHV WKDW FKDUDFWHUL]H JHQUH 1RQHWKHOHVV 0LFKDHO . LV D SDUDJRQ RI WKH UHVLVWDQWWH[WEHFDXVHKHHOXGHVFRGL¿FDWLRQERWKUHDO WKDWRIWKHVWDWH DQGWH[WXDO E\UHIXWLQJWKHDOOHJRULFDOUHDGLQJVWKDWKLVFKDUDFWHUL]DWLRQLQYLWHV Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 77 *URVVYRJHO VXJJHVWV WKDW OLNH WKH 2HGLSXV P\WK .DIND¶V The Trial pivots XSRQ PLVUHDGLQJ ³7KH JRGV NQRZ WKDW RQH ZD\ RU DQRWKHU 2HGLSXV LV IDWHG QRWWRXQGHUVWDQG+LVTXLFNZLWDQGLPSHWXRXVQHVVQRWZLWKVWDQGLQJ2HGLSXVLV WXUQHGLQWRDSORGGLQJDQGDZNZDUGLQWHUSUHWHU´ )RU0DXULFH%ODQFKRWWKLV SUREOHPRILQWHUSUHWDWLRQLQ.DINDLVWUDQVIHUUHGWRWKHUHDGHU :KRHYHUVWD\VZLWKWKHVWRU\SHQHWUDWHVLQWRVRPHWKLQJRSDTXHWKDWKHGRHVQRW XQGHUVWDQGZKLOHZKRHYHUKROGVWKHPHDQLQJFDQQRWJHWEDFNWRWKHGDUNQHVVRI ZKLFKLWLVWKHWHOODEOHOLJKW7KHWZRUHDGHUVFDQQHYHUPHHW ZHDUHRQHWKHQ the other, we understand always more or always less than is necessary. True readings remain impossible. (Work of Fire Joseph K.’s action of reading the world and the law mirrors the act of reading The Trial. K. is confounded by the law and, ensnared in the labyrinthine nightmare of WKH¿FWLRQKHLVWUDSSHG³EHIRUHWKHODZ´(PEHGGHGLQWKHODUJHUWH[W.DIND¶V SDUDEOHUHSURGXFHVWKHLPSRVVLELOLW\RI.¶VVLWXDWLRQDQGRI³FRUUHFW´RUGH¿QLWLYH readings. Coetzee’s novel is framed around the Oedipus myth: Michael K’s Oedipal UHODWLRQWRWKH)DWKHU WKHODZWKHVWDWHWKHSROLFHWKHZDU>0.@ LVRQHRI suspicion and avoidance and he nurtures the maternal bond, both with his mother DQGKLVFURS±KLVSXPSNLQVDQGPHORQVZKLFKKHSHUFHLYHVDVKLVFKLOGUHQ7KH 0HGLFDO2I¿FHUHYHQZDUQV0LFKDHO.DZD\IURPKLVPRWKHUZKR³VRXQGVOLNH« WKHYHU\HPERGLPHQWRIJUHDW0RWKHU'HDWK´ 0. ,QKLVTXHVWIRUPHDQLQJ 0LFKDHO . LV DQRWKHU ³SORGGLQJ DQG DZNZDUG LQWHUSUHWHU´ DQG WKH WH[W KLQJHV XSRQ³LQFRUUHFW´UHDGLQJV'RPLQLF+HDGLGHQWL¿HV&RHW]HH¶VQRYHODVLQSDUW a Bildungsroman (J. M. Coetzee DQG*URVVYRJHOSRLQWVRXWWKDWLQ*HUPDQ ³WULDO´±der Prozess±DOVRWUDQVODWHVDV³SURFHVV´ $VDUHDGHULQDQGRIWKH WH[W0LFKDHO.QHJRWLDWHVKLPVHOIWKURXJKWKHWULDOVRIOLIH+LVQDLYHW\OLNH.¶V OHDYHVKLPEHZLOGHUHGE\WKHZRUOGLQZKLFKKH¿QGVKLPVHOIDQGKHZUHVWOHV ontologically with his sense of purpose. As a reader of the text and a sign of textual practice, he is incorporated into the reading process: it seemed to him that scene after scene of life was playing itself out before him and that the scenes all cohered. He had a presentiment of a single meaning upon ZKLFKWKH\ZHUHFRQYHUJLQJRUWKUHDWHQLQJWRFRQYHUJHWKRXJKKHGLGQRWNQRZ \HWZKDWWKDWPLJKWEH 0. Life & TimesLQVWDOOVZKDW*URVVYRJHOZRXOGFDOOD³%RUJHVLDQVXUIDFH´DQGDWH[W and reader – Michael K – who is aware of himself as sign battling to comprehend KLVVLJQL¿FDWLRQ A pattern of misreading is established by the text that encourages, indeed directs, the reader GRZQDVLPLODUSDWK7KH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUPLVUHFRJQL]HV0LFKDHO .DVD³SRRUVLPSOHWRQ´ 0. \HW0LFKDHO.UHDOL]LQJWKDWKLVOLIHKDVEHHQ systematized by apartheid, in fact displays an innate wisdom by affecting simple- 78 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship PLQGHGQHVVZKHQTXL]]HGDWDURDGEORFNE\WKHSROLFH ³,I,ORRNYHU\VWXSLGKH WKRXJKWSHUKDSVWKH\ZLOOOHWPHWKURXJK´ 0. ,WLVWKLVDSSDUHQWVWXSLGLW\KH believes, that will save him: “At least, he thought, at least I have not been clever … ,ZDVPXWHDQGVWXSLGDWWKHEHJLQQLQJ,ZLOOEHPXWHDQGVWXSLGDWWKHHQG´ 0. $VLWLVHOVHZKHUHLQWKHQDUUDWLYHWKHTXHVWLRQ³ZKRVSHDNV"´LVPDVNHGE\ ambiguity: is this the consciousness of Michael K or that of an omniscient narrator ZKRZRXOGKROGDXWKRULW\RYHUKLP"0LFKDHO.¶VVSHHFKDQGWKRXJKWDUHRQO\HYHU SUHVHQWHGE\UHSRUWLQWKH¿UVWDQGWKLUGVHFWLRQVRIWKHQRYHO±³KHWKRXJKW´³KH IRXQG´³KHVDLG´ 3DUU\³6SHHFKDQG6LOHQFH´ ±DQGLQWKHVHFRQGVHFWLRQ KLVVWRU\UHVWVLQWKHKDQGVRIWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU Indeed, it is for his adumbration of the other as silent that Coetzee has met KLV ¿HUFHVWFULWLFLVP:KLOVW*RUGLPHU IRU LQVWDQFHUHSURYHV&RHW]HH¶V IDLOXUH WR UHSUHVHQW WKH PDQLIHVW RUJDQL]HG EODFN UHVLVWDQFH WR DSDUWKHLG %HQLWD 3DUU\ argues that Michael K is “written as a being without an identity … an exemplar RIWKHPLQGWXUQHGLQZDUG´IURPDDXWKRULDOSRVLWLRQWKDWLVDOZD\VDOUHDG\WKDWRI DXWKRULW\DQGSULYLOHJH³JURXQGHGLQWKHFRJQLWLYHV\VWHPVRIWKH:HVW´ ³6SHHFK DQG 6LOHQFH´ %XW ZKLOVW VXFK D VWUDWHJ\ PLJKW VXJJHVW 0LFKDHO .¶V ODFNRIDXWRQRP\UHYHUVLQJWKLVG\QDPLFUHYHDOVLWPLJKWHTXDOO\VLJQDOWKDWWKH 0HGLFDO 2I¿FHU DV 0LFKDHO .¶V VHOIHOHFWHG VSRNHVSHUVRQ DQG HYHQ &RHW]HH as author, don’t properly know him. This ambiguity that hovers around Michael .¶V VXEMHFWLYLW\ FRXSOHG ZLWK WKH RYHUW LQFRQVLVWHQFLHV LQ KLV FKDUDFWHUL]DWLRQ RXWOLQHG DERYH DOVR OHDYH WKH UHDGHU QRW NQRZLQJ KLP DQG WKHUHIRUH WKURXJK processes of interpretation and critical analysis, the reader is implicated in his ³WULDO´7KHFRQVHTXHQFHVRIWKLVQDUUDWLYHVWUDWHJ\DUHFOHDU DVUHDGHUVZHDUH obliged to experience the discursive process that has structured Michael K’s life, DSURFHVVWKDWPLUURUVQRWRQO\WKHFODVVL¿FDWLRQLQVWLWXWHGE\DSDUWKHLGEXWDOVRD discourse of postcolonial criticism. In this way we are encouraged to recognize the limitations and ideological problems that encumber such a role. The reader approaches a text, according to Grossvogel, with a “desire for his text to have meaning (that is to say an end ´DGHVLUHZKLFKDVKHULJKWO\SRLQWV out, The Trial withstands as it is a text “that adroitly confuses critics and other UHDGHUV´ 7KHRGRU$GRUQRDUWLFXODWHVWKLVUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQUHDGHUDQG WH[WLQ.DIND¶V¿FWLRQLQDVLPLODUIDVKLRQEXWDGGVWKDWWKHUHDGHUPXVWDOVRWDNH responsibility for any reading made: $PRQJ .DIND¶V SUHVXSSRVLWLRQV QRW OHDVW LV WKDW WKH FRQWHPSODWLYH UHODWLRQ EHWZHHQWH[WDQGUHDGHULVVKDNHQWRLWVYHU\URRWV+LVWH[WVDUHGHVLJQHGQRW to sustain a constant distance between themselves and their victim but rather to agitate his feelings to a point where he fears that the narrative will shoot towards KLP OLNH D ORFRPRWLYH LQ D WKUHHGLPHQVLRQDO ¿OP 6XFK DJJUHVVLYH SK\VLFDO SUR[LPLW\XQGHUPLQHVWKHUHDGHU¶VKDELWRILGHQWLI\LQJKLPVHOIZLWKWKH¿JXUHV in the novel… . As long as the word has not been found, the reader must be held DFFRXQWDEOH ³1RWHVRQ.DIND´ Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 79 For Adorno, this complex relation is an ethico-political strategy. The idea of responsible reading, however, is complicated in Life & Times by its allusions to ZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQOLEHUDOLVPDQGZKLWHJXLOWFRQ¿JXUHGLQWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU ZKREHFRPLQJH[DVSHUDWHGZLWK0LFKDHO.SUHVVHVKLPWR³\LHOG´KLVPHDQLQJ +HFODLPVWKDWKHLVWKHRQO\RQHZKRFDQSURSHUO\³UHDG´0LFKDHO. ³,DORQH VHH\RXDV«DKXPDQVRXODERYHDQGEHQHDWKFODVVL¿FDWLRQDVRXOEOHVVHGO\ XQWRXFKHGE\GRFWULQHXQWRXFKHGE\KLVWRU\´ 0. 7KHWHUP³OLEHUDO´RIFRXUVHKDVYHU\VSHFL¿FFRQQRWDWLRQVLQ6RXWK$IULFD because, whilst on a fundamental level disagreeing with apartheid ideology, liberals were perceived by some to be willing to turn a blind eye to apartheid abuse, PDNLQJWKHPFRPSOLFLW2 In I Write What I Like SXEOLVKHGSRVWKXPRXVO\LQ WKH VWXGHQW OHDGHU 6WHYH %LNR LV GLVSDUDJLQJ RI ³WKDW FXULRXV EXQFK RI >ZKLWH@ QRQFRQIRUPLVWV´³OLEHUDOVOHIWLVWV´ZKR³DUJXHWKDWWKH\DUHQRWUHVSRQVLEOHIRU ZKLWHUDFLVPDQGWKHFRXQWU\¶VµLQKXPDQLW\WRWKHEODFNPDQ¶´ ³$JDPHDW ZKLFKWKHOLEHUDOVKDYHEHFRPHPDVWHUVLVWKDWRIGHOLEHUDWHHYDVLYHQHVV´KHJRHV on (I Write 7KH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUFRQFOXGHVWKDWLIWKH³PHDQLQJ´RI0LFKDHO .³ZHUHQRPRUHWKDQDODFNLQ>KLP@VHOI>WKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU@«RIVRPHWKLQJWR EHOLHYHLQ´KHPLJKWDVZHOOSXW³DEXOOHWWKURXJK>KLVRZQ@KHDG´ 0. 7KHSDUW\RI$IULNDQHU&KULVWLDQQDWLRQDOLVP«VHWDERXWVWRSSLQJRUHYHQWXUQLQJ EDFNWKHFORFN,WVSURJUDPVLQYROYHGDUDGLFDOO\GLVFRQWLQXRXVLQWHUYHQWLRQLQWR time, in that it tried to stop dead or turn around a range of developments normal LQWKHVHQVHRIEHLQJWKHQRUP LQFRORQLDOVRFLHWLHV,WDOVRDLPHGDWLQVWLWXWLQJ a sluggish no-time in which an already anachronistic order of patriarchal clans DQGWULEDOGHVSRWLVPVZRXOGEHIUR]HQLQSODFH '3 2 )RUDEULHIGLVFXVVLRQRIOLEHUDOSROLWLFVDQGLWVRSSRVLWLRQDOREMHFWLYHVVHH%HLQDUW 179–180. 80 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship 6R&RHW]HHOLQNVWKHIRUZDUGPRYHPHQWRIWLPHZLWKSURJUHVVZKLFKZDVQRWLQ WKHLQWHUHVWVRI$IULNDQHUQDWLRQDOLVPRQPDWWHUVRIUDFH $WHPSRUDOO\LQÀHFWHGPRRGFKDUDFWHUL]HVLife & Times through what Coetzee LGHQWL¿HVDVLWV³SDFHRIQDUUDWLRQ´ZKLFKKHVXJJHVWVLVWKHQRYHO¶VRYHUULGLQJ WHFKQLTXH '3 3DUDGR[LFDOO\WKLVPRRGZKLFKLVPRVWDSSDUHQWLQWKHEXUURZ scenes when Michael K retreats from the world in his impulsion towards obscurity, FRUUHVSRQGV WR WKH ³VORZ WLPH´ RI DSDUWKHLG DQG WKHUHIRUH ZRXOG DSSDUHQWO\ FRQ¿UP*RUGLPHU¶VSRLQWDERXWWKHLQHI¿FDF\RI0LFKDHO.¶VUHVLVWDQFH ,QKLVGHWDLOHGDQDO\VLVRIWKHWUHDWPHQWRIWLPHLQ.DIND¶VVWRU\³7LPH7HQVH DQG$VSHFWLQ.DIND¶Vµ7KH%XUURZ¶ ´RQHRIVHYHUDOLQWHUWH[WVRILife & Times&RHW]HHDUJXHVWKDWWKHSUHVHQWDWLRQRIWLPHP\VWL¿HVWKHUHDGHUWKURXJK defamiliarization. Just as Michael K endeavours to exist beyond time, the meaning RI³7KH%XUURZ´WXUQVXSRQ WKHH[SHULHQFHRIDEUHDNGRZQRIWLPHRIWKHWLPHVHQVH RQHPRPHQWGRHV QRWÀRZLQWRWKHQH[W±RQWKHFRQWUDU\HDFKPRPHQWKDVWKHWKUHDWRUSURPLVH RIEHLQJ QRWEHFRPLQJ DWLPHOHVVIRUHYHUXQFRQQHFWHGWRXQJHQHUDWHGE\WKH SDVW '3 By severing himself from history, Michael K refuses to be moulded by the slow time of apartheid. He passively resists apartheid’s system of time. 7KLVFDQEHEHWWHUXQGHUVWRRGE\FORVHULQVSHFWLRQRI.DIND7KHSUHVHQWDWLRQ RIWLPHLQ³7KH%XUURZ´LV&RHW]HHVD\V³EDIÀLQJ´EHFDXVHKDELWXDOWLPHPXVW be reconciled with time that is plottable on a continuum. Time in the story disrupts QRWRQO\WKHFRQYHQWLRQVRIUHDOLVW¿FWLRQZKLFKUHVWV&RHW]HHSRLQWVRXWRQWKH ODZVRI1HZWRQLDQSK\VLFVLWDOVRVXEYHUWVWKH*HUPDQWHQVHV\VWHPXVHGE\.DIND '3 :KLOHFKDOOHQJLQJPXFKRI'RUULW&RKQ¶VDQDO\VLVRIWLPHDQGWHQVHLQ ³7KH %XUURZ´ DUJXLQJ WKDW WKH\ FDQQRW EH VFKHPDWL]HG LQ WKH ZD\ WKDW &RKQ suggests, Coetzee agrees the structuring of time in the story is, in Cohn’s words, “paradoxical [and] … based on a denial of the distinction between repetitious DQG VLQJXODU HYHQWV´ TWG LQ '3 6LPLODUO\ &RHW]HH DOVR DI¿UPV &RKQ¶V ³LGHQWLI>LFDWLRQRI@WKHDPELJXLWLHVRISUHVHQWWHQVHYHUEIRUPVDVWKHIRUPDO¿HOG ZKRVHH[SORLWDWLRQPDNHVWKHKLJKHUOHYHOSDUDGR[HVRIµ7KH%XUURZ¶SRVVLEOH´ '3 DQG ZLWK KHU RYHUDOO DQDO\VLV WKDW WKH QDUUDWLYH LV IUDPHG SULPDULO\ DURXQG³DFRQVWDQWO\UHSHDWHGSUHVHQW´ TWGLQ'3 RUDV&RHW]HHSXWVLW ³WLPHH[SHULHQFHGDVFRQWLQXDOFULVLV´ '3 FI$WWZHOOJ. M. Coetzee In the burrow scenes in Life & Times0LFKDHO.KLVERG\UDFNHGE\LOOQHVV becomes disconnected from the passing of time: for the moment, time becomes LUUHOHYDQW%\HVFDSLQJLQFDUFHUDWLRQZLWKGUDZLQJIURPWKH³QRZ´RIDSDUWKHLG DQGIURPWKHFRQVWUDLQWVRIKLVWRU\KHOLYHVRXWVLGHWLPH$VKHJURZVZHDNHUKH ³ORV>HV@WUDFNRIWLPH´ 6RPHWLPHVZDNLQJVWLÀHG«KHNQHZWKDWLWZDVGD\7KHUHZHUHORQJSHULRGV ZKHQKHOD\LQDJUH\VWXSRUWRRWLUHGWRNLFNKLPVHOIIUHHRIVOHHS+HFRXOGIHHO Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 81 the processes of his body slowing down. You are forgetting to breathe, he would say to himself, and yet lie without breathing. He raised a hand heavy as lead and put it over his heart: far away, as if in another country, he felt a languid stretching and closing. Through whole cycles of the heavens he slept… . Sometimes he ZRXOGHPHUJHLQWRZDNHIXOQHVVXQVXUHZKHWKHUKHKDGVOHSWDGD\RUDZHHNRU a month. It occurred to him that he might not be fully in possession of himself. In this passage Coetzee ruptures a linear, forward-moving sense of time in a non- VFKHPDWLFZD\WLPHLQ³FRQWLQXDOFULVLV´7KHEXUURZVFHQHVDQGKLVZLWKGUDZDO into solitude represent a crisis point for Michael K, who increasingly forgets to HDWPLUURUHGE\WLPHVHTXHQFHVZKLFKWKHPVHOYHVDUHLQFULVLV HYHUVKLIWLQJWLPH VORZVTXLFNHQVSDFHDOLWWOHDOPRVWVWDQGVVWLOO-XVWDV0LFKDHO.H[SHULHQFHV time, the reader is disorientated and defamiliarized from it. In the burrow scenes a disruption of linear time is realized primarily through a peculiar and varied verb scheme and temporal clauses that emphasize a change in SDFHIRULQVWDQFHPDUNLQJLWHUDWLYHGXUDWLRQDVLQ³WKHUHZHUHlong periods when he lay´RUIUHTXHQF\±³Vometimes … he knew´ ³VRPHWLPHV´EHLQJQRQVSHFL¿F DQGWKHUHIRUHYDJXHDQGPDUNLQJDQLQFRQJUXLW\ZLWKWKHVWDWHRINQRZLQJ7KH modal auxiliary would, signalling reported action, is used in the iterative past (“he would begin´³KHwould come out´ IUHTXHQWO\LQGLFDWHGE\WHPSRUDODGYHUEV (“sometimesKHZRXOGHPHUJH´ DQGGHQRWLQJDFRQWLQXRXVRUKDELWXDODFWLRQ in-the-past. Modal auxiliaries are used in the past tense to present free indirect speech (“You must eat, he would say´ FRQQRWLQJLWHUDWLYHKDELWXDODFWLRQRYHU DQH[WHQGHGSHULRGRIWLPH HPSKDVL]HGKHUHE\WKHVXEMXQFWLYHwould, which is DJDLQVXJJHVWLYHRIXQFHUWDLQW\ &ODXVHVVXFKDV³Then step by step his sleep grew to be lighter and the periodsRIZDNHIXOQHVVmore frequent´H[SUHVVDIRUZDUG PRYHPHQWRIWLPH±³HYHQW´WLPH(YHQWVWKDWDUH¿QLWHPDUNHGE\DEHJLQQLQJ and an end, in this instance, “periods of wakefulness”DUHTXDOL¿HGE\WHPSRUDO clauses expressing repeated and durative action (“grew to be … more frequent´ Tense shifts from past (“He lost trackRIWLPH´lostFRQQRWLQJD¿QLWHVWDWHRI EHLQJ WRDKDELWXDOSDVW ³Vometimes, ZDNLQJVWLÀHG … he knew´ 7KHEXUURZ VHTXHQFH LV SXQFWXDWHG E\ WKH WKXQGHUVWRUP ³7KHUH was D WKXQGHUVWRUP´ WKHHYHQWRIWKHVWRUPEHLQJPDUNHGE\WKHVLPSOHSDVWWHQVH6LPLODUO\WKHVH passages are themselves set apart from the rest of the narrative by the use of the VLPSOHSDVWWHQVH 0LFKDHO.³ORVWWUDFNRIWLPH´$SHULRGRIFRQWHPSODWLRQLV represented through a general slowing of pace. Though already detached from WKHZRUOGRXWVLGHEHFDXVHRIKLVSK\VLFDOZHDNQHVVKHQRZHQWHUVDVSDFHRIORVW 82 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship time that signals the nadir of his illness. Gestured by the simple past tense, the VWRUPPDUNV0LFKDHO.¶VUHHPHUJHQFHIURPWKHEXUURZLQWRWKHWXPXOWRIWKH present: the soldiers arrive and he is returned to the camps. Part Two of the novel, IROORZLQJWKLVLQWHUOXGHDQGWKHDUULYDORIWKHVROGLHUVLVQDUUDWHGLQWKH¿UVWSHUVRQ E\WKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUZKRV\PEROLFDOO\WDNHVDXWKRULW\RI0LFKDHO.¶VVWRU\ WDNLQJLWXSRQKLPVHOIWRVSHDNRQ0LFKDHO.¶VEHKDOI7KLVVHFWLRQLVPDUNHGE\D TXLFNHQLQJRIWLPHDQGSDFHKLJKOLJKWLQJWKHVKLIWLQWRWKHFRQVFLRXVQHVVRIDPDQ ZKRQRWHVWKDW0LFKDHO.LVQRW³ZKROO\RIRXUZRUOG´ 0. 0DUNLQJKLVIUHHGRPIURPWKHZRUOGRIWKHFDPSDQGWKHSULVRQ0LFKDHO. ZLWKGUDZVIURPVRFLHW\EHFDXVHDVROLWDU\OLIHLVHDVLHUWRHQGXUH KLVLVODQGRI LVRODWLRQLVLQSDUWVHOILPSRVHG ³+HKDGNHSWQRWDOO\RIWKHGD\VQRUUHFRUGHG the changes of the moon. He was not a prisoner or a castaway, his life by the dam ZDVQRWDVHQWHQFHWKDWKHKDGWRVHUYHRXW´ 0.± 6RQRWRQO\GRHVLife & TimesLQYRNHD.DINDQGHFRQVWUXFWLRQRIWLPHLWDOVRLQYHUWVWLPHDVLWVWUXFWXUHV Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. As Jameson points out, allegory has the “capacity … to generate a range of distinct meanings or messages, simultaneously, as the DOOHJRULFDOWHQRUDQGYHKLFOHFKDQJHSODFH´ ³7KLUG:RUOG/LWHUDWXUH´ 3HQQHG GXULQJWKH]HQLWKRI(XURSHDQPHUFDQWLOHH[SDQVLRQDQGDPRYHE\WKH³:HVW´ to colonize other places, Robinson Crusoe is framed on the myths of Calvinistic LQGLYLGXDOLVPDQGFRORQLDOLVP WKHFDVWDZD\&UXVRHGLOLJHQWO\ZRUNVWKHODQGDQG WDNHVLWXSRQKLPVHOIWRSURYLGHWKHPRUDODQGVSLULWXDOJXLGDQFHRI)ULGD\ZKRP he enslaves. Imperiously and unselfconsciously, he instructs Friday in Christianity: ³DQGWKXVE\GHJUHHV,RSHQHGKLVH\HV´ Robinson Crusoe 2QDUULYLQJRQ the island, Crusoe experiences a sense of urgency to rein in time as he retrieves VWRFNIURPWKHVXQNHQYHVVHODQGVWUXJJOHVWREXLOGKLVPDNHVKLIWKRPHZKLFK WHOOLQJO\KHQDPHV³P\&DVWOH´ ³,KDGQRWLPHWRORVH´³ZLWKRXWORVLQJWLPH´ ³, KDGORVWQRWLPH´ ³LI,KDGKDGPRUHWLPH´DQG³7KLVFRVWPHDJUHDWGHDORIWLPH´ (Robinson Crusoe &UXVRHWKHHSLWRPHRIWKHPRGHUQVHOI PDGHPDQZKROLYHVE\WKHSULQFLSOHVRI(QOLJKWHQPHQWDQGD&DOYLQLVWLFZRUN ethic, next sets about organizing and rationalizing his days cast away to allay his IHDURIORVLQJWUDFNRIWLPHDQGE\DVVRFLDWLRQKLVSRZHUVRIUHDVRQ ³LQJHQHUDO it may be observed that I was very seldom idle … having regularly divided my WLPHDFFRUGLQJWRWKHVHYHUDOGDLO\HPSOR\PHQWVWKDWZHUHEHIRUHPH´ Robinson Crusoe :KLOHIRU&UXVRHWKHFKDUWLQJRIWKHSDVVDJHRIWLPHLVQRWVLPSO\ DPHDQVRINHHSLQJDWDOO\RIWKHGD\VEXWZLOODOVRFRQWULEXWHWRKLVOHJDF\ KH PHWLFXORXVO\UHFRUGVKLVGD\VRQWKHLVODQGLQKLVMRXUQDO 0LFKDHO.ZKRORVHV WUDFNRIWLPHUHVLVWVFRPPLWWLQJKLPVHOIWRKLVWRU\RUWRDFROOHFWLYHFRQVFLRXVQHVV and stands outside apartheid law. Michael K’s pathetic ruminations are an attempt to pre-empt racist discourse and the suffering it engenders: ,DPQRWEXLOGLQJDKRXVH«WRSDVVRQWRRWKHUJHQHUDWLRQV:KDW,PDNHRXJKW WREHFDUHOHVVPDNHVKLIW«6RWKDWLIHYHUWKH\¿QGWKLVSODFH«DQGVD\WRHDFK Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 83 RWKHU :KDWVKLIWOHVVFUHDWXUHVKRZOLWWOHSULGHWKH\WRRNLQWKHLUZRUNLWZLOO QRWPDWWHU 0. &DVW DGULIW LQ WKH YHOG KH UHDOL]HV WKDW XQOLNH &UXVRH KH PXVW learn the habit RI ³LGOHQHVV´ D ORDGHG WHUP LQ 6RXWK$IULFD VLQFH LW ZDV DSSURSULDWHG E\ HDUO\ colonizers, by the apartheid state and by racists generally as a means of stereotyping and thereby regulating racial difference. He “was learning to love idleness, idleness no longer as stretches of freedom reclaimed by stealth here and there from LQYROXQWDU\ODERXU«EXWDVD\LHOGLQJXSRIKLPVHOIWRWLPH´ 0. In White Writing Coetzee argues that in early white South African literature ³UHODSVHLQWRVORWKLVDEHWUD\DORIWKHKLJKSDVWRUDOLPSXOVH´ :: ³>1@HLWKHU SOHDVHGQRUGLVSOHDVHGZKHQWKHUHZDVZRUNWRGR´ 0. 0LFKDHO.LVQRW FKDOOHQJLQJ D ZRUN HWKLF UDWKHU KH \HDUQV XQFRQVFLRXVO\ WR VWDQG RXWVLGH WKH WLPHRIWKHFDPSVRIDSDUWKHLGDQGRI6RXWK$IULFD¶VEOHDNKLVWRU\LQWKHPDNLQJ Here, because Michael K cultivates his social alienation, we are reminded of *RUGLPHU¶VFULWLFLVPRIWKHQRYHOTXRWHGDERYHWKDW&RHW]HHZHLJKWVZKDW/XNiFV GH¿QHVDVWKHWH[WXDOV\PELRVLVEHWZHHQWKHSULYDWHDQGSXEOLF±LQ*RUGLPHU¶V ZRUGV³SULYDWHDQGVRFLDOGHVWLQ\´±LQIDYRXURIWKHSULYDWH0LFKDHO.¶VVWDWXV DV ³UHVLVWLQJ WH[W´ DOVR ZRUNV DW WKH OHYHO RI UHVLVWLQJ WKH QRUPDWLYH PRGHV RI postcolonial theory, in which, in the case of Jameson, the public-political always WDNHV FHQWUH VWDJH YLD WKH SULYDWH OLELGLQDO VSKHUH )RU -DPHVRQ WKH SULYDWH translates as national allegory. Michael K’s private resistance highlights the very SROLWLFVWKHWH[WSUHVVHVDJDLQVWGUDZLQJWKHZRUNQRQHWKHOHVVDQGSDUDGR[LFDOO\ LQWRWKHUHDOPVRISROLWLFDOFULWLTXH Coetzee argues that early European travel writers neglected to draw parallels EHWZHHQWKH³LGOH+RWWHQWRW´ .KRLVDQ DQGWKH³SDVWRUDOSODWLWXGHRIWKHZDQGHULQJ VKHSKHUGZLWKKLVPHDJHUSRVVHVVLRQVDQGKLVHDVLO\VDWLV¿HGZDQWV>ZKRUHYHDOV D@ ZD\ RI HVFDSLQJ IURP WKH FDUHV RI FLYLOL]DWLRQ´ :: ,QGHHG PDNLQJ the appropriation of Defoe’s fable all the more incisive, Coetzee contextualizes PLVUHDGLQJVRI³LGOHQHVV´LQWKHQRYHO P\RSLFVLQFHWKH\IDLOWRFRQQHFWLGHDVRI FRQWHPSODWLRQZLWKSK\VLFDOTXLHWXGH DVD³ZDURQVRFLDOSDUDVLWLVP´RQJRLQJLQ Europe during the Reformation, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, largely through the doctrine of Calvinism and, during the Enlightenment, the evolution of WKHFRQFHSW³ZRUN´ ::± ³/HLVXUH´LQHDUO\WUDYHOZULWLQJDERXW6RXWK Africa, on the other hand, is the preserve of the bourgeoisie during this period: “Leisure holds the promise of the generation of all those differences that constitute FXOWXUHDQGPDNHPDQ$QWKURSRORJLFDO0DQ LGOHQHVVKROGVQRSURPLVHVDYHWKDW RI VWDVLV´ :: 7KH UKHWRULF RI LGOHQHVV SURSDJDWHG GXULQJ WKH (XURSHDQ Enlightenment is uncritically mapped in the Discourse of the Cape of early travel writing so that the indigenous people’s active refusal to enter the colonial HPSOR\PHQWV\VWHPLVRYHUORRNHG :: ,PSRUWDQWO\&RHW]HHDUJXHV³ROG FRQFHSWXDOIUDPHZRUNV´ZHUHLQDGHTXDWHIRUWKLVQHZVLWXDWLRQ :: 0LFKDHO Moses draws on Rousseau’s Reveries to compare Michael K to Rousseau’s “solitary ZDONHU´7KLVOHDGV0RVHVWRUHDG³LGOHQHVV´DVDSHULRGRIUHYHULHUDWKHUWKDQ 84 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship VORWK ³/LNH5RXVVHDX0LFKDHO.¿QGVWKDWKLVH[LVWHQWLDOVXEPHUVLRQLQWKHF\FOH of the days and seasons, his sense of an endlessly repeating present, produces in KLPDIHHOLQJRIXWWHUFRQWHQWPHQW´ ³6ROLWDU\:DONHUV´ 0LFKDHO.¶VUHWUHDWWRWKHYHOGZKLFKOLNH.DIND¶V+XQJHU$UWLVWLQYRNHV-HVXV¶V forty days in the wilderness, brings him close to death and to an enlightenment (“A +XQJHU$UWLVW´ 3DOEHLWRIIDLOXUH KLVHUHPLWLFOLIHXQOLNH&UXVRH¶VLVQRWD WLPHRIPDVWHU\ RIVSDFH IRUKHUHDOL]HVGROHIXOO\WKDW³,OHWP\VHOIEHOLHYHWKDW this was one of those islands without an owner. Now I am learning the truth. Now ,DPOHDUQLQJP\OHVVRQ´ 0. Michael K sets about writing the land, not only through the inversion of &UXVRH¶VFRQTXHVWRIWLPHDQGVSDFHEXWDOVRWKURXJKWKHLQYHUVLRQRIWKHLGHRORJ\ XQGHUSLQQLQJWKH$IULNDQHUplaasroman or farm novel. In the plaasroman, rather WKDQWXUQLQJWRWKH$IULFDQ³ZLOGHUQHVV´RUQDWXUHWKHZULWHUIRFXVHVRQDQRVWDOJLF UHWXUQWRWKH³FKLOGKRRGIDUP´ :: ZLWKLWVLPSOLHGFODLPRQWKHODQG)RU WKH$IULNDQHU&RHW]HHREVHUYHVWKH³IDUPUDWKHUWKDQQDWXUHKRZHYHUUHJLRQDOO\ GH¿QHGLVFRQFHLYHGDVWKHVDFUDOSODFHZKHUHWKHVRXOFDQH[SDQGLQIUHHGRP´ :: 7KHIDUPLVW\SLFDOO\WKH³VRXUFHRIPHDQLQJ´WRZKLFKWKHQDUUDWLYH SURJUHVVHV :: WKHVRXUFHWRZKLFK0LFKDHO.LVMRXUQH\LQJ ,Q8\V.ULJH¶V SRHP³3ODDVKHN´ IDUPJDWH 4 for instance, Coetzee argues, The wanderer return[s] to the farm where he was born and experienc[es] in the act of opening the farm gate the same intimation of a return to the true self and primitive moral sources that Wordsworth feels in returning to the dales and fells. :: ,Q KLV TXHVW IRU PHDQLQJ H[SHULHQFLQJ VXFK DQ HSLSKDQ\ 0LFKDHO . ZULWHV XSRQWKHODQGE\JDUGHQLQJUDWKHUWKDQIDUPLQJKLVVHHGV 0. DQGUHOLVKHV VXEVLVWLQJRIIWKHODQG 0. +HIDLOVIXOO\WRUHDOL]HKLVYLVLRQKRZHYHUVLQFH KHHDWVIURPDWURXJKRQ³FUXVKHGPHDOLHVDQGERQHPHDO´>0.@ *DUGHQLQJ HYRNHV³WKH-XGDHR&KULVWLDQP\WKRI(GHQ´ :: EXWWKLVLVWKH*DUGHQWKDW LQ (XURSHDQ H\HV KDV GHJHQHUDWHG LQWR ZKDW &RHW]HH FDOOV DQ ³DQWL*DUGHQ´ ³ZKHUHWKHZLOGHUQHVVWDNHVURRWRQFHDJDLQLQPHQ¶VKHDUWV´ :: Although Michael K symbolically reclaims the Visagie farmland, he prefers WRHNHRXWDIHUDOH[LVWHQFHLQKLVEXUURZUDWKHUWKDQLQWKHGHUHOLFWIDUPKRXVH DEDQGRQHGE\LWVIRUPHURZQHUV'XULQJWKHFRXUVHRIKLVMRXUQH\ ZKLFKLVERWK SK\VLFDODQGPHWDSK\VLFDO KHOHDUQVWRDSSUHFLDWHWKH6RXWK$IULFDQODQGVFDSH in African terms rather than in the mode which his employment as a gardener has tutored him. Coetzee’s device is one of counterpoint and inversion: the land as ¿JXUHGLQHDUO\ZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQOLWHUDWXUHZKLFKLVSUHVHQWHGLQDQDUUDWLYHRU chronological form, is revised spatially into scenes which capture description. What 3 ,Q.DIND¶VSDUDEOH³$+XQJHU$UWLVW´WKHSURWDJRQLVWPDNHVDSURIHVVLRQRIIDVWLQJ +LVIDVWVZKLFKUHQGHUKLVERG\VSHFWDFXODUDOZD\VODVWIRUW\GD\V 4 0\WKDQNVWR.DL(DVWRQIRUWKLVWUDQVODWLRQ Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 85 &RHW]HHFDOOVWKH³'LVFRXUVHRIWKH&DSH´ZKLFKDVZLWKDOOGLVFRXUVHLVLQKHUHQWO\ normative, not surprisingly creates “Eurocentric conceptual schemes in favour of DVFKHPHEDVHGRQQDWLYHFRQFHSWXDOFDWHJRULHV´DQGEHFRPHV³PHUHnarrative rather than a comprehensive description´ :: &RHW]HH HODERUDWHV ³7KH FULSSOLQJZHDNQHVVRIDQWKURSRORJLFDOQDUUDWLYHDVFRPSDUHGZLWKDQWKURSRORJLFDO GHVFULSWLRQLVWKDWLQUHYHUWLQJWRFKURQRORJLFDOVHTXHQFHLWIRUJRHVDFFHVVWRWKH DFKURQRORJLFDOVSDWLDO*RG¶VH\HRUJDQL]DWLRQRIFDWHJRULFDOGHVFULSWLRQ´ :: 7KHDSSURSULDWLRQRI.DIND¶VXVHRIWHQVHWRGLVUXSWOLQHDUWLPHRYHUFRPHV this problem as Michael K inserts himself into the ecology of the land. In the veld 0LFKDHO.GLVSOD\VDQDI¿QLW\IRUKLVHQYLURQPHQWZKHQKHOLNHQVKLPVHOIWR³D WHUPLWHERULQJLWVZD\WKURXJKDURFN´ 0. D³VSHFNXSRQWKHVXUIDFHRIDQ HDUWKWRRGHHSO\DVOHHSWRQRWLFHWKHVFUDWFKRIDQWIHHWWKHUDVSRIEXWWHUÀ\WHHWK WKHWXPEOLQJRIGXVW´ 0. ³OLNHDÀRZHU´ 0. D³SDUDVLWHGR]LQJLQWKH JXW´D³OL]DUGXQGHUDVWRQH´ 0. 5HMHFWLQJWKHFRORQL]HU¶VSURMHFWRIODQG DFTXLVLWLRQ ³KHFRXOGQRWLPDJLQHKLPVHOIVSHQGLQJKLVOLIHGULYLQJVWDNHVLQWRWKH JURXQGHUHFWLQJIHQFHVGLYLGLQJXSWKHODQG´>0. @ KHEHFRPHVK\SHUDZDUH of his habitat, and exists, if only temporarily, in symbiosis with it. Coetzee effects an anti-pastoral moment in Life & Times when, alone in the ZLOGHUQHVVRIWKHYHOG0LFKDHO.UHDOL]HVWKDW:\QEHUJ3DUNZKHUHKHKDGEHHQ HPSOR\HG ODQG³WDPHG´E\WKHFRORQL]HU LV³PRUHYHJHWDOWKDQPLQHUDO«,KDYH ORVWP\ORYHIRUWKDWNLQGRIHDUWK«,WLVQRORQJHUWKHJUHHQVDQGWKHEURZQ WKDW,ZDQWEXWWKH\HOORZDQGWKHUHG´0LFKDHO.¶VGD\VLQWKHYHOGWHDFKKLP to read the landscape in a different way, beyond the Eurocentric schema to which KLVH\HKDVEHHQWUDLQHG ³,DPEHFRPLQJDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIPDQ´ 0. 7KLV reading is lent weight by Moses’s comparison of Michael K to Rousseau’s solitary ZDONHULQFRQWHPSODWLYHPRRGZKLFKQRQHWKHOHVVLPSOLFLWO\\RNHV0LFKDHO.WR WKHLPDJHRIWKH1REOH6DYDJH ³,Q>DQ@DWHPSRUDOVWDWHWKHVROLWDU\ZDONHU¿QGV WKDWKHFDQHQMR\Dprimordial experience which is covered over and hidden from KLPZKHQKHOLYHVLQVRFLHW\ WKHSXUHDQGUDUH¿HGVHQVDWLRQRIPHUHO\H[LVWLQJ´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ³6ROLWDU\:DONHUV´ On a secondary allegorical level, the garden is an antidote to the prescriptive UHTXLUHPHQWVRIFXOWXUHGXULQJWKHDSDUWKHLGHUD0LFKDHO.HQYLVDJHVWKHJXHUULOOD soldiers who pass through the farm telling him that the time has come when energies VKRXOGEHFKDQQHOOHGLQWRZDUZRUNQRWSUHWWLI\LQJWKHODQGVFDSH$QDORJRXVO\DUW ZDVH[SHFWHGWRVKRZ³UHOHYDQFHDQGFRPPLWPHQW´WKRXJK*RUGLPHUWRZKRP this mantra is ascribed, was herself opposed to conforming to orthodoxies of conformity, even in anti-apartheid writing (Essential Gesture 7KH0HGLFDO 2I¿FHULQKLVIUXLWOHVVDWWHPSWVWRSHUVXDGH0LFKDHO.WR³\LHOGKLVVWRU\´RIIHUV an alternative meaning: The garden for which you are presently heading is nowhere and everywhere except in the camps. It is another name for the only place where you belong … where you do not feel homeless. It is off every map, no road leads to it that is PHUHO\DURDGDQGRQO\\RXNQRZWKHZD\ 86 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship )RUWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU0LFKDHO.¶V³VDFUHGDQGDOOXULQJ´JDUGHQ³SURGXFHV WKHIRRGRIOLIH´QDPHO\IUHHGRP 0. +LVZRUGVUHFDOO.DIND¶VSDUDEOH ³0\ 'HVWLQDWLRQ´ ZKRVH SURWDJRQLVW VHWV RXW RQ D MRXUQH\ WR UHDFK ³$ZD\ )URP+HUHWKDWLVP\GHVWLQDWLRQ´VXJJHVWLYHRIDVSLULWXDOTXHVWIRUVHOI ³0\ 'HVWLQDWLRQ´ 7KHPRWLIVRIJDUGHQLQJDQGIDUPLQJDUHWKHUHIRUHLQÀHFWHGE\WKRVHRIIRRG DQG KXQJHU FRQ¿JXUHG LQ WKH SRVWFRORQLDO WRSRV RI ZULWLQJ WKH ERG\ :KHQ Michael K spreads the ashes of his mother, fertilizing the ground where he will SODQWKLVSXPSNLQVHHGVKH³EHJLQVKLVOLIHDVDFXOWLYDWRU´ 0. DQGLWLVIURP this point that he begins to resist the authoring of his body: It is because I am a gardener, he thought, because that is my nature … The LPSXOVHWRSODQWKDGEHHQUHDZRNHQLQKLP QRZ«KHIRXQGKLVZDNLQJOLIH bound tightly to the patch of earth he had begun to cultivate and the seeds he had SODQWHGWKHUH 0. From severing the maternal bond through death springs Michael K’s inscription RQ WKH ODQG KLV SURJHQ\ RI IUXLWV UHFODLPHG DV DQ$IULFDQ (GHQ RI WKH NLQG Pauline Smith depicts in The Beadle DQGWKDW&RHW]HHODEHOVXWRSLDQDQGDQ XQDWWDLQDEOHLGHDO ::± $NLQWR0LFKDHO.¶VUHODWLRQWRKLVPRWKHUWKLV ERQGPXVWEHVHYHUHG7KH³WH[W´±KHUH0LFKDHO.¶VFURS±LVWKXVUHOHDVHGIURP WKHERQGVRIDXWKRUVKLSFRQ¿JXUHGLQ0LFKDHO. ³7KHUHZDVDFRUGRIWHQGHUQHVV WKDWVWUHWFKHGIURPKLPWRWKHSDWFKRIHDUWKEHVLGHWKHGDPWKDWPXVWEHFXW´ 0. ,QHYLWDEO\0LFKDHO.ZLOOHDWKLV³FKLOGUHQ´MXVWDVWKHSUHVHQFHRIKLVPRWKHU consumed him. Overriding the patriarchal notion of fathering stories, Michael K LVPRWKHUWRKLVWH[W ZKLOHKHLVHQWKUDOOHGZLWKHDWLQJWKHÀHVKRIWKHIUXLWVRIKLV ODERXUDQGRI0RWKHU(DUWKKHUHMHFWVWKHIRRGRIWKH)DWKHUUHSUHVHQWHGLQWKH war, the law, the State, the institution and authorship. ,W LV LQ &RHW]HH¶V LQWHUWH[WV ³$ +XQJHU $UWLVW´ DQG ³7KH +XQJHU 6WULNH´ recalled in the burrow scenes, that the motifs of writing, food and fasting converge. Michael K expresses autonomy by means of his physicality. Indeed, he cultivates his position of alterity: his body becomes increasingly insubstantial as he forgets RUPRUHSURSHUO\ORVHVWKHZLOOWRHDW.DIND¶V³7KH+XQJHU6WULNH´RSHQVZLWK the words: “The most insatiable people are certain ascetics, who go on hunger- VWULNHLQDOOVSKHUHVRIOLIHWKLQNLQJWKDWLQWKLVZD\WKH\ZLOOVLPXOWDQHRXVO\ DFKLHYHWKHIROORZLQJ´ ³7KH+XQJHU6WULNH´FRXQVHOVWKDWLWLVWKHwill to starve – a philosophy of fasting – that is paramount in the desire to fast, rather WKDQWKHDFWRIIDVWLQJLWVHOI0LFKDHO.WKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUEHOLHYHVKXQJHUV ³IRUDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIIRRGIRRGWKDWQRFDPSFRXOGVXSSO\´DQGVLJQL¿HGE\ WKHFURSRIPHORQVDQGSXPSNLQV0LFKDHO.KDVQXUWXUHGWKLVLVWKH³EUHDGRI IUHHGRP´ 0.± .DIND¶V³0\'HVWLQDWLRQ´ sheds light on Michael K’s spiritual sustenance: Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 87 ³ 7KH 0DVWHU XQGHUVWDQGV KLV MRXUQH\ LQ OLWHUDO WHUPV DV DQ HWHUQDO MRXUQH\ WHPSRUDOO\DQGVSDWLDOO\ DQGWKHUHIRUHKLVVNHZHGVHQVHRIORJLFWHOOVKLPQR DPRXQWRIIRRGFRXOGSRVVLEO\VXVWDLQKLP2IFRXUVH³KHUH´DOZD\VWUDYHOVZLWK XVVRLWLVDQLQ¿QLWHPHWDSK\VLFDOMRXUQH\DQGSHUKDSVLWZLOOWDNHDVORQJIRUWKH Master to realize it. .DIND¶VKXQJHUDUWLVWOLNH0LFKDHO.³ZLWKGUDZ>V@GHHSLQWRKLPVHOISD\LQJ QR DWWHQWLRQ WR DQ\RQH RU DQ\WKLQJ QRW HYHQ WR WKH DOOLPSRUWDQW VWULNLQJ RI WKHFORFN´ ³+XQJHU$UWLVW´ /LNH0LFKDHO.XQGHUWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHU¶V ZDWFKIXOJD]HWKHKXQJHUDUWLVWLVREMHFWL¿HGDVDVSHFWDFOHRIIDVWLQJDQGKH eventually dies unnoticed. His withered corpse is replaced by a panther whose vital, “noble body, furnished almost to the bursting point with all that it needed, VHHPHGWRFDUU\IUHHGRPDURXQGZLWKLWWRR´ +LVGHDWKLVEURXJKWDERXW ironically, because his body is no longer spectacular, though he is on display LQ KLV FDJH IRU DOO WR VHH$V LQ WKH ÀDZHG SUHPLVH RI OLEHUDO LGHQWLW\ SROLWLFV %URZQ³:RXQGHG$WWDFKPHQWV´ KHLVSDWKRORJLFDOO\GH¿QHGQXUWXUHGDQG VXEMHFWHGE\KLVRZQRSSUHVVLRQ :KLOH $WWZHOO VXJJHVWV WKDW &RHW]HH WXUQV WR .DIND¶V ³$ +XQJHU $UWLVW´ IRU0LFKDHO.¶V³SURGLJLRXVFDSDFLW\IRUVXUYLYDO´ '3 SDUDGR[LFDOO\DV 0HULYDOHFRQWHQGVDVD³µ+XQJHU$UWLVW¶0LFKDHO.VKDSHVKLVEHLQJE\QHJDWLQJ LWE\OLYLQJPLQLPDOO\E\DFFHSWLQJQRIRRG´ ³$XGLEOH3DOLPSVHVWV´ $V 0LFKDHO.VHWVWRZRUN³ZLWKWKHEXVLQHVVRIPDNLQJDGZHOOLQJ´ 0. ± at the same time he begins to lose his sense of hunger: “Hunger was a sensation KHGLGQRWIHHODQGEDUHO\UHPHPEHUHG,IKHDWHHDWLQJZKDWKHFRXOG¿QGLW ZDVEHFDXVHKHKDGQRW\HWVKDNHQRIIWKHEHOLHIWKDWERGLHVWKDWGRQRWHDWGLH´ 0. 0LFKDHO.¶VORVVRIKXQJHUUDWKHUWKDQRIDSSHWLWHLVLQGLFDWLYHRIKLV ODFNRIwillWRVWDUYHKLPVHOIWRVWULNH3DUDGR[LFDOO\KLVYHU\UHVLVWDQFHWRHDWLQJ ¿JXUHVDPLQLPDOOHYHORIDXWRQRP\HYHQLIRQO\QHJDWLYHO\ ¿UVWO\E\IRUJHWWLQJ WRHDWZKHQOLYLQJRQWKHYHOG ZKHUHKHDOVRORVHVWUDFNRIWLPH DQGVHFRQGO\ E\UHIXVLQJIRRGLQWKHSULVRQKRVSLWDO7KH0HGLFDO2I¿FHULPDJLQHVZDUQLQJ Michael K: “The laws are made of iron, Michaels, I hope you are learning that. No PDWWHUKRZWKLQ\RXPDNH\RXUVHOIWKH\ZLOOQRWUHOD[7KHUHLVQRKRPHOHIWIRU XQLYHUVDOVRXOV´ 0. ,WPLJKWQRWEHWRRIDUIHWFKHGWRVXJJHVWWKDWLQWKLV appeal to universalism through the representation of a liberal character who is so REYLRXVO\FULWLTXHG&RHW]HHDQWLFLSDWHVWKRVHFULWLFVZKRFRQGHPQKLPIRUDODFN of political vision. In Freudian terms, the Father – the iron laws, the institution, authorship – is DEMHFWHGE\0LFKDHO.WKURXJKKLVUHMHFWLRQRIIRRGRUWKHIRRGRIWKH6WDWH Instead, he aspires to live off the land, eating only the food of Mother Nature. +XQJHUZKLFKV\PEROL]HVKLVLQVXEVWDQWLDOLW\LVDVWDWH0LFKDHO.KDVNQRZQ 88 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship VLQFHFKLOGKRRG KLVZLOOKDVDFTXLHVFHGWRSDVVLYLW\ ³7KHQKHKDGJURZQROGHU and stopped wanting. Whatever the nature of the beast that had howled inside KLPLWZDV VWDUYHGLQWRVWLOOQHVV´ 0. (DWLQJLV H[SOLFLWO\ LQYHVWHG ZLWK power in the text since it is employed as an analogue for the colonial relation: WKHLQPDWHVDW-DNNDOVGULIDUHFRPSDUHGE\DSROLFHFDSWDLQWRD³QHVWRISDUDVLWHV KDQJLQJIURPWKHQHDWVXQOLWWRZQHDWLQJLWVVXEVWDQFH´0LFKDHO.RQWKHRWKHU KDQG³O\LQJLGOHLQKLVEHG´VHHVEH\RQGWKHUDFLVPLPSOLHGLQWKHFDSWDLQ¶V words because “it was no longer obvious which was host and which parasite, FDPSRUWRZQ´ 0. :ULWLQJGHDWKWKHDEMHFWLRQRIIRRGDQGUHVLVWDQFHWRWLPHDUHHTXLYDOHQFHV LQ 0LFKDHO .¶V UHVLVWDQFH WR FODVVL¿FDWLRQ IRU DV WKH 0HGLFDO 2I¿FHU ZDUQV him, You are going to die, and your story is going to die too, forever and ever, unless you come to your senses and listen to me… . We have all tumbled over the lip into the cauldron of history … only you … have managed to live in the old way, drifting through time … no more trying to change the course of history than a grain of sand does… The truth is that you are going to perish in obscurity … and no one is going to remember you but me, unless you yield and at last open your mouth. I appeal to you Michaels: yield 0.± %\WKHYDULRXVPHDQVVNHWFKHGDERYH0LFKDHO.DXWKRUVKLVRZQERG\DERG\WKDW FRORQLDODQGDSDUWKHLGGLVFRXUVHKDYHVRXJKWWRLQVFULEHGH¿QHDQGUHJXODWH)RU 0LFKDHO.WRKDYHPHDQLQJLPSORUHVWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUKHPXVWUHOLQTXLVKKLV VWRU\RWKHUZLVHKHZLOOGLHIRUJRWWHQ IRUKHZLOOVXUHO\GLH 0LFKDHO.UHSUHVHQWV ERWKWKHDEVHQFHVLQWKHWH[WDVWKH³KROHLQWKHQDUUDWLYH´ 0. ± ) and its very existence, as text. Michael K’s silence might be explained by Laura Wright’s suggestion that language is “the medium of communication that cannot be trusted as it problematizes access to the narrative of suffering whose text is the ERG\´ Writing It is from the authority suffering bestows, claims Coetzee, that the body in pain GHULYHVLWVSRZHUIRUWKHSDLQRIWKHERG\FDQQRWEHGLVSXWHG '3 0LFKDHO K’s resistance to time, to the food of the State and to the land, all regulated by apartheid and apartheid discourse, also constitutes his resistance to writing, even if apartheid’s metaphorical writing the body. Michael K therefore not only resists being read, he also resists writing his story under the conditions of apartheid, which DOZD\VXQWLOQRZZDVWKHVWRU\SHQQHGE\WKHRSSUHVVRU8QOLNH&UXVRHLQ'HIRH¶V QRYHOKHKDVQRGHVLUHWROHDYHKLVVWRU\WRSRVWHULW\MXVWDVKHKDVQRGHVLUHWR remember his days in the veld because, according to this logic, writing would entail bending to the very ideology that oppresses him: “There will be not a grain OHIWEHDULQJP\PDUNV´ 0. :KDWLVPRUH0LFKDHO.LVFRQVFLRXVRIWKH ³ODFN´KHHPERGLHV ³$OZD\VZKHQKHWULHGWRH[SODLQKLPVHOIWRKLPVHOIWKHUH remained a gap, a hole … His was always a story with a hole in it: a wrong story, DOZD\VZURQJ´ 0. ± $OWKRXJK0LFKDHO.VLJQL¿HVDEVHQFHDQGDWURSK\ Cultivating the Margins in the Trial of Michael K 89 SDUDGR[LFDOO\WKLVODFNOLNH:HEHUQ¶VVLOHQFHVLVLWVHOIVXEVWDQWLDO0LFKDHO.¶V KXQJHU±DNLQGRIDWURSK\±LVWKHKXQJHUIRURQWRORJLFDOPHDQLQJIRUDVHQVHRI SXUSRVHLQDWLPHRIKLVWRULFDOFULVLV,WLVWKHVLOHQFHVHQMR\HGE\WKHSULYLOHJHGZKR FDQH[WULFDWHWKHPVHOYHVIURPWKHFKDRVRIWKH³QRZ´E\³IHQFH>LQJ@WKHPVHOYHV LQZLWKPLOHVDQGPLOHVRIVLOHQFH´WKDWKHHQYLVDJHVEHTXHDWKLQJWRKLVSURJHQ\ 0. ,WGDZQVXSRQWKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUWKDWKHKDVEHHQPLVUHDGLQJ0LFKDHO.DOO along. He began to see the originality of the resistance you [Michael K] offered. You were not a hero and did not pretend to be, not even a hero of fasting. In fact you did not resist at all … you had failed because you had exhausted your resources of REH\LQJXV 0. )L[DWHGRQXQFRYHULQJWKHWUXWKDERXW0LFKDHO.WKH0HGLFDO2I¿FHUSXUVXHV ³WUXWKV´ ³0LFKDHOV PHDQV VRPHWKLQJ DQG WKH PHDQLQJ KH KDV LV QRW SULYDWH WR PH´:LWK D JURZLQJ HWKLFDODZDUHQHVV KRZHYHU KH DFNQRZOHGJHV WKDW WKH meaning of Michael K should not illuminate his own shortcomings or his “hunger IRUEHOLHI´ 0. Without offering narrative closure, Coetzee chooses to end the novel with a parable: imagining a homecoming to the war-torn farm, Michael K envisages subsisting using a teaspoon to draw water from a well. He “would lower it down the shaft deep into the earth, and when he brought it up there would be water in WKHERZORIWKHVSRRQ DQGLQWKDWZD\KHZRXOGVD\RQHFDQOLYH´ 0.± 7KXVKHFRQWHPSODWHVOLYLQJLQDPLQLPDOLVWIDVKLRQWDNLQJIURPWKHHDUWK RQO\WKDWZKLFKKHUHTXLUHVWRVXEVLVW%\VPDOOGHHGVFRPHWKHZLOOWRH[SDQVLYH gestures. As Head points out, the narrative is drawn full-circle with this motif, “since it was a teaspoon with which the infant hare-lipped Michael K was fed, DJDLQE\ZD\RILPSURYLVDWLRQ´HQIRUFLQJ0LFKDHO.¶VUHVLVWDQFHPHUHO\WKURXJK being (J. M. Coetzee 3UHVHQWHGDVDIXWXUHLQWKHSDVWWKHSDVVDJHUHIXVHVWR disclose Michael K’s end, his probable death. $OWKRXJKFULWLFVOLNH*RUGLPHUDUHULJKWWRDUJXHWKDWLife & Times privileges SULYDWHGHVWLQ\RYHUSROLWLFDOHQGHDYRXULQWKH¿JXUHRI0LFKDHO.VXFKFULWLFV RQDQRWKHUOHYHODUHDOVRPLVVLQJWKHSRLQW,QDERRNWKDW³DGURLWO\FRQIXVHV´ its reader through its self-diminishing allegories, the powerful achievement of Life & TimesLVLWVSUHVFLHQWDXWRFULWLTXHZRUNWKDWLVQHFHVVDU\LIRSSRVLWLRQDO discourses, ones that are truly interventionist, are to remain credible. Ahmad, in his challenging analysis of Jameson’s national allegory, comes to the painful UHDOL]DWLRQWKDWRQUHDGLQJ-DPHVRQ¶V³$OOWKLUGZRUOGWH[WVDUHQHFHVVDULO\«´ ³ZKDWZDVEHLQJWKHRUL]HGZDVDPRQJRWKHUWKLQJVP\VHOI´ ³-DPHVRQ¶V5KHWRULF´ ± ,QLife & Times, attempts are self-consciously staged to theorize Michael K DV³7KLUG:RUOG´VXEMHFW+LVEHOLHIWKDW³3HUKDSVWKHWUXWKLVWKDWLWLVHQRXJKWR be out of the camps … [p]erhaps that is enough of an achievement for the time EHLQJ´VLJQDOVQRWRQO\DQH[LJHQWUHVLVWDQFHWRVWDWHUHJXODWLRQEXWDOVRWRWKH 90 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship GLVFRXUVHVLQZKLFKDVWKHHPERGLPHQWRIVRFLDODOLHQDWLRQKHLQHYLWDEO\¿QGV KLPVHOIZULWWHQ+LVUHVLVWDQFHLVFUHGLEOHLIDV&RHW]HHZULWLQJDERXW-DFTXHV Rousseau’s Confessions, says, “what is held back«>LV@NH\WRIUHHGRP´ ³7UXWK´ :K\thisDFWLYLW\RIZLWKKROGLQJLVLPSRUWDQWIRUWKHRUL]LQJWKH³7KLUG:RUOG´ which, according to Jameson, is built upon the crippling dynamic of subalternity LQIHULRULW\PDUJLQDOLW\VXERUGLQDWLRQ LV,EHOLHYHPDQLIHVW Chapter 5 Bodying Forth the Other: )ULGD\DQGWKH³'LVFXUVLYH6LWXDWLRQ´LQFoe ,Q ³7KH 7H[W WKH :RUOG WKH &ULWLF´ (GZDUG 6DLG SXWV IRUZDUG WKH DXGDFLRXV proposition that: Texts are fundamentally facts of power, not of democratic exchange. They compel attention away from the world even as their beginning intention as texts, coupled with the inherent authoritarianism of the authorial authority (the repetition in this phrase is a deliberate emphasis on some tautology within all WH[WV VLQFH DOO WH[WV DUH LQ VRPH ZD\ VHOIFRQ¿UPDWRU\ PDNHV IRU VXVWDLQHG SRZHU ± - 0 &RHW]HH¶V ¿IWK QRYHO Foe RQH RI KLV PRVW PHWD¿FWLRQDO WR GDWH GHFRQVWUXFWVWKLV³GLVFXUVLYHVLWXDWLRQ´ZKLFKDV6DLGFODUL¿HV³IDUIURPEHLQJ DW\SHRILG\OOLFFRQYHUVDWLRQEHWZHHQHTXDOV>DV5LFRHXUZRXOGKDYHLW@LVPRUH XVXDOO\RIDNLQGW\SL¿HGE\WKHUHODWLRQEHWZHHQFRORQL]HUDQGFRORQL]HGWKH RSSUHVVRUDQGWKHRSSUHVVHG´ ³7H[W´± ,QWKLVYHLQWKHUHDGHURIFoe is called upon to be mistrustingly mindful of the relationship between author and text. $V&RHW]HHSXWVLW³µWKHQDWXUHDQGSURFHVVHVRI¿FWLRQ¶PD\DOVREHFDOOHGWKH TXHVWLRQRIwho writes":KRWDNHVXSWKHSRVLWLRQRISRZHUSHQLQKDQG"´ TWGLQ Kossew 7KLV³GLVFXUVLYHVLWXDWLRQ´LVUHDOL]HGLQFoe, as I will argue, in the ¿JXUHRI)ULGD\DFKDUDFWHUERUURZHGIURP'DQLHO'HIRH¶VFODVVLFIDEOHRobinson Crusoe \HWSDUDGR[LFDOO\)ULGD\DOVRUHVLVWVEHLQJ¿JXUHGLQGLVFRXUVH He is a substantial body not simply the substance of a story. (For the purposes of P\DUJXPHQWVXEVWDQFHZLOOFRQQRWHGLVFXUVLYH³ZRUOGOLQHVV´DQGVXEVWDQWLDOLW\ ZLOOFRQQRWHERGLO\PDWHULDOLW\ &UXVR WKH³H´GLVDSSHDUVLQ&RHW]HH¶VYHUVLRQ also features and the name of a third protagonist, Susan Barton, is derived from the KHURLQH5R[DQDLQDQRWKHURI'HIRH¶VZRUNVRoxana ZKRVHUHDOQDPHLV Susan. Roxana’s daughter is also named Susan. In Coetzee’s Robinsonade, Cruso VWUXJJOHVWRPRXOG)ULGD\DVFRORQLDOVXEMHFW KHLVVHHPLQJO\XWWHUO\VXEMHFWHG ZKHUHDV%DUWRQVHWVKHUVHOIWKHWDVNRIUHOHDVLQJKLPIURPKLVERQGV 1 %DUEDUD(FNVWHLQPDNHVDUHDGLQJRI³VXEVWDQFH´LQFoe, but reads a substance/ VXEMHFWGLDOHFWLFLQWRWKHWH[WFROODSVLQJVXEVWDQFHZLWKVXEVWDQWLDOLW\6KHZULWHV ³,VRODWHG with Foe’s writing tools, Barton fears that as storyteller she is part of the story and not 92 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship .H\WRXQORFNLQJWKHVHFUHWVLOHQFHVLQFoe, including the silence of authorial erasure, is an understanding of how Coetzee, in the tradition of postcolonial ZULWLQJ³XQZULWHV´KLVFRORQLDOLQWHUWH[WVEXWDOVRKRZWKHVHWH[WVLPSLQJHXSRQ HDFKRWKHU2IFRXUVHWKHUHLVDGDQJHULQ³XQZULWLQJV´VXFKDVWKLVDV-RKQ0DU[ points out, that they will “tend to reinforce the centrality of Western writing by GHIDXOW´DQGWKLVLVDSUREOHPWKDWDQXPEHURIFULWLFVKDYHSLFNHGXSRQLQWKHLU readings of Foe. Marx concludes, nevertheless, that “treating canonical texts DVDVRXUFHRIUDZPDWHULDOFRXOGQRWKHOSEXWWUDQVIRUPWKHP´ ³3RVWFRORQLDO /LWHUDWXUH´ 6KLSZUHFNHGRQDGHVRODWHDQGXQLGHQWL¿HGLVODQGLQKDELWHGRQO\E\&UXVR and Friday, Barton is designated the main narrator of Foe VKHQDUUDWHVWKH¿UVW WKUHHRIIRXUSDUWV ZKLOVW&UXVRWKHHVVHQWLDOFRORQL]HULQRobinson Crusoe, is relegated to the margins of Coetzee’s story: not only is he supplanted by Barton as narrator and author of the adventure, he also dies in the early stages of the QDUUDWLYH QHYHU PDNLQJ WKH LGHRORJLFDOO\ DOOLPSRUWDQW MRXUQH\ KRPH ,I WKH island motif provides what Peter Hulme calls “a simplifying crucible in which FRPSOH[LWLHVFDQEHUHGXFHGWRWKHLUHVVHQWLDOFRPSRQHQWV´DSODFHWR³FRPSRVH´ the self (Colonial Encounters LWLV&UXVRH¶VUHFRQVWLWXWHGVHOIWKDWmust UHWXUQKRPHWR(QJODQGWRIXO¿OWKHFRORQL]LQJSURPLVH &UXVRHRIFRXUVHZLOO JRRQWRKDYHIXUWKHUFRORQLDODGYHQWXUHVLQIDUÀXQJSODFHV ,QFoe not only is &UXVRLPSOLFDWHGLQWKLVLGHQWLW\ZRUNEXW%DUWRQDQG)ULGD\±ZKRLQ'HIRH VHUYHVWKH(QOLJKWHQPHQWSURMHFWRIRIIVHWWLQJWKHHSRQ\PRXV³PRGHUQ´&UXVRH± are too. (It is therefore unsurprising then that Foe has invited a number of feminist DVZHOODVSRVWFRORQLDOLVWUHDGLQJV 1RWXQOLNHWKHVWUXFWXUHRIWKHVWRU\IDYRXUHG E\&RHW]HH¶VDXWKRU)RH 'HIRHPLQXVWKHSUHWHQWLRXVSUH¿[ ZKLFKLVWKHVWRU\ of Barton’s lost daughter, in Robinson Crusoe the story of the island is merely one part of the larger narrative. As Benita Parry points out, “Crusoe [in Defoe’s novel] … has a life before and after his years on the island, and the story of this rehearses WKHVWDJHVRIFRORQLDOLVPSULRUWRIRUPDOHPSLUH´FKDUDFWHUL]HGE\DQ³DJJUHVVLYH PHUFDQWLOLVP´YLUXOHQWO\VXSSRUWHGE\WKHVODYHWUDGHDQGFRORQLDORXWSRVWVLQ$VLD and Latin America (“Robinson Crusoe´QSDJ As in Defoe’s version, Friday is Cruso’s slave, but the nature of this colonial encounter departs from its source in a number of important ways. Robinson Crusoe SURYLGHVXVZLWKWKHFRORQLDOHQFRXQWHUZKLFKLVWKHVWXIIRIWKH³P\WKLFEHJLQQLQJ´ +XOPH )ULGD\IDPRXVO\VXEMHFWVKLPVHOIE\SODFLQJKLVKHDGXQGHU&UXVRH¶V foot. When Barton arrives on the island in Foe Friday is by now enslaved, colonial violence already done, with the effect, problematically, of essentializing Friday DVVODYHEHFDXVHZHNQRZQRWKLQJRIKLVOLIHEHIRUH&KRRVLQJWRGRDZD\ZLWK a being with substance. Closing her eyes she tries to send to Foe a vision of the island ZKLFKLVµDsubstantialERG\¶ ) DQGHQWUHDWVKLPWRUHWXUQKHUsubstanceWRKHU ) ,QKHUVWUXJJOHVKHUHWDLQVKHUGLVWLQFWLRQEHWZHHQVLOHQFHDQGVWRU\±µDVWRULQJSODFHRI PHPRULHV¶ ) ±DQGDGGVWRLWWKLVGLVWLQFWLRQEHWZHHQsubstance and story´ HPSKDVLV DGGHG ³,FRQLFLW\´QSDJ Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 93 the myth of beginnings, Coetzee refocuses the story on the silences that envelop Friday. Perhaps most crucially, the Friday of Robinson CrusoeQRWRQO\FDQVSHDN &RHW]HH¶V)ULGD\LVPXWHEHFDXVHKLVWRQJXHKDVEHHQULSSHGRXW KHDOVRTXLFNO\ JDLQV D ZRUNDEOH JUDVS RI (QJOLVK E\ ZKLFK LURQLFDOO\ DV Foe so pointedly demonstrates, he can be shaped by his master: in Robinson Crusoe Crusoe teaches )ULGD\WRVD\³0DVWHU´ Robinson DQGLQFoe Cruso admits to teaching Friday RQO\WKHZRUGVWKDW&UXVREHOLHYHVZLOOHTXLSKLPLQKLVUROHDVVODYH In Foe it is the silence of Friday’s tongue that gradually overwhelms the narrative. The novel was penned at the height of apartheid oppression, in the years of the States of Emergency, beginning in 1985, so Friday’s muteness readily DVVRFLDWHVLWVHOIZLWKWKHVLOHQFLQJRI6RXWK$IULFD¶VEODFNSHRSOHVZKRQRWOHDVW were denied the rights of free citizens and a voice in matters of the state. For Neville Alexander, Foe is testimony to this oppression: “The apparent inaccessibility of )ULGD\¶VZRUOGWRWKH(XURSHDQVLQWKLVVWRU\LVDQDUWLVW¶VGHYDVWDWLQJMXGJHPHQW RIWKHFULSSOLQJDQWLKXPDQLVWFRQVHTXHQFHVRIFRORQLDOLVPDQGUDFLVPRQWKHVHOI FRQ¿GHQWZKLWHZRUOG´ TWGLQ$WWZHOOJ. M. Coetzee Plea )ULGD\LQ FoeLVSUREDEO\DEODFN$IULFDQVODYHD³1HJURZLWKDKHDGRIIX]]\ZRRO´ ) ZKLOVWLQLWVLQWHUWH[W)ULGD\LV$PHULQGLDQDQGVSHFL¿FDOO\notD³QHJUR´'HIRH¶V Crusoe describes him as a “comely, handsome fellow … he had all the sweetness DQGVRIWQHVVRIDQ(XURSHDQ«+LVKDLUZDVORQJDQGEODFNQRWFXUOHGOLNHZRRO« KLVQRVHVPDOOQRWÀDWOLNHWKH1HJURHV´ Robinson 7KDW)ULGD\LQRobinson Crusoe is perceived as facially similar to a European, and pointedly not African, KDVWKHHIIHFWRIOHVVHQLQJWKHWKUHDWWR&UXVRH¶VSV\FKRVRFLDOLQWHJULW\ LQGHHG there are brief interludes in the narrative when Crusoe recognizes a common KXPDQLW\EHWZHHQKLPVHOIDQG³KLVPDQ´%\GLVWLQJXLVKLQJ)ULGD\LQWKLVZD\ in Foe &RHW]HH GHVLJQDWHV KLP D VODYH VKLSZUHFNHG HQ URXWH RQ WKH 0LGGOH Passage, from Africa to the Americas. By this means, Coetzee unravels the ways in which Friday, as character, is constituted by colonialist discourse. One aspect of WKHQDUUDWLYHWKDWRIWHQJHWVRYHUORRNHGLQUHDGLQJVRIFoeLVWKDWOLNH&UXVRDQG Barton, Friday is also a castaway. As Barton at least has the perspicacity to realize, ³6KLSZUHFNLVDJUHDWOHYHOOHU´ ) ,QFoe it is Friday and Barton, rather than Friday and his master, who travel to England after the island adventure and it is in England that Barton will have her epiphany about her own role in Friday’s ³HGXFDWLRQ´DQGWKDW)ULGD\ZLOOWDNHDVWDQGDJDLQVWEHLQJLQFRUSRUDWHGLQWRWKH imperialist-colonialist system of representation. Nevertheless, it is the story of Robinson Crusoe’s island, rather than the return to England, that for today’s audiences has endured, evidenced in the plethora of Robinsonades that Defoe’s novel has spawned (in literature, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies [1954] and Michel Tournier’s Friday and Robinson [1977] DQGLQ¿OP1LFRODV5RHJ¶VCastaway> @DQG5REHUW=HPHFNLV¶VCast Away >@ 2 As discussed above, Hulme argues that in Robinson Crusoe this framing 2 )RU D GLVFXVVLRQ RI ³QHROLEHUDO´ JOREDO VXEMHFWIRUPDWLRQ LQ Cast Away, see Li, 9LFWRU³*OREDOL]DWLRQ¶V5RELQVRQDGH´ 94 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship GHYLFH¿JXUHVWKH³P\WKLF´JHQHVLVRIFRORQLDOLVWLGHRORJ\ /HZLV1NRVL in “Robinson Crusoe &DOO0H0DVWHU´GUDZVRQWKLVP\WKLFTXDOLW\E\FODLPLQJ that English readers “cannot read Robinson CrusoeSURSHUO\MXVWDVWKH\FDQQRW read The Tempest for what it is, because they cannot read themselves into the ERRN´ Home and Exile LQRWKHUZRUGVWKH\ODFNWKHHWKLFDOYDQWDJHSRLQW WKDWHPSDWKL]LQJSURSHUO\ZLWKWKH³QDWLYH´UHTXLUHVDQGDUHEOLQGHGWRFRUUHFW readings of colonial myth because they are always already embedded within it. 6DLGH[WHQGVWKHLGHDRIWKH³ZRUOGOLQHVV´RIWH[WVLQKLVODWHUZRUNCulture and Imperialism LQZKLFKKHDUJXHVWKDWWKH³IDFWVRIHPSLUH´SURYLGHWKH ³VWUXFWXUHRIDWWLWXGHDQGUHIHUHQFH´LQQRYHOVOLNH-DQH$XVWHQ¶V0DQV¿HOG3DUN &KDUORWWH %URQWs¶V Jane Eyre DQG RI FRXUVH 'HIRH¶V Robinson Crusoe. In Said’s words, Robinson Crusoe is the “prototypical modern realistic QRYHO>WKDW@FHUWDLQO\QRWDFFLGHQWDOO\«LVDERXWD(XURSHDQZKRFUHDWHVD¿HIGRP IRU KLPVHOI RQ D GLVWDQW QRQ(XURSHDQ LVODQG´ Culture [LLL 7KH FRORQLDOLVW FRQWH[WVRIWKHVHZRUNV6DLGREVHUYHVSURYLGHWKHVRFLDODQGPRUDOIDEULFIRUWKH imperial state (Culture, ± DQGWKLVFDQEHEURXJKWWROLJKWE\UHDGLQJ FRQWUDSXQWDOO\7KHWDVNRIWKH³FRQWUDSXQWDO´UHDGHULVQRWWRORVHVLJKWRIHLWKHU WKHZRUOGO\RUOLWHUDU\DVSHFWVRIWKHDQDO\VLVWRVFUXWLQL]HWKHFRQWH[WVRIWKHZRUN ZKLOVWNHHSLQJLQPLQGLWVQDUUDWLYHSOHDVXUHVLQWKHFDVHRI$XVWHQ¶V0DQV¿HOG Park, for instance, a deftly crafted comedy of manners.3 In 0DQV¿HOG3DUN the fortune of Sir Thomas Bertram, gentleman-father to Tom and Edmund, is built on WKHEDFNRIVODYHU\ WKHQRYHOK\SHUGLVFUHHWO\LQDYHU\$XVWHQLDQZD\UHIHUHQFHV the family’s slave plantation in Antigua. Said suggests that from our modern perspective, Sir Thomas’s successes and failures in the colonies derive from “the PXWHG QDWLRQDO H[SHULHQFH RI LQGLYLGXDO LGHQWLW\ EHKDYLRXU DQG µRUGLQDWLRQ¶´ (Culture 3UHIHUULQJWRIRFXVRQWKHLVODQGDGYHQWXUH ) WKHVHFUHWRIZKLFK)ULGD\ doggedly guards, Barton inadvertently chooses the myth of the colonial encounter as the framing device of her story. By staging the process of the privileging, the text WUDFHVKHUJUDGXDOUHDOL]DWLRQWKDWWKHSURMHFWVKHKDVHQJDJHG)RHWRZULWHVLPSO\ reproduces colonialist doxa: “If [Friday] was not a slave, was he nevertheless not WKHKHOSOHVVFDSWLYHRIP\GHVLUHWRKDYHRXUVWRU\WROG"´ ) As I have suggested in my discussion of In the Heart of the Country LQ&KDSWHU:HVWHUQFHQWULFIHPLQLVPLQ&RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQULVNVVXEVXPLQJWKH SROLWLFV RI UDFLDO RWKHUQHVV DQ RWKHUQHVV ¿JXUHG KHUH LQ SHUKDSV LWV PRVW VWDUN form, the mute slave. Barton, who at the outset believes it is her voice that has EHHQVXSSUHVVHGOLNHQVKHUVHOILQWKHVFHQHRIZULWLQJWRDVODYH ) DQGWRD QHZERUQ ) DVVKHKDVOLNHQHG)ULGD\WRDQ³XQERUQ´ ) 3 Director Patricia Rozema’s adaptation of 0DQV¿HOG3DUN PDNHVDGDULQJ if to my mind heavy-handed, Saidian reading of the text by foregrounding its colonialist substructure. Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 95 in Foe the colonialist discourse of Robinson CrusoeLVRIIVHWE\WKH³IHPLQLVP´ of RoxanaWKHWZRUHDOL]HGDVFRPSHWLQJGLVFRXUVHV%DUWRQQRWRQO\UHMHFWVWKH GDXJKWHU¿JXUHZKRP)RHKDVWULHGWRIRLVWXSRQKHUDQGZKRPVKHXWWHUO\UHMHFWV as her own, but also inverts the femininity attributed to her as Muse by becoming ERWK³JRGGHVVDQGEHJHWWHU´RIKHUWDOH ) 'HVSLWHHQOLVWLQJ)RHWRIDVKLRQKHU DFFRXQWVKHPDLQWDLQVWKH³IDWKHU¶V´ULJKWWRLWVFRQWURO ) DQGV\PEROLFDOO\ gestures this authority when she mounts Foe as she has sex with him, reducing him WR³IHPLQLQH´VXEPLVVLRQ$V$WWZHOOVXJJHVWVERWK5R[DQDDQG%DUWRQZLVKWR EH³DXWKRURI>WKHLU@OL>YHV@«FRQWURO>OLQJWKHLU@GHVWLQ\´ J. M. Coetzee The protagonist of RoxanaZKRVHUHDOQDPHLV6XVDQDQGZKROLNH%DUWRQ OLYHVDVDVHOIVW\OHGPLVWUHVVRU³ZKRUH´WRDVWULQJRIZHDOWK\PHQDGYRFDWHV what today would be considered a feminist attitude towards marriage, surprisingly SUHGDWLQJWKHZRUNVRI0DU\:ROOVWRQHFUDIW E WRZKRVH0DULDRIMaria, or, the Wrongs of Woman SXEOLVKHGSRVWKXPRXVO\LQ VKHIUXLWIXOO\PLJKW EHFRPSDUHG³5R[DQD´VKXQV6LU5REHUW&OD\WRQ¶VPDUULDJHSURSRVDOLQWHUPVWKH ODWWHUUHIHUVWRDV³DPD]RQLDQ´ 0\KHDUWZDVEHQWXSRQDQLQGHSHQGHQF\RIIRUWXQHDQG,WROGKLP,NQHZQR VWDWHRIPDWULPRQ\EXWZKDWZDVDWEHVWDVWDWHRILQIHULRULW\LIQRWRIERQGDJH « ,ZRXOGEHDPDQZRPDQ IRUDV,ZDVERUQIUHH,ZRXOGGLHVR Roxana +RZHYHU QRW XQOLNH :ROOVWRQHFUDIW¶V SROHPLFDO QRYHO Roxana reinstalls D SDWULDUFKDO PRUDO FRGH VLQFH LW LV IUDPHG DURXQG 5R[DQD¶V ³IDOO´ DQG KHU VXEVHTXHQW UHWXUQ WR SLHW\ ZKHQ VKH JLYHV XS KHU GLVVROXWH OLIH IRU PDUULDJH Nevertheless, Roxana’s moral failings are tempered by self-scrutiny, and the UHDGHU LV HQFRXUDJHG WKURXJK WKH ¿UVWSHUVRQ QDUUDWLYH WR HPSDWKL]H ZLWK KHU in her disgrace which, as in the case of Barton, is induced by dire economic circumstance. Barton, however, who the text implies may have been a prostitute, doesn’t suffer the same anxieties about her femininity and is not afraid to challenge both Foe’s authorial and sexual authority. In Defoe’s novel Crusoe is meticulous in his attention to the minutiae of KLVFRORQLDODGYHQWXUHZKLFKKHUHOLJLRXVO\VHWVGRZQLQKLVMRXUQDOVZKHUHDV for this Cruso it is enough to have built his terraces. (Barton is perplexed, she explains in her letters to Foe, by Cruso’s apparent apathy towards recording his WLPHRQWKHLVODQG Barton imparts ³7KHIXUWKHU,MRXUQH\IURP>&UXVR¶V@WHUUDFHVWKHOHVVWKH\VHHP WRPHOLNH¿HOGVZDLWLQJWREHSODQWHGWKHPRUHOLNHWRPEV´ )± 6LPLODUO\ RQWKHLVODQGZKHUHWKHWRROVRIZULWLQJKDYHEHHQUHMHFWHG)ULGD\¶VERG\KDV EHHQ³ZULWWHQXSRQ´E\FRORQLDOLVPDQGFRORQLDOLVWGLVFRXUVHVLQFHQRWRQO\KDV he been enslaved and his tongue cut out, he may also have been castrated. In Coetzee, where sexual potency is aligned with writerly production, this last act would signify not only Friday’s inability to sire children, therefore removing one threat to colonial authority, but also the attempt to divest him of the power to author his own life. But perhaps the most radical departure from its intertext is the mode in which Foe is delivered. The lyrical opening, at Barton’s point of entry into the story and WKHLVODQGDGYHQWXUH±³:LWKDVLJKPDNLQJEDUHO\DVSODVK,VOLSSHGRYHUERDUG´ ) ±KDXQWVWKHQDUUDWLYH ) ± DQGUHWXUQVXVUHSHDWHGO\WR WKHVLWHRIWUDXPDWKHVXQNHQVODYHVKLSZKLFKOLHVEXULHGDWWKHERWWRPRIWKH sea. Whilst Coetzee pays homage to Defoe’s verisimilitude through an archaic syntax and through the epistle-style writings (this time Barton’s letters to Foe rather than in Robinson Crusoe&UXVRH¶VMRXUQDOWRSRVWHULW\ KHUHWKHVW\OLVWLF comparison ends. Defoe’s novel, Hulme contends, puts the constituents of “formal UHDOLVP´WRJHWKHU³EXWWRDQDOPRVWHPEDUUDVVLQJGHJUHH´ Robinson Crusoe is soDXWKHQWLFWKDWWKHQDUUDWLYH³WKUHDWHQV´WRGHSDUWIURPEHLQJOLWHUDWXUHDWDOO ZKLFK+XOPHSRLQWVRXWLVPRVWREYLRXVO\FKDUDFWHUL]HGE\SORW &UXVRH UHFRUGVWKHPLQXWHVWGHWDLORIKLVDGYHQWXUHRQWKHLVODQGLQKLVMRXUQDOLQSDUW WR NHHS WUDFN RI WLPH ,W ZDV WR EH H[SHFWHG JLYHQ WKH QRYHO¶V K\SHUUHDOLVP that contemporary readers would be duped into believing they were reading a WUDYHORJXH(YHQUHFHQWDQDO\VHVRIWKHZRUNDV+XOPHQRWHVKDYHWHQGHGWRDUJXH that “Robinson CrusoePLPHVWKHWH[WXUHRIGDLO\H[SHULHQFHVRDFFXUDWHO\WKDW´ Hulme suggests, “only the most careful rereadings will perceive the underlying VSLULWXDOSDWWHUQVWKDWJLYHVWKHQDUUDWLYHLWVWUXHVLJQL¿FDQFH´ +XOPHDQG other postcolonialists prefer to read Defoe’s realism as adventure and, in turn, FRORQLDOURPDQFH³$GYHQWXUH´FRQIHUVGXDOPHDQLQJ ¿UVWO\LQLWV³SXUH´IRUPDV WKHVWXIIRIKHURLFHQGHDYRXUW\SLFDOO\FHQWULQJRQWKHTXHVWIRUWUHDVXUH VHFRQGO\ DV LQ ¿QDQFLDO YHQWXUH ³PHUFKDQW DGYHQWXUHU ± DQ\RQH LQYHVWLQJ RYHUVHDV´ WR ³DGYHQWXUHFDSLWDOLVPWKHDVVHWVWULSSHU´ 7KHVHWZRNLQGVRIDGYHQWXUHSHUVRQDO DQG¿QDQFLDODUHFRWHUPLQRXVLQWKHFRORQLDOQDUUDWLYH$WWKHHQGRIKLVHVFDSDGH RQWKHLVODQG&UXVRH¿QGVKHKDVDPDVVHGODQGDQG¿QDQFLDOLQYHVWPHQWVLQWKH %UD]LOVRIVRPHFRQVLGHUDEOHDPRXQW +XOPH 1HYHUWKHOHVVWKRXJK'HIRH¶V narrative is seemingly realistic, Crusoe’s island is not. As Hulme points out, “the $PHULQGLDQVZRXOGFHUWDLQO\QRWKDYHLJQRUHG&UXVRH¶VUHPDUNDEO\IHUWLOHLVODQG unless they had been driven off by the European competition for Caribbean land ZKLFKZDVLQIXOOVZLQJE\ ´ +XOPHDUJXHVWKDWWKH³UHDOLVWLFGHWDLO´RIWKHQDUUDWLYH obscures elements of the narrative that … would have to be called mythic >&UXVRHLVOHIW³WROLYHRXWDORQHKLVUHSHWLWLRQRIFRORQLDOEHJLQQLQJV´@LQWKH Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 97 sense that they have demonstrably less to do with the historic world of the mid- seventeenth-century Caribbean than they do with the primary stuff of colonialist LGHRORJ\ ± WKH (XURSHDQ KHUR¶V ORQHO\ ¿UVW VWHSV LQWR WKH YRLG RI VDYDJHU\ +XOPH LGHQWL¿HV SRLQWV RI ³UDGLFDO WH[WXDO GLVWXUEDQFH´ DURXQG WKH FRORQLDO ³EHJLQQLQJ´ LQ WKH QDUUDWLYH SDUWLFXODUO\ DURXQG WKH IHDU RI EHLQJ HDWHQ E\ FDQQLEDOV WKDWUXSWXUHWKHFRQYHQWLRQVRIUHDOLVPDQGWKDWLQWXUQSRLQWWRWKH SUREOHPVRI³FRPSRVLQJ&UXVRH¶VVHOI´ Colonial ,PSRUWDQWO\IRU+XOPH &UXVRH DUULYHV RQ WKH LVODQG HTXLSSHG ZLWK D VHW RI ³LGHRORJLFDO DQG FXOWXUDO SUHVXSSRVLWLRQV´ Colonial WKXVPDNLQJKLPQRWWKHUDZXQIRUPHGVHOIRI ³QDWXUDOPDQ´QRUWKH³LQLWLDOXQLWRIDPDUNHWHFRQRP\LQWHUDFWLQJ´ Colonial EXWD¿JXUHZKRZLOOUHSURGXFH(QJODQG¶VFRORQLDOPLVVLRQLQ³PLQLDWXUH´ (Colonial :KLOVW KRQRXULQJ 'HIRH¶V OLWHUDU\ DFKLHYHPHQWV FI '3 &RHW]HH¶V QDUUDWLYH PRGH VHWV DERXW GHFRQVWUXFWLQJ WKH FRORQLDO ³WUXWKV´ RI WKLV HDUOLHU text, a text which, according to Hulme, hovers around Crusoe’s “benevolent GHVSRWLVP´ ,W DFKLHYHV WKLV E\ FLUFOLQJ WKH TXHVWLRQ ³ZKDW LV WUXWK"´ %DUWRQSHUVLVWHQWO\WDONVDERXWSUHVHUYLQJWKH³WUXWK´RIKHUDFFRXQW>) 126] which she believes can only be achieved by unleashing the silenced story RI)ULGD\¶VWRQJXH ) $FFRUGLQJWR$WWZHOOWKHQDUUDWLYHIRUPVWKH³HQGOHVV FKDLQ´RIFRQIHVVLRQ&RHW]HHLGHQWL¿HVLQ³&RQIHVVLRQDQG'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´ As Attwell elaborates, “Each new section gets behind the preceding one until, at the point of closure, we have an unnamed narrator who seems to stand for the QDUUDWLYHIXQFWLRQSHUVH´7KH³FRQVWDQW´QRWVXEMHFWWRWKLVHQGOHVVUHHYDOXDWLRQ DQGUHDSSUDLVDO$WWZHOOVXJJHVWV³PDUNLQJWKHOLPLWRIVHOINQRZOHGJHLQ6XVDQ¶V FDVHDQGRYHUZKHOPLQJWKHQDUUDWRUDWWKHQRYHO¶VFORVHLV)ULGD\´ '3 Friday’s substantiality might be constant but, as I am arguing here, his substance, RUWKHZD\VKHLVSHUFHLYHGE\RWKHUV WKDWLVFRQVWUXFWHGLQGLVFRXUVH FHUWDLQO\ is not. If Robinson CrusoeEHTXHDWKHGWKHPDQWOHRI³IDWKHU´RIWKH(QJOLVKQRYHO RQ'HIRH&RHW]HH¶VWH[WZRUNVWRXQSDFNWKHFRORQLDOLGHRORJ\WKDWIUDPHVLWV LQWHUWH[WE\GHOHJLWLPDWLQJWKHDXWKRULW\RIWKHFRORQLDOLVWDXWKRU¿JXUH±KHUH not only Defoe and Cruso, but also Barton and Coetzee himself – through this endless chain. Foe W\SLFDOO\ LV UHDG DV SRVWPRGHUQLVW EXW WKLV KDV EHHQ D WKRUQ\ VXEMHFW IRU VRPH SRVWFRORQLDO FULWLFV ZKR KDYH TXHVWLRQHG WKH SURSULHW\ RI XWLOL]LQJ D postmodern mode to address postcolonial problematics because postmodernism, through its apparent preoccupation with surface and by destabilizing meaning, is premised supposedly on a refusal to engage politically. For Graham Pechey, Coetzee appropriates a postmodern mode to convey postcolonial issues: “the HWKLFDOO\ FKDUJHG SRVWPRGHUQ NQRZOHGJH ZKLFK >&RHW]HH¶V ¿FWLRQ@ \LHOGV KDV OHVVWRGRZLWKVRPHJHQHUDOL]HGµSRVWPRGHUQLVW¶WH[WXDOLW\WKDQZLWKLWVKLJKO\ VHOIFRQVFLRXVSRVWFRORQLDOLW\´ ³3RVWDSDUWKHLG´ +HOHQ7LI¿QSLFNVXSWKH TXHVWLRQ RI DXWKRULW\ DQG IRUP ZKHQ GLVFXVVLQJ WKH 1LJHULDQ DXWKRU &KLQXD 98 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship Achebe’s Things Fall Apart 'HVSLWHFKDUDFWHULVWLFVRISRVWPRGHUQIRUP manifesting themselves in Things Fall Apart, she argues, “this [novel] is very different from, indeed, is antithetical to, many of the intellectual titillations of formal experiments in fragmentation that are symptomatic of the post-modern crisis RI(XURSHDQDXWKRULW\DµFULVLV¶ZKRVHRZQWHUPVEHWUD\LWVPRWLYDWLRQ´ ³3RVW FRORQLDOLVP3RVWPRGHUQLVP´ $WWZHOORQWKHRWKHUKDQGLQFRQYHUVDWLRQ ZLWK&RHW]HHLGHQWL¿HVHWKLFDOWHQGHQFLHVVXFKDVWKHVHZKLFKPLJKWEHUHDGDV “continuingVRPHRIWKHFRQFHUQVRIPRGHUQLVP«LQWRQHZVLWXDWLRQV´$QHZ NLQGRISRVWPRGHUQOLWHUDWXUHZRXOGUHOHDVHLWVHOIIURP³WKHWDLQWRI(XURFHQWULF LQGXOJHQFH´KHFRQWHQGV,PSRUWDQWO\OLNH7LI¿Q$WWZHOOGLVWLQJXLVKHVEHWZHHQ Anglo-American and postcolonial strands, though Coetzee, in response, is not so GLVPLVVLYHRIWKHIRUPHU $WWZHOOLVUHIHUULQJWRD³PDMRULW\RSLQLRQ´WKDWUHJDUGV $QJOR$PHULFDQSRVWPRGHUQLVPDV³RQO\IHHEO\DQWLFDQRQLFDO´>'3@ ,SUHIHU P\DOLJQP\VHOIWRWKRVHFULWLFVOLNH$WWULGJHDQG/D]DUXVZKRUHDG&RHW]HH¶VVHOI FRQVFLRXVHWKLFDOLW\DVDVLJQRIWKHPRGHUQLVWLQÀHFWLRQLQKLVZULWLQJ $WWULGJH J. M. Coetzee± /D]DUXV 7KHPHWD¿FWLRQDODVSHFWVRIWKHZRUNDUHEURXJKWWRJHWKHULQWKHVXEVWDQFH VXEVWDQWLDOLW\ GLDOHFWLF $V ¿JXUHV RQ WKH PDUJLQV %DUWRQ DQG )ULGD\ ODFN substance in discourse because their powers of self-representation are impeded. Yet they are substantial somatically in their suffering: Barton as a prostitute and )ULGD\DVDVODYH ³SDLQLVWUXWK´WKH0DJLVWUDWHLQWaiting for the Barbarians WDNHVIURPKLVFRQYHUVDWLRQVZLWKWKHWRUWXUHU&RORQHO-ROO :% %DUWRQ is preoccupied with the substance of her adventure in the hands of the author, Foe. In one of the letters she addresses to him, she writes, :KHQ,UHÀHFWRQP\VWRU\,VHHPWRH[LVWRQO\DVWKHRQHZKRFDPHWKHRQH who witnessed, the one who longed to be gone: a being without substance, a JKRVWEHVLGHWKHWUXHERG\RI&UXVR,VWKDWWKHIDWHRIDOOVWRU\WHOOHUV" +HUHVXEVWDQFHUHIHUVWRDNLQGRIYHULVLPLOLWXGHDQGDIDLWKIXOQHVVWRKHUVWRU\ 6KHDVNV)RHWR³5HWXUQWRPHWKHVXEVWDQFH,KDYHORVW«)RUWKRXJKP\VWRU\ JLYHVWKHWUXWKLWGRHVQRWJLYHWKHVXEVWDQFHRIWKHWUXWK´ ) ,QWKHOHWWHU of the following day she imagines “send[ing] out a vision of the island to hang before [Foe] like DVXEVWDQWLDOERG\´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ) DQGODWHURIPDNLQJ WKH³DLUDURXQG>)ULGD\@WKLFNZLWKZRUGV´1RWHKHUHWKDW%DUWRQVSHDNVDERXW only a representation of the island, one that is only like a substantial body. Barton convinces herself that through the stories she tells him, Friday might construct DQ LVODQG WKDW LVQ¶W D ³EDUUHQ DQG D VLOHQW SODFH´ ) 6KH FRQIXVHV ERGLO\ substantiality with the substance of a story, misguided in the notion that through VWRULHVDQGZRUGVVKHFDQERG\IRUWK)ULGD\DVRWKHU6KHUHFRJQL]HVWKDWVKHODFNV the art of storytelling, which is the reason she turns to Foe, in whose hands, she now EHOLHYHVWKHNHUQHORIWKHVWRU\ZLOOEHIRUHYHUORVW7KH³WUXHVWRU\´LVWKHVWRU\ of Friday’s silence, of which she remains ignorant. For Barton, her substantiality Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 99 KDVEHHQWKHFKDLQVRIKHURSSUHVVLRQIURPZKLFKVKHLVWU\LQJWREUHDNIUHH ³, could return in every aspect to the life of a substantial body, the life you [Foe] UHFRPPHQG%XWVXFKDOLIHLVDEMHFW,WLVWKHOLIHRIDWKLQJ$ZKRUHXVHGE\ PHQLVXVHGDVDVXEVWDQWLDOERG\´ )± :LWKWKHLVODQGVHUYLQJDVDVSDFH IRUVXEMHFWreFRQVWLWXWLRQ%DUWRQVWUHVVHVKHUQHHGWRWDNHFRQWURORIKHUVWRU\ DQGWRUHMHFWWKHVWRU\RIKHUSDVWZKLFKLVRQHFRQVWUXFWHGE\VRFLHW\ %DUWRQDV SURVWLWXWH $WWULGJHDUJXHVWKDW%DUWRQUHDOL]HVVKHLV³GHWHUPLQHGQRWE\KHUVHOI EXWE\WKHFXOWXUHZLWKLQZKLFKVKHVHHNVDQLGHQWLW\´ J. M. Coetzee 6KHHYHQ FRQÀDWHVERGLO\VXEVWDQWLDOLW\ZLWKWH[WXDOVXEVWDQFH ³,DPDsubstantial being with a substantial history in the world … for I am a free woman who asserts her IUHHGRPE\WHOOLQJKHUVWRU\DFFRUGLQJWRKHURZQVWRU\´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ) Foe reminds her, however, that she has omitted Friday from her account: Friday FDQQRWEHVXEVWDQWLDOLQWKHH\HVRI%DUWRQEHFDXVHKHODFNVWKHWRROVRIODQJXDJH WRDVVHUWRUDXWKRUL]HKLVVWRU\7KHERRNZLOOWU\WRUHIXWHWKLVVXSSRVLWLRQDV,JR on to explain: Friday, in his pain, is a substantial body, yet he resists being reduced WRDVWRU\RUEHLQJGH¿QHGFRQ¿QHGE\ :HVWHUQFHQWULF GLVFRXUVH Grappling for control of the narrative, Barton and Foe debate the role of stories and of storytellers. To Barton’s annoyance, who has turned to Foe as ghost-writer WR FUDIW KHU WDOH LQWR D PDUNHWDEOH QDUUDWLYH )RH VXJJHVWV WKDW WKH VWRU\ RI WKH island be relegated to a minor role within a larger plot, which, he asserts, should IRFXVRQWKHVHDUFKRIDPRWKHU %DUWRQ IRUKHUORVWGDXJKWHU ) :KLOVWWKH DXWKRU¿JXUH)RHHPEOHPRIWKH³:HVWHUQ´FDQRQZRXOGPDUJLQDOL]HWKHVWRU\ of Friday, it is this story that the liberal-minded Barton endeavours to exhume in order that the legacy of colonialism might be properly confronted. Foe sets VHQWLPHQWDJDLQVWUHDVRQZKHQKHTXLFNO\GLVSHOVKLVGHVLUHIRUDVWRU\WKDWHPRWHV ±KHLQLWLDOO\VSHDNVDERXWWKH³KHDUWRIWKHVWRU\´±DQGLGHQWL¿HVLWVNHUQHOLQVWHDG ZLWKDZDWFKIXOH\H ) WKDWPLJKWEHDVVRFLDWHGZLWKUDWLRQDOLW\DQGZKLFKKH OLQNVWRWKHVLWHRIPRXUQLQJDQGWKHDFWRIZLWQHVVLQJ WKHVXQNHQVODYHVKLSZLWK LWV³H\HVWDULQJXSDW>)ULGD\@IURPWKHERWWRPRIWKHVHD´ ) %DUWRQRQWKH RWKHUKDQGSHUFHLYHVLWDVDPRXWK ) DQGGHWHUPLQHGO\GUDZVLWEDFNWRWKH PDWWHURI)ULGD\¶VWRQJXHDQGWKHTXHVWLRQRIDJHQF\ ³LIWKHVWRU\VHHPVVWXSLG WKDWLVRQO\EHFDXVHLWVRGRJJHGO\KROGVLWVVLOHQFH7KHVKDGRZZKRVHODFN\RX IHHOLVWKHUH LWLVWKHORVVRI)ULGD\¶VWRQJXH´ ) $OWKRXJKVKHDFNQRZOHGJHV that it is Friday alone who can reveal the truth of his story, she believes she is morally obligated to teach Friday to communicate this: “The true story will not be KHDUGWLOOE\DUWZHKDYHIRXQGDPHDQVRIJLYLQJYRLFHWR)ULGD\´ ) 7KH SRVWFRORQLDOHQGHDYRXUWRSRUWUD\DQGSUREOHPDWLFDOO\HYHQVHHNRXWRWKHUQHVV LVFDSWXUHGLQWKHSXQRQ³DUW´FRQQRWLQJLQYHQWLRQDVZHOODVZULWHUO\VWHDOWK Barton guards what she construes as the essence of the story, her adventure on the island. She admonishes Foe, You err most tellingly in failing to distinguish between my silences and the silences of a being such as Friday. Friday has no command of words and therefore no defence against being re-shaped day by day in conformity with the 100 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship GHVLUHVRIRWKHUV,VD\KHLVDFDQQLEDODQGKHEHFRPHVDFDQQLEDO ,VD\KHLV DODXQGU\PDQDQGKHEHFRPHVDODXQGU\PDQ:KDWLVWKHWUXWKRI)ULGD\" In these words Barton states her commitment to the power of discourse and, in fact, Enlightenment: Friday’s substantiality is meaningless unless it has substance, which Barton hopes to achieve by giving him access to language and learning. %DUWRQLVZURQJRQWZRFRXQWV ¿UVWO\VKHLQWHQGVLPSRVLQJWKHODQJXDJHRI WKHFRORQL]HURQ)ULGD\:LOOLDP6KDNHVSHDUH¶V&DOLEDQLQThe Tempest, one of Foe¶VLQWHUWH[WVLVDOOWRRDZDUHRIWKHRSSUHVVLYHPHFKDQLVPVDWZRUNLQVXFKD PDQRHXYUHEHFDXVHODQJXDJHVHUYHVRQO\WR³HQOLJKWHQ´KLPRQKLVHQVODYHPHQW ³ ZLWKLWVUHSHDWHGGLYHVLQWRWKHZUHFNVHHNVEXWGHQLHVFORVXUHWRR:KDW)RH UHJDUGVDV%DUWRQ¶VIXWLOHTXHVWIRUWUXWKLVKHUDWWHPSWDOEHLWPLVJXLGHGDQGWKXV self-deceiving, to establish an ethical relation to her story, to be accountable to it. Whilst Barton’s conscience is troubled by the ethics of literary embellishment, )RH¶VFRQFHUQUHPDLQVVWHDGIDVWO\ZLWKKLV¿FWLRQ ,QKHUTXHVWWROHDUQWKHWUXWKDERXW)ULGD\¶VWRQJXH%DUWRQGUDZVWZRVNHWFKHV inviting Friday through pointing to disclose which represents the truth of the PDWWHU+RZHYHUE\SURYLGLQJWZRYHUVLRQVVKHLPDJLQHVPD\KROGWKHNH\WRKLV VHFUHWVKHLQDGYHUWHQWO\UHLPSRVHVWKHYHU\VLOHQFHVVKHLVWU\LQJWRXQORFN6KHLV confounded by her realization that the picture itself could be misinterpreted, that the portrayal of Cruso cutting away Friday’s tongue, from a different perspective, FRXOGUHVHPEOH³DEHQH¿FHQWIDWKHUSXWWLQJDOXPSRI¿VKLQWRWKHPRXWKRIFKLOG )ULGD\´ ) ± Barton’s pictures are exposed as a series of contextually and ideologically inscribed signs. In a familiar Coetzean conceit, the process of allegorical reading is itself parodied and the reductiveness that allegorical reading can induce laid bare. It is the silences Foe guards that have most troubled critics of the novel. In KHUJURXQGEUHDNLQJDUWLFOH³6SHHFKDQG6LOHQFHLQWKH)LFWLRQVRI-0&RHW]HH´ Benita Parry, for example: SXW>V@IRUZDUGWKHSROHPLFDOSURSRVLWLRQWKDWGHVSLWHWKH¿FWLRQV¶GLVUXSWLRQVRI colonialist modes, the social authority on which the rhetoric relies and which it exerts is grounded in the cognitive systems of the West. Furthermore … the FRQVHTXHQFHRIZULWLQJWKHVLOHQFHDWWULEXWHGWRWKHVXEMXJDWHGDVDOLEHUDWLRQ IURPWKHFRQVWUDLQWVRIVXEMHFWLYLW\«FDQEHUHDGDVUHHQDFWLQJWKHUHFHLYHG GLVSRVDORIQDUUDWLYHDXWKRULW\ Parry contends that in Foe Coetzee fails not only to move beyond a Eurocentric VWDJHEXWLQDGYHUWHQWO\UHLPSRVHVWKHYHU\DXWKRULW\KHHQGHDYRXUVWRFULWLTXH She wonders “whether the reverberations of Coetzee’s intertextual transpositions, DVZHOODVWKHORJLFDQGWUDMHFWRU\RIKLVQDUUDWLYHVWUDWHJLHVGRQRWLQDGYHUWHQWO\ UHSHDW WKH H[FOXVLRQDU\ FRORQLDOLVW JHVWXUHV ZKLFK WKH QRYHOV DOVR FULWLFL]H´ 7KLVKDVWKHHIIHFWVKHDUJXHVRI³VXVWDLQLQJWKH:HVWDVWKHFXOWXUHRI UHIHUHQFH´ :KDW3DUU\FDOOVIRUUHFUXLWLQJ7]YHWDQ7RGRURYLVKHWHURORJ\ ZKLFK³PDNHVWKHGLIIHUHQFHRIYRLFHVKHDUG´ 7RGRURYTWGLQ3DUU\³6SHHFK DQG6LOHQFH´ 3DUU\FDOOVWRWDVNWKRVHFULWLFVOLNH*D\DWUL6SLYDNZKRUHDG )ULGD\¶V VLOHQFH DV UHVLVWDQW 6SLYDN DUJXHV WKDW ³µ7KH QDWLYH¶ ZKDWHYHU WKDW might mean, is not only a victim, he or she is also an agent. He or she is the FXULRXVJXDUGLDQDWWKHPDUJLQ´ ³7KHRU\LQWKH0DUJLQ´ 7KLVSRVLWLRQLV UHYLVHGIURP6SLYDN¶VQRWRULRXVDQGHPSKDWLFFODLPWKDWLQOLWHUDWXUHVXEDOWHUQV FDQQRWVSHDNEHFDXVHWKH\DUHDOZD\VDOUHDG\FDXJKWEHWZHHQWKHGLVFRXUVHRI LPSHULDOLVWDQGQDWLRQDOLVWHOLWHV$VXEVHTXHQWYHUVLRQRI³&DQWKH6XEDOWHUQ 6SHDN"´DSSHDUHGLQA Critique of Postcolonial Reason LQZKLFK6SLYDN 102 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship LVOHVVXQHTXLYRFDO 1HYHUWKHOHVV3DUU\LVDGDPDQWWKDWWKRXJK&RHW]HH may well attempt to refuse WRH[HUFLVHWKHDXWKRULW\RIWKHGRPLQDQWFXOWXUHWRUHSUHVHQWRWKHUDQGVXEMXJDWHG FXOWXUHV«WKH¿FWLRQVGRMXVWWKLVEHFDXVHRIZKLFK(XURSHDQWH[WXDOSRZHU UHLQVFULEHGLQWKHIRUPDOV\QWD[UHTXLUHGRI/LWHUDWXUHVXUYLYHVWKHDWWHPSWHG VXEYHUVLRQRILWVGRPLQLRQ ³6SHHFKDQG6LOHQFH´ This exercise of authority is a move of which Barton is guilty, suggesting, therefore, that Coetzee may well be second-guessing his critics. In Doubling the Point&RHW]HHPDNHVFOHDUWKDWKHXWWHUO\GLVWUXVWVSRVLWLRQDOLW\ '3 :ULWLQJIURPDVLWHRISULYLOHJHDVZKLWH6RXWK$IULFDQDQGPDOHKH self-consciously effects his own authorial silence in Foe, which is imperative in the debates the novel stages. His silence on matters of politics is not dissimilar to Albert Memmi’s argument in The Colonizer and the Colonized WKDWLQ recognition of the hegemony of the colonizer, the colonialist intellectual “who UHIXVHV´IDFHVWKHPRUDOFKRLFHRITXLWWLQJWKHFRORQLHVRUUHPDLQLQJVLOHQW7KH FRORQL]HUZKRTXLWV³ZLOOSXWDQHQGWRKLVFRQWUDGLFWLRQDQGXQHDVLQHVV´ 0HPPL ± 6KHLOD5REHUWVQRWLFHVSDUDOOHOVEHWZHHQWKHVWRU\RI)ULGD\¶VWRQJXHDQG Memmi’s grievance that his mother tongue (which metonymically also represents FXOWXUH KDVEHHQVXSSUHVVHGE\WKHFRORQL]HU ³,QWKHOLQJXLVWLFFRQÀLFWZLWKLQ the colonized, his mother tongue is that which is crushed. He himself sets about GLVFDUGLQJWKLVLQ¿UPODQJXDJHKLGLQJLWIURPWKHVLJKWRIVWUDQJHUV´ 0HPPL TWGLQ5REHUWV³+RXVHRI)ULGD\´ ,QFoe silence is Janus-faced for it not only signals Friday’s oppression but also his autonomy. Occupying the metaphoric ³KROHLQWKHQDUUDWLYH´ ) )ULGD\DVPXWHQRWRQO\UHSUHVHQWVWKHRSSUHVVHG voice of the colonial other, conversely, he is also autonomous in his refusals to GLVFORVHKLV³VHOI´ZKHQELGGHQ7KDWKHLVaccorded this right by his author, as 3DUU\¶VDQDO\VLVVKRZVVLJQDOVWKHFRPSOH[LW\RIDGHTXDWHWKDWLVWRVD\HWKLFR political, representation. Moreover, Friday is triply silenced because not only is he silent as mute and silenced by colonial discourse, he is also misread by Cruso, Barton and Foe, who, WKHPVHOYHVVXEMHFWWRGLVFRXUVHIDLOWRUHFRJQL]HKLVUHVLVWDQFHWRWKHLPSHULDO mindset. Ironically, therefore, he is effectively silenced by those – primarily %DUWRQEXWDOVR)RH±ZKRXQGHUWDNHWRJLYHKLPYRLFH2QWKHLVODQG%DUWRQ surreptitiously observes him casting petals over the sea, which she construes as an exotic religious rite only for it later to transpire that he is performing an act RI UHPHPEUDQFH DW WKH VLWH RI WKH VXQNHQ VODYH VKLS RQ ZKLFK ZH DVVXPH KH ZDVFDUJR )± ± %DUWRQODWHUGHFLSKHUVWKLVULWXDODVDPHPRULDOWR WKHORVWIDPLO\RUIULHQGVRQVXFKDVKLS>)@ /LNH&UXVRDQG)RH%DUWRQLV also susceptible to racist fantasies since she has suspicions that Friday practises FDQQLEDOLVP+HUSUHMXGLFHFRPHVWRWKHIRUHZKHQWUDYHOOLQJDFURVV(QJODQGZLWK Friday, she encounters the body of the dead baby girl wrapped in swaddling at the VLGHRIWKHURDG VKHIHDUVWKDWOHIWDORQHZLWKWKHWLQ\FRUSVH)ULGD\PLJKWUHYHUW Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 103 to his savagery. As in Robinson Crusoe, these fantasies are apparently unfounded, though Defoe’s Crusoe does come upon human remains that purportedly have been eaten by natives. Crusoe clings to the belief that through his efforts Friday has been saved from his barbarousness (Robinson Crusoe ,QGHHG+XOPH VXJJHVWVWKDWWKLVODFNRISURRILQRobinson Crusoe, that “the ungrounded fear of FDQQLEDOVDOZD\VRXWZHLJKV&UXVRH¶VDFWXDOH[SHULHQFHV´UHYHDOVD³SV\FKRVLV DWWKHKHDUWRIWKH(XURSHDQSHUFHSWLRQVRI$PHULQGLDQFXOWXUHLQWKH&DULEEHDQ´ ± :KDW LV PRUH LQ WKH VFKHPD RI (QOLJKWHQPHQWWKLQNLQJ PDSSHG earlier, this pathological fear of being eaten by cannibals is in fact a fear of the ORVVRI³FRUSRUHDOLQWHJULW\´ +XOPH $V+XOPHREVHUYHV)ULGD\¶VDFFRXQW in Robinson Crusoe of the practice of cannibalism is in fact very different from &UXVRH¶VIDQWDV\ ³7KH&DULEVDFFRUGLQJWR)ULGD\GRHDWKXPDQÀHVKEXWRQO\ WKHÀHVKRIWKRVHWKDWRIIHUDJJUHVVLRQ LWVHHPVWKDWVRPHWKLQJOLNHWKH/DZRI 1DWLRQVRSHUDWHVLQWKHQDWLYH&DULEEHDQ´ ,QWKLVUHVSHFWFoe stages not RQO\WKHFRORQLDOLVWIDQWDVLHVDERXWEODFNERGLHVWKDWDSSHDULQLWVLQWHUWH[WEXW also those explored in the earlier novels, In the Heart of the Country and Waiting for the Barbarians. The island motif prepares the ground for Barton’s desire to construct Friday as VXEMHFWDQGFHUWDLQO\%DUWRQ¶VHIIRUWVDUHDPHDQVRIKHU¿QGLQJVHOINQRZOHGJH VLQFHRWKHUQHVVLVGH¿QHGLQLWVUHODWLRQWRWKHVHOIDV³DOZD\Vperspectival … always produced ´ $WWULGJH ³7UXVWLQJ WKH 2WKHU´ )LUVWO\ %DUWRQ WHDFKHV )ULGD\WRZULWH³$IULFD´ZKLFKFDQRQO\EHWKH$IULFDRI%DUWRQ¶VLQYHQWLRQWKH substance of myth, since she has never set foot on African soil. Yet she has the SUHVXPSWLRQWRWHDFK)ULGD\IRUZKRPWKHLQVFULSWLRQ³$IULFD´KROGVQRPHDQLQJ DERXWLW$FFRUGLQJWR6SLYDNWKHLGHDRI$IULFDLVP\WKRORJLFDODQGDQ³HIIRUW rich in meaning and its limits … Africa LV RQO\ D WLPHERXQG QDPLQJ OLNH DOO SURSHUQDPHVLWLVDPDUNZLWKDQDUELWUDU\FRQQHFWLRQWRLWVUHIHUHQWDFDWDFKUHVLV´ ³7KHRU\LQWKH0DUJLQ´ 2IKLVRZQYROLWLRQ)ULGD\WKHQGUDZVDVHULHV RI ³R¶V´ ZKLFK )RH SUHPDWXUHO\ EHOLHYHV LV WKH ³EHJLQQLQJ´ RI KLV HGXFDWLRQ “Tomorrow you must teach him a´ ) )RH LV ZURQJ EHFDXVH ³R´ LQ IDFW UHSUHVHQWV )ULGD\¶V UHVLVWDQFH DV 6SLYDN SRLQWV RXW WKH OHWWHU ³R´ LQ Robinson CrusoeLVSLGJLQIRU³SUD\HU´DQGWKHUHIRUHVLJQL¿HVDUHPHPEHULQJRISUHFRORQLDO FXOWXUHLWVHOIDJHVWXUHRIDQWLFRORQLDOUHVLVWDQFH ³7KHRU\LQWKH0DUJLQ´ ³2´DOVRVLJQDOV)ULGD\¶VXQUHDVRQ6SLYDNFODLPVDQGLVSURRIWKDWMXVWDV%DUWRQ admits her failure to teach Friday, Crusoe fails in his religious instruction (“Theory LQWKH0DUJLQ´ $WWKHHQGRIFoe³R´LVWKH³VRXQG´WKDWLVVXHVIURP)ULGD\¶V mouth and washes over the island in a gestural recuperation of colonial territory and the oppressed voice. ,IZHFRPSDUHWKH³R´SURGXFHGE\)ULGD\ZLWKWKH³2´WKDWFRQ¿JXUHV0DJGD¶V ODFNLQIn the Heart of the Country, we can see an emergent resistance in Friday, who holds the author and reader – Cruso, Barton, Foe, Coetzee, us as readers – out. +LWKHUWRVLPSO\PLPHWLFDOO\UHSURGXFLQJ%DUWRQ¶VHIIRUWV)ULGD\IUHHO\WDNHVXS WKHFKDONDQGGUDZV³URZXSRQURZRIH\HVXSRQIHHW ZDONLQJH\HV´5HIXVLQJ Barton’s demands to give up the drawing board, he wipes the slate clean, both 104 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship OLWHUDOO\DQGPHWDSKRULFDOO\ )± ,QWKHYHLQRI)UDQW])DQRQ¶Vtabula raza in The Wretched of the Earth WKLVDFWFDOOVIRUHQWLUHO\QHZEHJLQQLQJV WKH EODQNVODWHWKDWSUH¿JXUHVWH[WVDV³IDFWVRISRZHU´7KLVLVD)DQRQLDQPRGHORI decolonization whereby “the proof of success lies in a whole social structure being changed from the bottom up´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG Wretched Deciphering Friday’s inscriptions proves exacting. As subaltern he is not only silenced by the colonial oppressor, but refuses the demands made of him to divulge KLVFRUHKLVVXEMHFWLYLW\3HUKDSVWKHH\HVUHSUHVHQWKLVZDWFKIXOQHVVEXWDOVRKLV IUHHGRPWR³UHDG´KLVHQYLURQPHQWIRUDVWKHVDGLVWLF&RORQHO-ROOLQWaiting for the Barbarians says, “Only the eyes have power. The eyes are free, they reach out WRWKHKRUL]RQDOODURXQG1RWKLQJLVKLGGHQIURPWKHH\HV´ ' :KDW)RHFDOOV WKH³H\H´RIWKHVWRU\LQWKHIRXUWKDQG¿QDOVHFWLRQRIWKHQRYHOLVSUHVLGHGRYHU by the mute Friday. The feet Friday draws might represent his ability to escape, the foot, according to Attwell, being the signature of Friday in Robinson Crusoe (J. M. Coetzee %DUEDUD(FNVWHLQRQWKHRWKHUKDQGSHUVXDVLYHO\VXJJHVWVWKDWWKH rows of eyes upon feet represent the “literal vantage point of slaves in a hold … EHQHDWKWKHVDLORUV¶IHHW´ ³,FRQLFLW\´ 6SLYDNZRQGHUVLIWKHH\HV¶³VHFUHW>LV@ WKDWWKH\KROGQRVHFUHWDWDOO´ ³7KHRU\´ DQGLVWKHUHIRUHDQRWKHUNLQGRI ZLWKKROGLQJ6KRXOGWKHH\HVEHHTXDWHGZLWKUHDVRQDV,KDYHDOUHDG\VXJJHVWHG then Friday in wiping the slate clean gestures the repudiation of the Enlightenment discourses that have sanctioned his enslavement. As Marcus Wood points out, “Muteness and blindness are dominant metaphors LQ&RHW]HH¶VUHQGHULQJRI)ULGD\DQGWKH¿QDOPXWHQHVVDQGEOLQGQHVVDUHSODFHG ZLWKLQWKH:HVWHUQFRQVFLRXVQHVV´ LQLWVLQDELOLW\WRIXOO\FRPSUHKHQGRU ³UHDG´WKHVODYHRWKHU8QGHUWKHVXEKHDGLQJ³:KDWDUHZHORRNLQJDWZKDWFDQ ZHVHH"´:RRGGUDZVDWWHQWLRQWRWKHXQTXHVWLRQLQJZD\WKH³:HVWHUQ´H\HKDV regarded slavery: /RRNLQJDVRSSRVHGWRUHDGLQJKDVQRWLQWKHFRQWH[WRIVODYHU\EHHQGHVFULEHG as an exceptionally problematic activity … Maybe this is because there is still DQLUUDWLRQDOEHOLHIWKDWSLFWXUHVVSHDNIRUWKHPVHOYHVLQDZD\WKDWZRUGVGR QRW ,Q %DUWRQ¶V DWWHPSWV WR NQRZ )ULGD\ WKURXJK ORRNLQJ XSRQ KLV ERG\ )ULGD\ LV REMHFWL¿HGVRWKDWWKHPDVWHUVODYHGLDOHFWLFWKDW%DUWRQWKLQNVVKHLVGLVPDQWOLQJ is simply reproduced in the colonizing effect of the gaze. Earlier, Barton comes XSRQ)ULGD\VSLQQLQJLQDGHUYLVKOLNHIUHQ]\GUHVVHGLQ)RH¶VUREHVRIDXWKRUVKLS Just as she is morbidly fascinated with Friday’s tongue, she is intrigued by the possibility that he has been castrated: “In the dance nothing was still and yet everything was still… . What had been hidden from me was revealed. I saw, or, I VKRXOGVD\P\H\HVZHUHRSHQWRZKDWZDVSUHVHQWWRWKHP´ ) %DUWRQWKXV convinces herself that she still has failed to unearth the truth of Friday because, though she is presented with the corporeal substantiality of Friday’s body, she LVQRWSUHVHQWHGZLWKWKHVWRU\ WKHVXEVWDQFH WKLVERG\KROGV,QWKHFRQWH[WRI Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 105 the customary analogy between artistic production and sexual potency, ambiguity VKURXGV)ULGD\¶VHPDVFXODWLRQZKLFKLVERWKOLWHUDODQG¿JXUDWLYH%\FKRRVLQJ not to disclose Friday’s genital mutilation, Coetzee refuses to engage with the VDPH VH[XDOL]HG IDQWDVLHV DERXW EODFN ERGLHV LQ ZKLFK KLV FKDUDFWHU %DUWRQ participates. It is only through Barton’s lurid imagination when she draws pictures of the missing tongue that this story is graphically depicted. :RRG UHIRFXVHV WKH LPSHWXV RI ORRNLQJ E\ TXHVWLRQLQJ WKH UHVLGXDO HIIHFWV of aestheticizing the tortured body. Representation is both artistically and often institutionally problematic, he argues: assuming the authority to represent the slave’s body is to declare authenticity and access to “a memory which lies outside WKHREYLRXVUHVRXUFHVRI:HVWHUQDHVWKHWLFV´ 7KHLGLRV\QFUDWLF(OL]DEHWK &RVWHOOR LQ &RHW]HH¶V ³7KH 3UREOHP RI (YLO´ UHSXEOLVKHG DV RQH RI WKH HLJKW ³OHVVRQV´LQElizabeth Costello>@ DUJXHVWKDWZHDUHWDLQWHGE\RXUFRQWDFW ZLWKHYLO UHSUHVHQWLQJDFWVRIHYLOGHJUDGHVDUWLVWDQGUHDGHUDOLNH3UREOHPDWLFDOO\ the graphic scenes of torture and violence in Dusklands DQGWaiting for the Barbarians, as well as the contentious depiction of Lucy Lurie’s rape in Disgrace WKRXJKWKHUHDGHULVRQO\SDUW\WRWKHDWWDFNRQKHUIDWKHU'DYLG , converse with the very devils that Costello reviles. 'H¿QLQJ FRPPLWWHG DUW DV WKH H[SUHVVLRQ RI D FHUWDLQ HWKRV UDWKHU WKDQ tendentiousness, Theodor Adorno addresses the problem of evil from a different perspective: all art, even committed forms, is produced to satiate the senses, to EULQJEHDXW\DQGSOHDVXUHLQWRWKHZRUOG KHQFHKLVIDPRXVPD[LPWKDW³WRZULWH O\ULFSRHWU\DIWHU$XVFKZLW]LVEDUEDULF´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ $GRUQRDVVHUWVWKDW “The so-called artistic representation of the sheer physical pain of people beaten to WKHJURXQGE\ULÀHEXWWVFRQWDLQVKRZHYHUUHPRWHO\WKHSRZHUWRHOLFLWHQMR\PHQW RXWRILW´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ Yet, reminding us of the paradox of postcolonial DXWKRUVKLS ZLWK ZKLFK &RHW]HH¶V ¿FWLRQ FRQVLVWHQWO\ HQJDJHV WKLV SUHVHQWV XV Adorno maintains, with a conundrum because “This suffering … also demands WKHFRQWLQXHGH[LVWHQFHRIDUWZKLOHLWSURKLELWVLW LWLVLQDUWDORQHWKDWVXIIHULQJ FDQVWLOO¿QGLWVRZQYRLFHFRQVRODWLRQZLWKRXWLPPHGLDWHO\EHLQJEHWUD\HGE\ LW´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ 5HSUHVHQWLQJWKHRWKHUWKURXJK³ORRNLQJ´HYHQLQWKH FRQWH[WRIORRNLQJDWFXOWXUDODUWHIDFWVRQGLVSOD\WKHUHIRUHQHFHVVDULO\IDOOVEDFN on the double bind that delineates postcolonial authorship. 3DLQVLJQL¿HVSK\VLFDOEHLQJ VXEVWDQWLDOLW\ DV&RHW]HHHORTXHQWO\REVHUYHV in Doubling the Point: :KDWHYHUHOVHWKHERG\LVQRW³WKDWZKLFKLVQRW´DQGWKHSURRIWKDWLWis is in the pain that it feels. The body with its pain becomes a counter to the endless trials of doubt… . it is not that one grants the authority of the suffering body: the suffering takesWKLVDXWKRULW\ WKDWLVLWVSRZHU '3 (OOHNH%RHKPHUDUJXHVQHYHUWKHOHVVWKDWFRORQLDOLVPLQVFULEHVPHDQLQJXSRQWKH body of the other and reads this body within its own ideological parameters: 106 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship In colonial representation, exclusion or suppression can often literally be seen DV³HPERGLHG´«WKH2WKHULVFDVWDVFRUSRUHDOFDUQDOXQWDPHGLQVWLQFWXDO raw, and therefore also open to mastery, available for use, for husbandry, for numbering, branding, cataloguing, description or possession … . The body of the Other can represent only its own physicality, its own strangeness. ³7UDQV¿JXULQJ´ ± The paradox of any literary representation of the enslaved or indentured other ± ZKLFK %RHKPHU VXJJHVWV LV ³PDGH WR DGYHUWLVH LWV RZQ XQNQRZQQHVV DQG VDYDJHU\´±LVWKDWLWZLOOERWK³GLVWDQFHDQG«VDQLWL]H´WKHRWKHU ³7UDQV¿JXULQJ´ Resistance to language is not simply one of its incidental attributes but is essential WRZKDWLWLV«IRUSK\VLFDOSDLQ±XQOLNHDQ\RWKHUVWDWHRIFRQVFLRXVQHVV±KDV no referential content. It is not of or forDQ\WKLQJ,WLVSUHFLVHO\EHFDXVHLWWDNHV QR REMHFW WKDW LW PRUH WKDQ DQ\ RWKHU SKHQRPHQRQ UHVLVWV REMHFWL¿FDWLRQ LQ ODQJXDJH 6FDUU\ 6FDUU\DVVHUWVWKDWWRVXIIHUSDLQLVWR³KDYHFHUWDLQW\´ZKLOVW³KHDULQJDERXWSDLQ >LV@WRKDYHGRXEW´ :KDWVKHGHVFULEHVDVSDLQ¶V³ODFNRIUHIHUHQWLDOFRQWHQW´LV realized metaphorically as well as physically in Friday’s obscurity and resistance to being written or read. In the context of the Friday of Foe, however, Scarry’s WKHVLVLVIUDXJKWZLWKLGHRORJLFDOGLI¿FXOWLHVQRWOHDVWWKDWWURXEOLQJO\WKHRUL]HG in this way, pain is analogous to Barton’s perception of Friday as unmoulded and untutored. As Scarry observes, the occlusions and silences which pain induces lead ZLWQHVVHV RI WKH ERG\ LQ SDLQ WR VSHDN RQ LWV EHKDOI 7KLV KDV HWKLFRSROLWLFDO LPSOLFDWLRQVIRUDOWKRXJKWKHQRWLRQRI³VSHDNLQJIRU´DQRWKHU¶VSDLQLVSUREOHPDWLF DQGWKHUHDUHPDQ\PRWLYDWLRQVIRUGRLQJVR LWXVHIXOO\UHVLWXDWHVWKHGLVFRXUVH RISDLQIURPSULYDWHVSKHUHWRSXEOLF 6FDUU\ 1RWVSHDNLQJDERXWSDLQQHLWKHU REMHFWLI\LQJLWV³DWWULEXWHV´QRUHVWDEOLVKLQJWKHOLQNEHWZHHQWKHVHDWWULEXWHVDQG WKHLUVRXUFHWKHKXPDQERG\³ZLOODOZD\VZRUNWRDOORZLWVDSSURSULDWLRQDQG FRQÀDWLRQ ZLWK GHEDVHG IRUPV RI SRZHU FRQYHUVHO\ WKH VXFFHVVIXO H[SUHVVLRQ RISDLQZLOODOZD\VZRUNWRH[SRVHDQGPDNHLPSRVVLEOHWKDWDSSURSULDWLRQDQG Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 107 FRQÀDWLRQ´ 6FDUU\ 1HYHUWKHOHVV GHVSLWH RIIHULQJ XVHIXO LQVLJKWV LQWR WKH UHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQSDLQDQGODQJXDJHDQGLQWRWKHHWKLFRSROLWLFDOUDPL¿FDWLRQV of the silences pain engenders, The Body in Pain, purporting to be empirically JURXQGHGLVRYHUO\UHOLDQWXSRQHDV\UKHWRULFDQG³HYLGHQFH´GUDZQIURPOLWHUDWXUH FI6LQJHU¶VUHYLHZRI6FDUU\³8QVSHDNDEOH$FWV´ 7KRXJK6FDUU\¶VZRUN LVWKHUHIRUHXVHIXOIRUUHDGLQJWKH¿JXUDWLYHODQJXDJHRIOLWHUDWXUHLWVLQWHJULW\ applied to the material world is exercised. 7KH¿QDOIDQWDVWLFDOVHFWLRQRIFoeZLWKLWVDOWHUQDWLYHPHWD¿FWLRQDOHQGLQJV WKURZVWKHWUXWKRIWKHSUHFHGLQJQDUUDWLYHLQWRTXHVWLRQ1RWRQO\LVWKHUHDGHU OLNH%DUWRQDQG)RH³ORVWLQWKHPD]HRIGRXEWLQJ´VXFKDQHQGLQJWKUHDWHQVWR undermine the modicum of autonomy that Friday does achieve. Of course, that WKLVDXWRQRP\LVFRQIHUUHGE\&RHW]HHDOZD\VULVNVGLPLQLVKLQJLWVHWKLFRSROLWLFDO achievements. Foe’s house is entered twice by an unnamed narrator – a number of FULWLFVKDYHVSHFXODWHGWKDWWKLVPLJKWEH&RHW]HH VHHIRUH[DPSOH3HWHUVHQ Head, J. M. Coetzee %HJDP RUSHUKDSVLWLVVLPSO\WKHJHQHULFDXWKRU On both occasions Susan and Foe, side by side, lie dead on Foe’s bed and Friday OLHVQHDUE\,QWKH¿UVWLQVWDQFHWKHQDUUDWRUDWWHPSWVWRSULVH)ULGD\¶VWHHWKDSDUW to extract meaning, as Barton has attempted to give him voice. Echoing Caliban ±³%HQRWDIHDUGWKHLVOHLVIXOORIQRLVHV´ The Tempest$FW6FHQH ±)ULGD\ LVWLHGHPRWLRQDOO\FXOWXUDOO\SHUKDSVVSLULWXDOO\WRWKH FRORQLDO LVODQG ³)URP KLVPRXWK«LVVXHWKHVRXQGVRIWKHLVODQG´ ) +DYLQJ DOUHDG\ EHHQ SRVLWLRQHG DV LQWHUURJDWLYH UHDGHUV ZKR TXHVWLRQ WKH authority of the text and its author, we recognize that Friday’s attachment to the LVODQGPXVWEHDSSURDFKHGZLWKFDXWLRQ SHUKDSVLWVLJQL¿HVDSODFHRIERQGDJH DVWKH¿QDOSDVVDJHRIWKHQRYHOLQWLPDWHVWKURXJKUHIHUHQFHWRWKHVXQNHQVODYH ship. Friday, the African slave and castaway, in Coetzee’s Robinsonade is as out RISODFHRQWKHLVODQGDVKHLVLQPHWURSROLWDQ/RQGRQ XQOLNH'HIRH¶VFKDUDFWHU ZKRIURPWKHLVODQGZHDWKHUSHUPLWWLQJFDQVHHKLVKRPH $VDFDVWDZD\)ULGD\ LVVXEMHFWWRWKHFRQYHQWLRQVRIWKHJHQUHWKHUHPRWHQHVVRIWKHLVODQGSURYLGLQJ the necessary conditions for distilling the self. If Crusoe’s return to England in Robinson CrusoeLVQHFHVVDU\IRUKLPWRUHDI¿UPWKHP\WKVRIFRORQLDOHQWHUSULVH Friday’s time in London in Foe anticipates the end of Empire and atonement for the atrocities committed in its name. As emblem of the slave trade, he is bringing its dirty message home. The unnamed narrator enters the house for a second time, tacitly DFNQRZOHGJLQJDV+HDGVXJJHVWVWKH³LQDGHTXDF\RIWKH¿UVWDWWHPSW´EHFDXVH the “association of Friday merely with the sounds of the island can be seen as DFRQWLQXLQJPDUJLQDOL]DWLRQDVWHUHRW\SLFDOLGHQWL¿FDWLRQRIWKHµQDWLYH¶ZLWK µQDWLYHFXOWXUH¶´ J. M. Coetzee 7KLVWLPHWKHQDUUDWRUREVHUYHVDSODTXH bearing the inscription “Daniel Defoe, Author´RQWKHZDOOD PHWD¿FWLRQDO VLJQ Attwell argues, that positions us in the world of the original Crusoe story, in the UHDOPRIWKHOLWHUDU\KLVWRU\ZHNQHZEHIRUHWKHDSSHDUDQFHRIFoe (J. M. Coetzee $OOWKUHH¿JXUHVOLHGHDG)RHDQG6XVDQLQDFDVXDOHPEUDFHDQGDVFDUQRZ YLVLEOHDURXQG)ULGD\¶VQHFN³OLNHDQHFNODFHOHIWE\DURSHRUFKDLQ´ ) 108 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship 7KLVPDUNQRWRQO\UHFDOOVWKHWZRSRXFKHV)ULGD\KDVZRUQ±WKH¿UVWKROGLQJ the petals, the second the letter that grants his freedom – but also the chains of slavery. The narrator discovers Barton’s crumbling narrative in a dispatch box ZKLFKKDVQHYHUEHHQSXEOLVKHGWKHUHE\IRUFHIXOO\UHMHFWLQJWKH³WUXWK´RIWKH preceding text once again. ,QWKHWKLUGHQGLQJGLYLQJLQWRWKHRSDTXHUHDOPVRIPHWD¿FWLRQWKHXQQDPHG QDUUDWRUVZLPVLQWRWKHZUHFNDJHRIDVKLSDQGFRPHVXSRQWKHVZROOHQEORDWHG bodies of Barton and the captain, then Friday. :LWK D FKDLQ DURXQG KLV QHFN )ULGD\LVPDUNHGHPSKDWLFDOO\DVFDUJRRQDVODYHVKLSDUHYHODWLRQZKLFKDJDLQ repositions the whole of the preceding narrative and Barton’s place as narrator within it. In the light of the fact that it is not only Barton but Friday, too, who has been cast away, the story of the island is claimed, not reclaimed (because the 0LGGOH3DVVDJHUHQGHUV)ULGD\GLVSODFHG DVKLV/LNH%DUWRQ¶VHIIRUWVWRWHDFK )ULGD\WR³VSHDN´WKHQDUUDWRU¶VTXHVWLRQ³ZKDWVKLSLVWKLV"´SURYHVIXWLOHIRUDV WKHQDUUDWRUTXLFNO\UHDOL]HV³WKLVLVQRWDSODFHRIZRUGV«7KLVLVDSODFHZKHUH ERGLHVDUHWKHLURZQVLJQV,WLVWKHKRPHRI)ULGD\´ ) $JDLQWKHQDUUDWRU WULHVWRH[HUWDXWKRULW\RYHU)ULGD\³WU\LQJWR¿QGDZD\LQ´WRKLVPRXWK,WRSHQV KLVEUHDWK³ÀRZVXSWKURXJKKLVERG\DQGRXWXSRQPH«LWUXQVQRUWKZDUGDQG VRXWKZDUGWRWKHHQGVRIWKHHDUWK´ ) ,I)ULGD\¶VDXWRQRP\LVOLPLWHGWKH symbolic resonance of this scene, as Friday’s voice lyrically embraces the world, is not. Reading blindness as a metaphor for insight, Wood imagines: “what that water tells us, as it beats on the eyelids, is that the memory of slavery belongs to all of us, DQGUHTXLUHVRXUDFNQRZOHGJHPHQWLIRQO\ZHGDUHWRORRN´ 1HYHUWKHOHVV this illusory place is consigned to the peripheral and destabilizing world of textual play and as a gesture of the other’s resistance, is therefore moot. As Sue Kossew VXJJHVWVWKHVHFORVLQJSDVVDJHVPLJKWVLPSO\FRQ¿UPWKDWWKHWH[WLWVHOIWULHVWR H[WUDFWPHDQLQJIURP)ULGD\³LQWKHQDPHRILQWHUHVWVWKDWDUHQRWKLVRZQ´ Pen DQG6SLYDNFRQFOXGHV ³)ULGD\LVDI¿UPHGWREHWKHUHWKHPDUJLQFDXJKWLQ WKHHPSLUHRIVLJQV´/LNH.RVVHZ6SLYDNDGYLVHVYLJLODQFHLQLQWHUSUHWLQJWKLV HQGLQJIRUVKHVXJJHVWV³ZHDOVRNQRZWKDW&RHW]HH¶VERRNZDUQVWKDW)ULGD\¶V ERG\LVQRWLWVRZQVLJQ´ ³7KHRU\LQWKH0DUJLQ´ If FoeLVDQRYHODERXWWKHZULWLQJRIDFRORQLDOLVWERRNDQGWKHSRZHULPEXHG WKHUHLQ DQG )ULGD\ PHWDSKRULFDOO\ UHDOL]HV 6DLG¶V ³GLVFXUVLYH VLWXDWLRQ´ WKH problem of interpretation is integral to them both. Coetzee has set himself the LQVXSHUDEOHWDVNRIGLVFORVLQJZKLOVWQRWGLVFORVLQJWKHWDERRRI)ULGD\¶VWRQJXHDQG WKURXJKLWWKHTXHVWLRQRIVXEDOWHUQDJHQF\3DUU\LVULJKWWKDW&RHW]HHREMHFWL¿HV Friday within the same parameters he brings to bear on the colonizing mission. $OWKRXJK&RHW]HHGLVSOD\VDUHVSRQVLELOLW\IRUWKHRWKHUKHWDNHVDWKHRORJLFDO category into the social realm without really contemplating the problems of the transfer. But above all, is Coetzee not concerned with the limitations of the author in representing others’ stories, with the problems that this activity occasions, all the WLPHDFXWHO\DZDUHWKDWLQ6DLG¶VZRUGV³WH[WVDUHIXQGDPHQWDOO\IDFWVRISRZHU´" Barton realizes this when it dawns upon her that all the while she has been driven Bodying Forth the Other: Friday and the “Discursive Situation” in Foe 109 WRVHHNRXW)ULGD\¶VVXEVWDQFHQHJOHFWLQJWKHIDFWWKDWKLVVXEVWDQWLDOLW\SUH¿JXUHV DQ\ FRORQLDOLVW VWRU\WKDWPLJKWEHWROGDERXWKLP This page has been left blank intentionally Chapter 6 Writing in the Face of Death: ³)DOVH(W\PRORJLHV´DQG³+RPH7UXWKV´ in the Age of Iron Death is the only truth left. J. M. Coetzee, Age of Iron 23 ,IWKHZKLWHZULWHULVWREUHDNRXWRIKLVGRXEOHDOLHQDWLRQKHWRR>OLNHKLVEODFN counterpart] has to recognize a false consciousness within himself, he too has to GLVFDUG D ZKLWHEDVHG YDOXHV\VWHP ZKLFK LW LV IDVKLRQDEOH WR VD\ ³QR ORQJHU´ corresponds to the real entities of South African life but which in fact never did. Nadine Gordimer, The Essential Gesture 138–39 The protagonist Mrs. Curren of J. M. Coetzee’s sixth novel Age of Iron LV dying of cancer and the text notionally constitutes the letter she is writing to her GDXJKWHUZKRLQDV\PEROLFVWDQGDJDLQVWDSDUWKHLGKDVTXLW6RXWK$IULFDIRU the U.S. The letter includes dialogue and description and is written over a period of three years from the mid to late 1980s, the waning but most virulent years of DSDUWKHLGPDNLQJLWDV'RPLQLF+HDGREVHUYHVDQLPSUREDEOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQWR her daughter (J. M. Coetzee 7KHHSLVWRODU\FRQFHLWUHSUHVHQWVDFRQIHVVLRQ of sorts by which Mrs. Curren bares her soul: hers is the confessant’s struggle for endings. Her monologue (although it contains dialogue, it represents a letter from RQHSHUVRQWRDQRWKHU LVDGGUHVVHGWRERWKKHUGDXJKWHUDQGWRWKHXQUHVSRQVLYH DQGDORRIYDJUDQW9HUFXHLOZKRKDVWDNHQUHVLGHQFHXQLQYLWHGLQKHUKRXVHDQG ZKRP VKH UHTXHVWV WR DFW DV KHU ³PHVVHQJHU´ $, 9HUFXHLOLV UHTXLUHG WR post the letter after KHU GHDWK ³7KDW LV WKH LPSRUWDQW SDUW´ VKH VD\V >$, @ in order she implies that the gesture is not construed as self-interested and an attempt to persuade her daughter to return to home. However, what is initiated as DWRNHQRIDIIHFWLRQVLPXOWDQHRXVO\VHUYHVDVDUHYLVLRQLQJRI0UV&XUUHQ¶VRZQ ethico-political consciousness in which she articulates her profound anxiety at her unwilling complicity, as white, in apartheid oppression. The letter gives her the RSSRUWXQLW\WRH[SLDWHDQG¿QGDEVROXWLRQIURPKHUVHQVHRIJXLOWDQGVKDPHIRU ³VWD\LQJRQ´ ³7KRXJK>FRORQLDOLVP@ZDVQRWDFULPH,DVNHGWREHFRPPLWWHGLW ZDVFRPPLWWHGLQP\QDPH´VKHVD\V $, Mrs. Curren is striving for truths, both private and political ones. Through the process of writing and linguistic fashioning, she struggles to get her voice publically heard. As Edward Said has suggested in the context of the public intellectual, 112 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship ³.QRZLQJKRZWRXVHODQJXDJHZHOODQGNQRZLQJZKHQWRLQWHUYHQHLQODQJXDJH DUHWZRHVVHQWLDOIHDWXUHVRILQWHOOHFWXDODFWLRQ´ Representations %\PHDQV RIDVFUXSXORXVUHJDUGIRUODQJXDJHQRWXQOLNH&RHW]HH¶V VKHLVDQHW\PRORJLVWE\ SURIHVVLRQ VKHQRWRQO\YRLFHVKHUGLVWUXVWRIRUWKRGR[EHOLHIE\FKDOOHQJLQJWKH IRUFHVRIVWDWHRSSUHVVLRQDQGPLOLWDQWUHVLVWDQFHWKDWVKHVHHVDVUXQQLQJDPRN in 1980s Cape Town, but ultimately is forced by her personal experience of these YLROHQWWLPHVWRUHWKLQNKHURZQHWKLFRSROLWLFDOZRUOGYLHZ,WLVP\FRQWHQWLRQ WKDWWKURXJKWKLVODQJXDJHZRUN0UV&XUUHQFRPHVWRWKHUHDOL]DWLRQWKDWKHU political belief is compromised by her private anguish, rendering the public SURQRXQFHPHQWVWKDWVKHGRHVPDNHXQWHQDEOHLQWKH³DJHRILURQ´ 7KURXJKWKHPRWLIRIODVWZRUGVWKHWH[WUHTXLUHVXVWRDVNZKHWKHU0UV&XUUHQ¶V VWDWH RI QHDUGHDWK IDFLOLWDWHV D WUXWKIXO ZKDW &RHW]HH ZRXOG FDOO ³KHDUWIHOW´ UHQGHULQJRIWKHFRQWH[WIURPZKLFKVKHVSHDNV'RHVZULWLQJLQWKHIDFHRIGHDWK DOWHUKHUSRVLWLRQLQJWRZDUGVWKHEODFNUHYROXWLRQDULHVWKHQRYHOSRUWUD\V"6KHLV resolutely and entirely anti-violence and her ethics are humanist. (Her visceral response to violence, including the violence of revolutionary struggle, would also be Coetzee’s, who is ready to admit he is “unable to, or refuse[s] to, conceive of DOLEHUDWLQJYLROHQFH´>'3@ ,VWKLVVLPSO\OLEHUDOSRVWXULQJZLWKLWVVSHFL¿F South African connotations of ineffectuality and of turning a blind eye or can GHDWKSURYLGHDVSDFHIRU0UV&XUUHQWRVSHDNKHUPLQG"6KHLPDJLQHVWKHER\ revolutionary John goading her: “What is the point of consuming yourself in shame DQGORDWKLQJ"«ZK\GRQ¶W\RXdoVRPHWKLQJ"´ $, 'RHVWKHQRYHOLPSO\ that political commitment sanctions the expression of the self in ways that echo the SROLFLQJRIVRFLHW\DQGFXOWXUHE\DSDUWKHLGQDPHO\WKURXJKPRGHVRI³FHQVRUVKLS´ ERWKRIWKHVHOIDQGWKHVWDWH" $GLUHFWFRPSDULVRQRIWKHVHWZRPRGHVZRXOG EHJURVVO\PLVSODFHGJLYHQWKHVHYHUHFRQVHTXHQFHVRIVWDWHLQVWLWXWHGFHQVRUVKLS SUDFWLFHGE\WKH$IULNDQHU1DWLRQDO3DUW\GXULQJWKLVSHULRG Mrs. Curren learns of her personal tragedy on the day that Vercueil arrives in KHUOLIH9HUFXHLODVHPEOHPRIDQDWLRQDOPDODLVHLVWKHUHIRUHLQGHOLEO\OLQNHGWR Mrs. Curren’s disease. Mrs. Curren tells John that her cancer is the birthing of a personal and collective crisis of conscience about apartheid oppression: “I have cancer from the accumulation of shame I have endured in my life. That is how cancer comes about: from self-loathing the body turns malignant and begins to HDWDZD\DWLWVHOI´ $, :KLOHVKHPRXUQVWKHORVVRIKHUUHODWLRQVKLSZLWK her daughter – there is no communication between them during the time of the narrative as the letter has not yet been posted – she conceives the news of her WXPRXUDVDNLQGRIPDFDEUHKRPHFRPLQJZLWKDQHZERUQ ³,WZDVIRUPHWRWDNH LQP\DUPVDQGIROGWRP\FKHVWDQGWDNHKRPHZLWKRXWKHDGVKDNLQJZLWKRXW WHDUV´ $, /DWHUDVVKHKROGVLQKHUKDQGVWKHEOHHGLQJKHDGRI-RKQZKRKDV been run off his bicycle by the police, she is tortured by the image of this terrible ELUWK ³0RQVWURXVJURZWKVPLVELUWKV DVLJQWKDWRQHLVEH\RQGRQH¶VWHUP´ $, &DQFHUWKHUHIRUHVLJQDOVQRWRQO\0UV&XUUHQ¶VLPPLQHQWGHDWKEXWDOVRWKH LPSRVVLEOHELUWKRIDQDIÀLFWHGQDWLRQ Writing in the Face of Death 113 The narrative maps a tension between public and private entirely relevant to its contexts, the interregnum of late 1980s’ South Africa: that period of uncertainty EHWZHHQ UHJLPHV 7KH SROLF\ RI ³WRWDO VWUDWHJ\´ D WHUP FRLQHG E\ WKH )UHQFK general Beaufré who, according to William Beinart, “emphasized that in modern ZDUIDUH WKH ZKROH VRFLHW\ VKRXOG EH LQYROYHG LQ D µGLDOHFWLF RI WZR RSSRVLQJ ZLOOV¶´ZDVGXULQJWKHWLPHRIWKHQDUUDWLYHLQLWLDWHGE\WKHJRYHUQPHQWLQDODVW GLWFKDWWHPSWWRVKRUHXSLWVUDSLGO\GLPLQLVKLQJSRZHU %HLQDUW %RWK )ORUHQFHPRWKHURIFKLOGUHYROXWLRQDU\%KHNLDQGWKH$IULNDQHUSROLFHLQVLVWWKH GRPDLQRIWKHSULYDWHLVRYHUDQGWKDW0UV&XUUHQZULWLQJKHU³SULYDWHSDSHUV´ $, LVWKXVRXWRIV\QFZLWKWKHWLPHV5LÀLQJWKURXJKKHUOHWWHUVWKH detective searching her house is uncompromising: “This is not private, Mrs. Curren. ZKHQ,ZDONXSRQ«WKLV6RXWK$IULFD,KDYHDJDWKHULQJIHHOLQJRIZDONLQJ XSRQEODFNIDFHV«0LOOLRQVRI¿JXUHVRISLJLURQÀRDWLQJXQGHUWKHVNLQRIWKH HDUWK7KHDJHRILURQZDLWLQJWRUHWXUQ $, 6RXWK$IULFD¶VRSSUHVVHG\HWLUUHSUHVVLEOHEODFNSUHVHQFHLVDOOHJRUL]HGDVZDLWLQJ IRULWVPRPHQWRIUHWXUQ%\LPDJLQLQJWKDWVKHZDONV³XSRQ´WKHIDFHVRIWKHGHDG DQGWKHJURXQGLPELEHGE\WKHOHJDF\RIDSDUWKHLG0UV&XUUHQDFNQRZOHGJHVKHU SULYLOHJHDQGSRZHUDQGLQWXUQKHUFRPSOLFLW\LQEODFNRSSUHVVLRQ7KDWWKLVLVD ³JDWKHULQJIHHOLQJ´LVLQGLFDWLYHRIDFRQVFLRXVQHVVLQWUDQVLWLRQ'RPLQLF+HDG LGHQWL¿HVDQLQFRQVLVWHQF\KRZHYHUEHWZHHQWKLVQRYHODQG&RHW]HH¶VDUJXPHQW 1 In 1986 the pass laws were rescinded in response to the exponential rise in illegal VTXDWWHUVHWWOHPHQWV E\WKHHQGRIWKHGHFDGHWKH&DSH)ODWVH[WHQGLQJIURP&DSH7RZQWKDW were virtually uninhabited at the beginning of the decade were populated by an estimated WKUHHTXDUWHUVRIDPLOOLRQVHWWOHUV %HLQDUW[YL 7KH:LWGRHNHQDPHGDIWHULWV ZKLWHKHDGEDQGVZDVRQHRIDQXPEHURIEODFNYLJLODQWHJURXSVWKDWRSHUDWHGEHWZHHQ0D\ DQG-XQH EXUQLQJGRZQWKHVHVTXDWWHUFDPSV +HDGJ. M. Coetzee± Writing in the Face of Death 115 in White Writing DERXWThe Conservationist that, in Head’s words, “casts doubt on the validity of the symbol of ownership of the land, contained in the PRWLIRIWKHUHVXUIDFLQJFRUSVH´ J. M. Coetzee :: 1HYHUWKHOHVV+HDG goes on, Coetzee puts the motif to the same purpose in this novel “in a steely LPDJHZKLFKUHGRXEOHVDVHQVHRIZKLWHFRPSOLFLW\´ J. M. Coetzee 7KH 6RXWK $IULFD &RHW]HH SRUWUD\V LV DSRFDO\SWLF DQG OLNH D VFHQH IURP %RVFKLVSHRSOHGE\WKHLQVDQHDQGFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\LPDJHVRIGLVHDVH¿UHDQG damnation. Indeed, Hell in Mrs. Curren’s narrative emanates from South Africa’s SHUYDVLYHLGHRORJLHV ³+DGHV+HOO WKHGRPDLQRILGHDV´ $, ,WLVJKRXOLVKO\ ¿WWLQJ WKDW 0UV &XUUHQ LQWHQGV WR SURWHVW DJDLQVW WKH UHJLPH E\ VHWWLQJ ¿UH WR herself, though she later reneges on this decision. Caught up in the violence of the :LWGRHNHYLJLODQWHVVKHLVLQFHQVHGDQGFRQIRXQGHGE\WKHLQWUDQVLJHQFHRIWKH $IULNDQHUSROLFHZKLFKVKHFRQVWUXHVDVDNLQGRILQVDQLW\ ³$OORIXVUXQQLQJPDG possessed by devils. When madness climbs the throne, who in the land escapes the FRQWDJLRQ"´ $, :KDW&RHW]HHZULWHVDERXWWKHVFHQHLQ*RUGLPHU¶VQRYHO Burger’s Daughter LQZKLFKWKHSURWDJRQLVW5RVD%XUJHUZLWQHVVHVDPDQ EHDWLQJKLVGRQNH\UHVRQDWHVKHUH ³7KHVSHFWDFOHFRPHVIURPWKHLQQHUUHDFKHVRI 'DQWH¶VKHOOEH\RQGWKHVFRSHRIPRUDOLW\´ '3± 0UV&XUUHQMRLQVWKHUDQNVRI&RHW]HH¶VFRQVFLHQFHVWULFNHQZULWHUVIRUKHU letter is a confession of sorts in its pursuit of personal and political truths. (It is clear that she also understands that there can be a moral value in lying because, for altruistic ends, she lies on three occasions: to save Vercueil’s dignity, she lies WRWKHQHLJKERXUZKRLQIRUPVKHUWKDWDYDJUDQWKDVEHHQVHHQRQKHUSURSHUW\ VKHOLHVWRWKHSROLFHLQRUGHUWKDWVKHPLJKWJRLQVHDUFKRI%KHNLDQGVKHFODLPV ownership of John’s gun to protect him from the police. Mrs. Curren also lies when she explains the meaning of charity to Vercueil, a point that I elaborate EHORZ 7KURXJKKHULQWHUDFWLRQVZLWK9HUFXHLODQG-RKQ0UV&XUUHQUHDOL]HVWKDW ZKDWVKHFDOOVKHU³UHVXUUHFWLRQ´ $, LQDIDPLOLDU&RHW]HDQWURSHZLOORQO\ FRPHWKURXJK³ORYLQJWKHXQORYDEOH´VLQFHVHOÀHVVO\LQYHVWLQJLQWKHRWKHUHQVXUHV the most ethically pure actions: 7KDWLVP\¿UVWZRUGP\¿UVWFRQIHVVLRQ«,ZDQWWREHVDYHG+RZVKDOO, EHVDYHG"%\GRLQJZKDW,GRQRWZDQWWRGR«,PXVWORYH¿UVWRIDOOWKH unlovable. [John] is here for a reason. He is part of my salvation. I must love KLP $,± Up until this point Mrs. Curren has been unable to garner the inner resources to act out of love, though she has shown charity. She lies to protect John from the police DQGLVXQDIUDLGWRVSHDNRXWLQKLVGHIHQFHJHWWLQJKHUGLVJXVWDWKLVWUHDWPHQWDW WKHKDQGVRIWKHSROLFHKHDUG±KHLV³MXVWDFKLOG´VKHUHPRQVWUDWHVZLWKWKHP $, /LNHZLVHWKURXJKWKHERQGRIWUXVWZLWK9HUFXHLOWKDWVORZO\HYROYHV VKHEHOLHYHVVKHZLOO¿QGVDQFWXDU\ VHOIIRUJLYHQHVV ZLWKLQKHUVHOI+HUFLUFXODU sense of logic tells her: 116 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship Because I cannot trust Vercueil I must trust him … I give my life to Vercueil to carry over. I trust Vercueil because I do not love Vercueil. I love him because I GRQRWORYHKLP%HFDXVHKHLVWKHZHDNUHHG,OHDQXSRQKLP $, ± 0UV&XUUHQKDVQRWHYHQEHHQVXUHRI9HUFXHLO¶VQDPH VKHWHOOV)ORUHQFH ³+LV QDPHLV0U9HUFXHLO«9HUFXHLO9HUNXLO9HUVNXLO7KDW¶VZKDWKHVD\V´ $, ,Q$IULNDDQV³YHUNXO´PHDQV³WRFKHDW´DQG³YHUVNXLO´PHDQVWRKLGHRUFRQFHDO emphasizing the inscrutability otherness such as Vercueil’s vagrancy and racial LGHQWLW\HQFRGHV $WWZHOO³'LDORJXH´ +HDGJ. M. Coetzee 2 0UV&XUUHQWKXVVHHNVUHGHPSWLRQWKURXJKKHUUHODWLRQVKLSVZLWK-RKQDQGWKH GHUHOLFW9HUFXHLOZKRP'DYLG$WWZHOOQDPHVKHU³$QJHORI'HDWK´EHFDXVHLQWKH FORVLQJVHTXHQFH9HUFXHLOVTXHH]HVWKHOLIHIRUFHIURPKHUERG\ '3 VHHDOVR $WWZHOO³'LDORJXH´± 1RWRQO\GRHVWKHFDUHVKHVKRZVWKHVHWZR¿OOWKH gap left by her self-exiled daughter, it leads her to reassess her perception of those from whom she felt alienated, including the political activists. In this way private H[SHULHQFH VKDSHV DQG GH¿QHV KHU FRQFHSWLRQ RI WKH SROLWLFDO 8QGHU DSDUWKHLG politico-historical truths were actively suppressed and distorted yet, Mrs. Curren believes, the forces of opposition are also purveyors of untruths: “Calvin victorious, UHERUQLQWKHGRJPDWLVWVDQGZLWFKKXQWHUVRIERWKDUPLHV´ $, +HURZQTXHVW IRUWUXWKKRZHYHUERWKKHUVRXOVHDUFKLQJDQGTXHVWLRQLQJRISROLWLFDORUWKRGR[LHV OHDGVWRDSROLWLFDOHSLSKDQ\WRWKHUHDOL]DWLRQIROORZLQJWKHGLVFRYHU\RI%KHNL¶V ERG\ ³1RZ>KHU@H\HVDUHRSHQDQG>VKH@FDQQHYHUFORVHWKHPDJDLQ´ $, 0UV&XUUHQLVWKHDQWLWKHVLVRIWKH'RVWRHYVNLDQFRQIHVVDQWZKRDFFRUGLQJ WR &RHW]HH LV FKDUDFWHUL]HG E\ JUDWXLWRXV ³VHOIXQPDVNLQJ´ '3 EHFDXVH from the outset, Mrs. Curren has a profound sense of the ethical. Her sincerity, or rather her self-belief, is not in doubt, and, within Coetzee’s model of confession, the truthfulness of her outpourings is lent weight by her imminent death. Referring WR'RVWRHYVN\¶V,SSROLWLQThe Idiot &RHW]HHDUJXHVWKDWWKHFRQIHVVDQWRQ the point of death will most reliably render a truthful confession because “The sincerity of the motive behind last confessions cannot be impugned … because WKDWVLQFHULW\LVJXDUDQWHHGE\WKHGHDWKRIWKHFRQIHVVDQW´ '3 2IFRXUVH HYHQWKHG\LQJFRQIHVVDQWFDQEHVHOIGHFHLYLQJ :ULWLQJDERXW7ROVWR\LQWKH VDPHHVVD\&RHW]HHGH¿QHVWKHVLQFHULW\RIWKHG\LQJ 7KHVHQVHRIXUJHQF\WKDWWKHFULVLV>WKH³FRQIURQWDWLRQZLWKKLVRZQGHDWK´@ brings about, the relentlessness of the process in which the self is stripped of LWVFRPIRUWLQJ¿FWLRQVWKHVLQJOHPLQGHGQHVVRIWKHTXHVWIRUWUXWK DOOWKHVH TXDOLWLHVHQWHULQWRWKHWHUPsincerity '3 2 Although Vercueil’s racial identity is not disclosed, since John admonishes him for his alcoholism in deictic terms – “TheyDUHPDNLQJyouLQWRDGRJ´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG $, ±LWLVOLNHO\DV$WWULGJHVXJJHVWVWKDWKHLVEODFN ³7UXVWLQJ´ Writing in the Face of Death 117 Attridge points out that because Mrs. Curren’s letter is posthumous it is given ³ZLWKRXW WKRXJKW RI UHWXUQ´ ³7UXVWLQJ´ 7KH OHWWHU DSSDUHQWO\ EUHDNV RII DV 9HUFXHLOVTXHH]HV RXW KHU ODVW EUHDWK ,Q RQH LQWHUSUHWDWLRQ WKH QDUUDWLYH LV EURXJKWWRDFORVHE\DQXQQDPHGQDUUDWRUZKRPZHPLJKWVXUPLVHLV&RHW]HH an alternative might suggest that Mrs. Curren is writing at the point of death as LQ6DPXHO%HFNHWW¶VMalone Dies LQZKLFKWKHVWRU\RI0DORQHHQGVZLWK his words petering out on the page (Molloy +RZHYHUWKDWWKHOHWWHULVJLYHQ without constraint does not guarantee, as Attridge claims, a fuller expression of ORYH 0UV&XUUHQ¶VVHOIGLVFORVXUHVUHYHDOWKDWWKHOHWWHULVQRWDVVHOÀHVVDQDFWRI love as she intended, as I explain below. At the heart of the problem of endings, Coetzee argues in Doubling the Point, is “the debate … between cynicism and grace. Cynicism: the denial of any ultimate basis for values. Grace: a condition in which the truth can be told clearly, without EOLQGQHVV´ '3 $QWLFLSDWLQJGHDWK0UV&XUUHQJUDSSOHVZLWKWKLVGLOHPPD ZKLFKLVPDUNHGE\WKHKLVWRULFDOFRQGLWLRQLQZKLFKVKH¿QGVKHUVHOI'XULQJ the course of her story she vacillates between the poles, searching for transparent truths but always frustrated by the impasse of political dogma, as she sees it, of both apartheid ideology and revolutionary activism. It is in the dilemma of being caught between cynicism and grace that the political and the ethical are liable WRFRQYHUJH/LYLQJLQWKH³DJHRILURQ´WKHDJHRISROLWLFDOUHVROYHRQRQHVLGH and the unbending law of the state on the other, and against her personal beliefs, Mrs. Curren is reduced to a position of cynicism. The narrative even moots the devastating possibility that in a place such as this grace, or truth, is no longer attainable. Mrs. Curren’s predicament is echoed in Coetzee’s analysis of the protagonist in Marcellus Emants’s A Posthumous Confession ³VXFKSDLQ becomes most acute when we recognize how unbridgeably vast the gap is between WKH LGHDO DQG WKH WUXH VHOI´ 66 7KH ORFXV RI 0UV &XUUHQ¶V FRQIHVVLRQDO ZULWLQJVLVWKHLQFRPSDWLELOLW\RIKHULGHDOVHOI JUDFH DQGKHUWUXHVHOI F\QLFLVP which she is always struggling to reconcile. 0UV&XUUHQLVZKDW:LOOLDP&6SHQJHPDQQPLJKWFDOOWKH³FRQYHUWHGQDUUDWRU´ TWGLQ'3 ZKRVHOLIH&RHW]HHDUJXHVIDOOVLQWRDEHIRUHDQGDIWHUDQGZKRVH ³NQRZLQJFRQYHUWHGQDUUDWLQJVHOIVWDQGVLQYLVLEO\EHVLGHWKHH[SHULHQFLQJDFWLQJ VHOI>VXFKDQDUUDWRU@WHOOVDERXW´ '3 RYHUVHHLQJWKHSURFHVVRIFRQYHUVLRQ (The ending of Age of Iron lays bare its device because as Mrs. Curren draws her last breath in the present of the narrative, the two narrating selves apparently fuse LQWRRQH 0UV&XUUHQEHOLHYHVWKDW³'HDWKLVWKHRQO\WUXWKOHIW´ $, \HWFRPHV WRUHDOL]HWKDWKHUSODQQHGSURWHVWWRVHWKHUVHOIDOLJKWLQIURQWRIWKH³+RXVHRI/LHV´ ±ZKDW&RHW]HHZRXOGFDOOD³SKLORVRSKLFDOVXLFLGH´ '3 ±ZRXOGSURYHIXWLOH 6KHEHOLHYHVWKDWLQWKHH\HVRIWKH\RXQJVKHODFNVSROLWLFDOFUHGLELOLW\LQDVPXFK DVKHUGHDWKZRXOGVLPSO\HQGKHURZQ SULYDWH SDLQ6KHUHDOL]HVWKHVHOILQWHUHVW inherent in the suicide bid, that her motives are not generated by public duty but by personal pain, and so, in turn, it dawns upon her that as a gesture of political SURWHVWLWODFNVSXUFKDVH ³7KHWUXWKLVWKHUHZDVDOZD\VVRPHWKLQJIDOVHDERXWWKDW impulse, deeply false, no matter what rage or despair it answered… . Will the lies 118 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship VWRSEHFDXVHDVLFNROGZRPDQNLOOVKHUVHOI"´ $, 0UV&XUUHQXQGHUJRHVD political enlightenment only in the sense that she is confronted with the realities of oppression which will harden her ethical resolve. It is via Mrs. Curren’s engagement with ethics of care, trust, love and so on, WKDWVKHPDNHVLQWHUYHQWLRQVLQWRWKHSROLWLFDO7KHOHWWHULVSULPDULO\DJLIWDQGLV intended as an act of love – “my daughter’s inheritance. They are all I can give her, DOOVKHZLOODFFHSWFRPLQJIURPWKLVFRXQWU\´ $, We embrace our children to be folded in the arms of the future, to pass ourselves on beyond death … We bear children in order to be mothered by them. Home truths, a mother’s truth: from now to the end that is all you will hear from me. $, 7KHOHWWHU³DEDULQJRIVRPHWKLQJHOVHEXWQRWRIP\KHDUW´ $, LVQRWLQWHQGHG to recount the story of her wasting body, from which, the text implies, her writing LVDUHOHDVH $, (YHQVRLWSURYLGHVOLWWOHVRODFH:HZRQGHUZKHWKHU0UV Curren meant to post the letter at all for she assures its reader: “I will not show to you what you will not be able to bear´RQO\WRGRMXVWWKDWGHVFULELQJKHUVHOIDV³D woman in a burning house running from window to window, calling through the EDUVIRUKHOS´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG $, 7KLVFDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHWUXWKYDOXHRI her letter and suggests that, rather than a gift of love, it is a means of venting her anguish about her lost daughter and her illness. Mrs. Curren admits that the letter SODFHVKHUGDXJKWHUXQGHUPRUDOREOLJDWLRQDQGDI¿UPLQJODQJXDJH¶VRSSUHVVLYH TXDOLW\SURPLVHVWRVHWKHUIUHHIURP³WKLVURSHRIZRUGV´ $, +HUOHWWHUKDV become, metaphorically, both a lifeline by which to save herself and the bonds from which she promises to cut her daughter loose, and therefore violates the ethics of JLIWJLYLQJDQGEHTXHVW±WKHODWWHUE\LWVYHU\QDWXUHcannot be reciprocated. ,QYRNLQJePLOH=ROD¶VRSHQ³Lettre au Président de la République´ 3 Mrs. Curren realizes that the letter is, in part, an accusation: “J’accuse. I accuse \RXRIDEDQGRQLQJPH«,ÀLQJP\SDLQDW\RX´ $, =RODLQGHIHQFHRI 3 =ROD¶VOHWWHU³-¶$FFXVH´DGGUHVVHGWRWKH)UHQFK3UHVLGHQWZDVSXEOLVKHGLQWKH French newspaper L’Aurore in 1898. Supporting the civil liberties of Dreyfus, who had been Writing in the Face of Death 119 Dreyfus against the railings of the anti-Semitic Right in Republican France, calls XSRQXQLYHUVDOQRWLRQVRIWUXWKMXVWLFHDQGOLEHUW\ ³7UXWKDQGMXVWLFHVRDUGHQWO\ longed for! How terrible it is to see them trampled, unrecognized and ignored! « 0\ ¿HU\ SURWHVW LV VLPSO\ WKH FU\ RI P\ YHU\ VRXO´ =ROD Q SDJ =ROD¶V OHWWHULVVXEVHTXHQWO\DOOXGHGWRLQDisgrace ZKHQWKHGLVJUDFHGDFDGHPLF Professor David Lurie imagines the father of the young female student with whom Lurie has been conducting an affair signing a formal letter of complaint of sexual harassment against him – “J’accuse´ ',6 0UV &XUUHQ¶V VHOIGLVFORVXUHV betray her feelings of resentment towards her daughter, couched in terms of KRQHVW\DQGSODLQVSHDNLQJ/RDGLQJEODPHXSRQKHU0UV&XUUHQHYHQGLYXOJHV KHUSODQQHGVXLFLGHDQGQDPHV9HUFXHLOKHU³KXVEDQG´ ³)RUJLYHPHLIWKHSLFWXUH RIIHQGV\RX«2QHPXVWORYHZKDWLVWRKDQGDVDGRJORYHV´ $, 0UV &XUUHQLGHQWL¿HVKHURZQQHHGLQHVVDVVKHLQYHQWRULHV9HUFXHLO¶VQHHGVZKLFKLQ sum are “Too much to give: too much for someone who longs, if the truth be told, to creep into her own mother’s lap and be comforted´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG $, :KDWLVVXSSRVHGWREHDEHTXHVWDQGDWRNHQRIPRWKHUORYHLVUHYHDOHGWKHUHIRUH to be both self-interested and self-deceiving. Lurie and Mrs. Curren’s invocation of Zola is ill-conceived: Lurie is mired in self-pity over the repercussions of his exploitative relationship and Mrs. Curren is expressing the anguish of a neglected mother. Both thus fail to meet the standards of public intellectualism to which Zola’s letter pertains, though Mrs. Curren’s efforts far outweigh those of Lurie. What she believes is her conviction in public truths, she recognizes, is self- interested and bound up with her response to her fast-approaching death. Coetzee argues in Doubling the Point that Mrs. Curren’s story is “about having DVD\«:KDWPDWWHUVLVWKDWWKHFRQWHVWLVVWDJHG´ '3 'HVSLWHWKHYHU\ private nature of Mrs. Curren’s letter and her disavowal of political rhetoric per VH0UV&XUUHQUHVROYHVWR³VSHDNWUXWKWRSRZHU´ 6DLGRepresentations $OWKRXJK XQOLNH 6DLG¶V LQWHOOHFWXDO VKH GRHVQ¶W JHW KHU YRLFH KHDUG LQ SXEOLF IRUXPVKHURXWVSRNHQQHVVUHVRQDWHVZLWKKLVDQDO\VLV WKHSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOLV VRPHRQH ZKRVH ZKROH EHLQJ LV VWDNHG RQ D FULWLFDO VHQVH D VHQVH RI EHLQJ unwilling to accept easy formulas, or ready-made clichés, or the smooth, ever- VRDFFRPPRGDWLQJFRQ¿UPDWLRQVRIZKDWWKHSRZHUIXORUFRQYHQWLRQDOKDYHWR VD\DQGZKDWWKH\GR1RWMXVWSDVVLYHO\XQZLOOLQJEXWDFWLYHO\ZLOOLQJWRVD\ so in public. (Said, Representations 0UV&XUUHQDFKLHYHVDFULWLFDOHGJHWKURXJKKHUUHOHQWOHVVVHOITXHVWLRQLQJDQG WKURXJKKHUFKDOOHQJHWRWKHSROLWLFDOLGHRORJXHVE\GDULQJWRVSHDNRXW$GGUHVVLQJ KHUGDXJKWHU EXWDOVRWKHUHDGHURIWKHWH[W VKHHYHQDSSHDOVIRUFULWLFDOUHDGLQJ “attend to the writing, not to me. If lies and pleas and excuses weave among the words, listen for them. Do not pass them over, do not forgive them easily. Read all, court-martialled and imprisoned, Zola called upon Le Déclaration des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen 'HFODUDWLRQRI+XPDQDQG&LYLO5LJKWV LQ'UH\IXV¶VGHIHQFH 120 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship HYHQWKLVDGMXUDWLRQZLWKDFROGH\H´ $, ± 7UDLQHGDVDQHW\PRORJLVWDQG Classics lecturer, she hones language to suit her needs, and in so doing becomes a thorn in the side of the purveyors of political dogma. &LWLQJWKHOLQJXLVW%HQMDPLQ:KRUI¶VFODLPWKDW,QGR(XURSHDQV\QWD[UHVXOWV LQD³PHFKDQLVWLFZD\RIWKLQNLQJ´&RHW]HHLGHQWL¿HVWKDWTXDOLW\RIODQJXDJH ZKLFKJHQHUDWHVXQFULWLFDOWKLQNLQJ ³RQHFDQXQFRQVFLRXVO\SURMHFWWKHVWUXFWXUH of one’s language out on to the stars and then believe that the resulting map is a true SLFWXUHRIWKHXQLYHUVH´ '3 7KH%ULWLVKLQWHOOHFWXDO*HRUJH2UZHOOSUHVVHV WKLV DUJXPHQWIXUWKHU LQ ³3ROLWLFVDQG WKH (QJOLVK/DQJXDJH´LQ KLV FRQWHQWLRQ WKDWWKHVWDWHRI(QJOLVKLVLQGHFOLQHWKHVLJQL¿FDQFHRIZKLFKKHVD\VVKRXOG QRWEHXQGHUHVWLPDWHG6ODFNXQVFKRROHGODQJXDJHSURGXFHVVODFNXQVFKRROHG thought, which in turn leads to bad politics. Orwell even contends that “if thought FRUUXSWVODQJXDJHODQJXDJHFDQDOVRFRUUXSWWKRXJKW´ 0HDQLQJOHVVZRUGV IRULQVWDQFHFDQEH³XVHGLQDFRQVFLRXVO\GLVKRQHVWZD\´WRGLVJXLVHSROLWLFDO XQWUXWKV³'HPRFUDF\´WRWDNHRQHH[DPSOHFDQEHLQYRNHGE\DQ\UHJLPHWKDW ZDQWVWREHORRNHGXSRQIDYRXUDEO\ 2UZHOO $V-&LQ&RHW]HH¶VDiary of a Bad Year SURYRFDWLYHO\RSLQHV³RQGHPRFUDF\´LQKLVFROOHFWLRQRI³VWURQJ RSLQLRQV´³'HPRFUDF\GRHVQRWDOORZIRUSROLWLFVRXWVLGHWKHGHPRFUDWLFV\VWHP ,QWKLVVHQVHGHPRFUDF\LVWRWDOLWDULDQ´ '%< 7KHODQJXDJHRIHXSKHPLVP KDVLWVRZQVLQLVWHUHQGV2UZHOOVXJJHVWVFRYHULQJXSJURVVLQMXVWLFHVDQGWKH DWURFLWLHVRIZDU ³SDFL¿FDWLRQ´³UHFWL¿FDWLRQRIIURQWLHUV´DQG³HOLPLQDWLRQRI XQUHOLDEOHHOHPHQWV´DOOFOLQLFDOO\GLVJXLVHWKHUHDOLW\RIKXPDQVXIIHULQJ7KLV SURFHVV KRZHYHU ³LV UHYHUVLEOH´ ,I WKHVH EDG KDELWV DUH UHPHGLHG ³RQH FDQ WKLQNPRUHFOHDUO\DQGWRWKLQNFOHDUO\LVDQHFHVVDU\¿UVWVWHSWRZDUGSROLWLFDO UHJHQHUDWLRQ VRWKDWWKH¿JKWDJDLQVWEDG(QJOLVKLVQRWIULYRORXVDQGLVQRWWKH H[FOXVLYHFRQFHUQRISURIHVVLRQDOZULWHUV´ 2UZHOO :KLOVW2UZHOOLVZULWLQJ about the decline of English in 1940s Britain, his position can be mapped readily on to the ill-use of political language more generally. /LNH2UZHOODQG6DLG ZLWKKLVVXVSLFLRQRI³HDV\IRUPXODVRUUHDG\PDGH cOLFKpV´ 0UV&XUUHQLVPLVWUXVWIXORIWKHLQH[DFWVKDSHVLQWRZKLFKWKHODQJXDJH RI FRQWHPSRUDU\ SROLWLFV KDV EHHQ VTXHH]HG /DQJXDJH KDV EHFRPH WLUHG DQG meaningless but, more importantly, it has also become corrupt. Mrs. Curren’s insights into the use and abuse of language catalyzes her own self-scrutiny. Her scrupulous regard for language therefore is her private, ethical means of challenging the iron-hard rules not only of the state but also, in her eyes, of anti-apartheid PLOLWDQF\ ,Q NHHSLQJ ZLWK 2UZHOO ZKLOVW KHU VLQJXODU LQWHOOHFWXDOLVP VWUXFWXUHV her sensitivity to language, her language also self-consciously structures her intellectualism. Words function as the catalyst of empathetic understanding with the other, bringing Mrs. Curren to her revised position. WhHQVKHRIIHUVKLPZRUN DVDJDUGHQHU9HUFXHLOSURYLGHVKHUZLWKDVWDUNOHVVRQLQWKHPHDQLQJRIFKDULW\ 6KHDGYLVHVKLPWKDWWKH\³FDQ¶WSURFHHGRQDEDVLVRIFKDULW\´ $, DFRYHUW NLQGQHVVRQKHUSDUWVLQFHVKHLVWU\LQJWRVSDUHKLPWKHKXPLOLDWLRQRIDFFHSWLQJ handouts. He demands an explanation why, as she has suggested, he does not merit Writing in the Face of Death 121 KHUVXSSRUW ³'HVHUYH«:KRGHVHUYHVDQ\WKLQJ"´KHDVNV $, ,IVKHH[SHFWV gratitude for her philanthropy, Vercueil is not forthcoming. Mrs. Curren is exasperated that her words fall on deaf ears. Rather than being UHFHSWLYHWRKHULGHDVZKLFKZRXOGPDNHKLPWKH³LGHDOFRQIHVVRU´4 Vercueil seems indifferent since he often fails to respond and at times appears not even to OLVWHQ0UV&XUUHQUHJDUGV-RKQDVHPEOHPDWLFRIWKH³QHZSXULWDQV´ $, DQG LVTXLFNWRSDVVMXGJHPHQWRQKLP There is something stupid about him, something deliberately stupid, obstructive, LQWUDFWDEOH«7KRXJKKLVH\HVZHUHRSHQKHGLGQRWVHH ZKDW,VDLGKHGLG QRWKHDU«7KHZRUGVRIDZRPDQWKHUHIRUHQHJOLJLEOH RIDQROGZRPDQ WKHUHIRUHGRXEO\QHJOLJLEOH EXWDERYHDOORIDZKLWH $,± 0UV&XUUHQSRLQWHGO\OLQNV-RKQ¶V³VWXSLGLW\´QRWRQO\WRJHQGHUDQGDJHGLIIHUHQFH EXWDOVRWRTXHVWLRQVRIUDFH KHGRHVQRWVHHRUKHDUWKHWUXWK 0UV&XUUHQ¶VWUXWK WKDW LV EHFDXVH ³DERYH DOO´ VKH LV ³D ZKLWH´ $, ± 6KH LPDJLQHV -RKQ¶V indignation at what he perceives as an empty rhetoric that resonates with South African liberalism: 7DONWDON7DONKDGZHLJKHGGRZQWKHJHQHUDWLRQRIKLVJUDQGSDUHQWVDQGWKH JHQHUDWLRQRIKLVSDUHQWV/LHVSURPLVHVEODQGLVKPHQWVWKUHDWV WKH\KDGZDONHG VWRRSHGXQGHUWKHZHLJKWRIDOOWKHWDON1RWKH+HWKUHZRIIWDON $, 6KHEHOLHYHVVKHVHHV UDFLDODQGJHQGHUHG KDWUHGLQKLVH\HV\HWLWPLJKWHTXDOO\ be the expression of a frightened child since this is, after all, only Mrs. Curren’s reading of him. His political intransigence – what Mrs. Curren calls his calculated ³VWXSLGLW\´±DQWLFLSDWHVWKHSRUWUD\DORIWKHQLKLOLVWOHDGHU1HFKDHYLQ&RHW]HH¶V next novel The Master of Petersburg , whose political beliefs are premised RQWKHQRWLRQWKDW³HYHU\WKLQJLVSHUPLWWHG´DQGWKDW³ZHGRQ¶WHQGOHVVO\WKLQN on the one hand and on the other handZHMXVWdo´ 03 7KHSROLWLFDO intractability of South Africa’s militant youth, Mrs. Curren believes, is not XQOLNHWKH 1DWLRQDO3DUW\¶V LURQKDUG UXOH ,Q UHVSRQVH WR -RKQ¶V FRQGHPQDWLRQ of Vercueil’s alcoholism, she laments: “The new puritans, holding to the rule, holding up the rule. Abhorring alcohol, that softens the rule, dissolves iron … 6XVSLFLRXVRIGHYLRXVGLVFRXUVHOLNHWKLV´ $, -RKQ¶VFRQYLFWLRQVDUHLQIDFWD carefully formulated and orchestrated political position and a historically accurate representation of the contemporary milieu: student protesters during the 1980s ZHUHRSSRVHGWRGULQNLQJEHFDXVHLWZDVWKRXJKWWRVW\PLHOHDUQLQJVRFLDOLW\DQG DFWLYLVP FI%HLQDUW± 0UV&XUUHQQRWVXUSULVLQJO\RIIHUVDGLIIHUHQW 4 $V&RHW]HHH[SODLQVLQ³&RQIHVVLRQDQG'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´WKHKXPDQH\HWVWXSLG 3ULQFH0\VKNLQLQ)\RGRU'RVWRHYVN\¶VThe Idiot LVDFFRUGLQJWRKLVFRQIHVVDQWVWKH ³LGHDOFRQIHVVRU¿JXUH´EHFDXVHKHUHDGLO\DFFHSWVKXPDQIDOOLELOLW\DQGKLVXQGHUVWDQGLQJ RI³WUXWK´LVQ¶WYHVWHGLQVHOILQWHUHVW '3 122 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship KXPDQHSHUVSHFWLYHIDYRXULQJWKHHWKLFDORYHUWKHSROLWLFDO VKHDGYRFDWHVPDNLQJ DOORZDQFHVIRU9HUFXHLO¶VYLFH5HFLSURFLW\LVVNHZHGEHFDXVHWKRXJKWKHHWKRV or more accurately the apathy, of Vercueil accommodates Mrs. Curren’s voice, IRUWKHOLNHVRI-RKQDQG%KHNL³WKHULVLQJJHQHUDWLRQZKRGRQRWGULQN,FDQQRW VSHDNFDQRQO\OHFWXUH´ $, &HQWULQJRQWKHZRUG³FRPUDGHVKLS´DKHDWHGGHEDWHEHWZHHQ0UV&XUUHQDQG Mr. Thabane ensues about commitment and the place of children in war framed LQWKHSRODUL]HGWHUPVRIHWKLFV 0UV&XUUHQ ³YHUVXV´SROLWLFV 0U7KDEDQH 0UV&XUUHQLVHPSKDWLFLQKHUUHMHFWLRQRIYLROHQFHLQZKDWHYHUQDPHWKDW³DV IRUWKLVNLOOLQJWKLVEORRGOHWWLQJLQWKHQDPHRIcomradeship, I detest it with all P\KHDUWDQGVRXO,WKLQNLWLVEDUEDURXV´ $, ,QÀDPHGE\0U7KDEDQH¶V UHWRUWWKDWVKHGRHVQRW³XQGHUVWDQGYHU\PXFKDERXWFRPUDGHVKLS´VKHGUDZV parallels with oppressive regimes, including the Nazis: “Comradeship is nothing EXWDP\VWLTXHRIGHDWKRINLOOLQJDQGG\LQJPDVTXHUDGLQJDVZKDW\RXFDOOD ERQG DERQGRIZKDW"/RYH",GRXEWLW ´ $, 0U7KDEDQHRIFRXUVHLV DOVRWDONLQJDERXWDNLQGRIIULHQGVKLSEDVHGRQDEVROXWHWUXVWZKLFKDV%HLQDUW observes, was a moral imperative in the resistance struggle and in the very notion RI³FRPUDGHVKLS´ 6XJJHVWLYHRI6DLG2UZHOODQG&RHW]HH¶VFULWLTXHRILOOIRUPXODWHGODQJXDJH Mrs. Curren regards Mr. Thabane’s attempts to tutor her in the effects of apartheid RSSUHVVLRQ DV D NLQG RI ³9HQWULORTXLVPWKH OHJDF\ RI 6RFUDWHV DV RSSUHVVLYH LQ$IULFDDVLWZDVLQ$WKHQV´ $, ,QKHURZQTXHVWIRUWUXWKVKHUHPDLQV perspicacious: “These are terrible sights … But I cannot denounce them in other SHRSOH¶V ZRUGV , PXVW ¿QG P\ RZQ ZRUGV IURP P\VHOI 2WKHUZLVH LW LV QRW WKHWUXWK´ $, 7R0UV&XUUHQ¶VHDUVHYHQWKHGLVVRQDQFHRIWKH$IULNDDQV language, with its heavy cadences that she can only associate with the atrocities RIWKHDSDUWKHLGUHJLPHGHQRWHVLQWUDQVLJHQFHDQGRSSUHVVLRQ+HDULQJLWVSRNHQ RQWKHWHOHYLVLRQHOLFLWVKHULPSDVVLRQHGUHVSRQVH ³WKHVORZWUXFXOHQW$IULNDDQV UK\WKPVZLWKWKHLUGHDGHQLQJFORVHVOLNHDKDPPHUEHDWLQJDSRVWLQWRWKHJURXQG Together, blow after blow, we listened. The disgrace of the life one lives under WKHP´ $, $IULNDDQVGLDORJXHLVXVHGDWPRPHQWVRIRSHQKRVWLOLW\LQWKHWH[W DVDPDUNHURIXQHTXDOSRZHUUHODWLRQV0UV&XUUHQSHUFHLYHVDFKDQJHLQWRQH ZKHQWKHGHWHFWLYHTXHVWLRQLQJKHUVZLWFKHVWR$IULNDDQV $, 9HUFXHLOFDOOV XSRQ$IULNDDQVWRFXUVH)ORUHQFHZKRKDVGLVPLVVHGKLPDV³UXEELVK´ $, DQG 0UV&XUUHQHPSOR\V$IULNDDQVWRWHOOWKHSROLFH³,VWDQGRQWKHRWKHUVLGH´ $, $IULNDDQVLVWKHODQJXDJHRIODVWUHVRUWZKHQGLDORJXHEUHDNVGRZQ([FHSW in this last example, in order to emphasize a communicative impasse Coetzee does not offer translations. (The South African edition of In the Heart of the Country, SXEOLVKHG LQ SUHVHQWHG DOO GLDORJXH LQ $IULNDDQV $OWKRXJK WKLV ZRXOG not have been a problem for South African readers, as Attridge has noted, this device would nevertheless have defamiliarized them from the text [Attridge, J. M. Coetzee 22]. The struggle to communicate – authentic communication is always IRXQGZDQWLQJLQWKHQRYHO±LVPDUNHGLQWKLVZD\E\WKHODQJXDJHDVVRFLDWHGZLWK WKHDSDUWKHLGUHJLPHDQG$IULNDQHUQDWLRQDOLVP Writing in the Face of Death 123 0UV &XUUHQ VWUXJJOHV WR DUWLFXODWH WR ¿QG D ODQJXDJH WKDW H[SUHVVHV KHU ethical vision authentically and truthfully. She is once more shouted down, this WLPHE\DPDQLQWKHFURZGZKRUHWRUWV³7KLVZRPDQWDONVVKLW´ $, +HU HORTXHQW UHVSRQVH FRXQWHUSRLQWV KLV YXOJDU OLQJXLVWLF UHJLVWHU ZKLFK WKUHDWHQV WRVWDOOLQWHOOHFWXDOGHEDWH ³µ%XWZKDWGR\RXH[SHFW"«7RVSHDNRIWKLV¶±, ZDYHGDKDQGRYHUWKHEXVKWKHVPRNHWKH¿OWKOLWWHULQJWKHSDWK±µ\RXZRXOG QHHGWKHWRQJXHRIDJRG¶´ $, $VWDQGDJDLQVWDSDUWKHLGDQGWKHSRVVLELOLW\ RI SROLWLFDO WUDQVIRUPDWLRQVKHUHDVRQVQHFHVVLWDWHVGLDORJXHDQGLPDJLQLQJD common humanity. She attempts to demonstrate her position through the verbal FKDOOHQJHVVKHPDNHVWRKHU SROLWLFDO DGYHUVDULHVDQGWKURXJKKHUOHWWHU+HUH VKHUHÀHFWVRQWKHSRZHURIZRUGV [Words] may only be air but they come from my heart, from my womb. They are not Yes, they are not No. What is living inside me is something else, another ZRUG$QG,DP¿JKWLQJIRULWLQP\PDQQHU¿JKWLQJIRULWQRWWREHVWLÀHG $, +RZHYHUUDWKHUWKDQRIIHUVROXWLRQVWKHQRYHOVWDJHVWKHGHEDWHDERXWWKHHI¿FDF\ RISULYLOHJLQJWKHHWKLFDORYHUWKHSROLWLFDO,WDVNVZKHWKHU0UV&XUUHQ¶VYRLFHLV WHQDEOHLQWKH³DJHRILURQ´DQGWKHVHOIGRXEWLWH[SUHVVHVLQUHVSRQVHVHHPVWREH both hers and that of her author, Coetzee. At every turn Mrs. Curren’s right to voice her opinion is contested and, indeed, GLVPLVVHG+HUXQGHUVWDQGLQJRIWKHFRQFHSW³FKDULW\´LVFKDOOHQJHGYHUEDOO\E\ 9HUFXHLODQGWKHER\V%KHNLDVNVVDUGRQLFDOO\LIWKH\PXVWEULQJSDVVHVZKHQ WKH\YLVLWWKHKRXVH )ORUHQFHDQG0U7KDEDQHFKDOOHQJHKHUDERXWKHUQRWLRQ of commitment. She whispers her complaint to the television when she watches ³RQHRIWKRVHVSHHFKHV´ $, GHOLYHUHGE\JRYHUQPHQWPLQLVWHUV9HUFXHLOVFRUQV KHULQWHQWLRQWRVHW¿UHWRKHUVHOILQSURWHVWMXVWDVVKHDQWLFLSDWHVLWZRXOGEH VFRUQHGE\)ORUHQFH $,± ZKRPVKHFKDOOHQJHGHDUOLHUIRUQRWHQIRUFLQJ %KHNL¶VDWWHQGDQFHDWVFKRRO2IFRXUVH0UV&XUUHQGRHVVSHDNRXWDJDLQVWWKH YLFWLPL]DWLRQRI%KHNLDQG-RKQOLHVDERXWWKHJXQDQGYHKHPHQWO\FRQGHPQV face-to-face the police who murder them. She is left feeling disgraced by the DFWLRQVRIWKHSROLFHDIWHUWKHELF\FOHLQFLGHQW $, DQGEHOLHYHVWKDWWKHPXUGHU RI%KHNLZLOOHDWDZD\DWWKHSROLFHPHQ¶VVRXOV $, 6KHHYHQDWWHPSWVWRZDUQ Mr. Thabane, whose political activities she opposes, that he is in grave danger of becoming the next victim of the state. ,QDNH\SDVVDJH0UV&XUUHQLGHQWL¿HVWKHLPSRUWDQFHRI¿QGLQJDYRLFHDOO too aware of the ethical problems this engenders. By what rightVKHDVNVGRHVVKH VSHDNDERXWDQGRQEHKDOIRIRWKHUV"6KHEHOLHYHVWKDWKHUVLV³WKHWUXHYRLFHRI ZLVGRP´EXWFRQFHGHVZLWKVRPHLURQ\WKDWKHUULJKWWRVSHDNRXWLVFRPSURPLVHG by white privilege: 124 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship who am I, who am IWRKDYHDYRLFHDWDOO"«,KDYHQRYRLFH ,ORVWLWORQJ DJR SHUKDSV,KDYHQHYHUKDGRQH«7KHUHVWVKRXOGEHVLOHQFH%XWZLWKWKLV ±ZKDWHYHULWLV±WKLVYRLFHWKDWLVQRYRLFH,JRRQ2QDQGRQ $, Mrs. Curren musters the problem of authority that resurfaces in each of Coetzee’s ¿FWLRQV DQG UHFRJQL]HV WKDW LW LV FRQWLQJHQW ZLWK 6RXWK $IULFDQ FRORQLDO DQG DSDUWKHLGKLVWRU\ ³DFULPHZDVFRPPLWWHGORQJDJR«LWLVSDUWRIP\LQKHULWDQFH´ $, 0UV&XUUHQKDVFRQYLFWLRQLQWKHSRZHURIZRUGVDQG LQWHOOHFWXDO GLVFRXUVH Writing and language are her private means of demonstrating her love for her GDXJKWHU ³LQWKLVZRUOGLQWKLVWLPH,PXVWUHDFKRXWWR\RXLQZRUGV´ $, Later she intones, “I am feelingP\ZD\WRZDUG\RX ZLWKHDFKZRUG,feel my ZD\´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG $, +HUHHPSKDVL]HGWKURXJKUHSHWLWLRQDQGSXQQLQJ ³IHHOLQJ´ FRQQRWHV VHQWLPHQW DQG HPSDWK\ DQG ZKHUH EOLQGQHVV LV W\SLFDOO\ associated with philosophical insight, is suggestive of the intellectually blind ³IHHOLQJWKHLUZD\´ Elizabeth Curren brings to bear against the voices of history and historical MXGJHPHQWWKDWUHVRXQGDURXQGKHUWZRNLQGVRIDXWKRULW\ WKHDXWKRULW\RIWKH dying and the authority of the classics. Both these authorities are denied and HYHQGHULGHGLQKHUZRUOG WKH¿UVWEHFDXVHKHUVLVDSULYDWHGHDWKWKHVHFRQG EHFDXVHLWVSHDNVIURPORQJDJRDQGIDUDZD\ '3 Mrs. Curren is a practitioner of words by training, though Latin, she instructs 9HUFXHLOLVD³GHDGODQJXDJH«DODQJXDJHVSRNHQE\WKHGHDG´ $, +DYLQJ WDFLWO\ FRQFHGHG ZLWK WKHVH ZRUGV WKDW /DWLQ ODFNV UHOHYDQFH LQ WKH FRQWH[W RI apartheid, she repeatedly and self-consciously draws attention to words that etymologically are assigned ethical value: comradeship, charity, gratitude, resolve, trust, love, confession, heroism, honour, shame, stupidity. Similarly, she UHÀHFWVXSRQWKHHWKLFVRIMXVWLFHWUXWKOLHVFRPUDGHVKLSKRQRXUKHURLVPDQG RQ HWKLFDO FRQWUDFWV VXFK DV YRZV EHTXHVWV DQG ZDJHUV 6KH DWWHPSWV WR WXWRU 9HUFXHLOLQ WKH LGHD RI FKDULW\ EXW PLVOHDGV KLP ZLWK KHU ³IDOVH HW\PRORJLHV´ 7KHURRWRI³FKDULW\´FRPHVIURPWKH/DWLQIRUKHDUWVKHWHOOVKLPDQGUHYHUVLQJ Writing in the Face of Death 125 the theological adage, claims that receiving is as taxing as giving: “A lie: charity, caritas, has nothing to do with the heart. But what does it matter if my sermons rest RQIDOVHHW\PRORJLHV"+HEDUHO\OLVWHQVZKHQ,VSHDNWRKLP´ $, 'HOLEHUDWHO\ falsifying the Latin in her appeal to the heart, she calls on reason’s other, feeling. 6KHUXPLQDWHVRQ³VWXSLG´FRQVWUXLQJWKHSROLWLFDOGRJPDRIERWKSDUWLHVDVDNLQG RIVWXSLGLW\7KH1DWLRQDO3DUW\SROLWLFLDQVGHOLYHULQJ³RQHRIWKRVHVSHHFKHV´ are stupid in their intractability and immutability and their “feat, after years of etymological meditation on the word, to have raised stupidity to a virtue… . A gradient from stupid to stunned to astonished, to be turned to stone. The message: WKDWWKHPHVVDJHQHYHUFKDQJHV´ $, An attentiveness to language, to searching meaning out, constitutes Mrs. Curren’s challenge to the ideologues. As the crux of her ethico-political position, language is ascribed historicity, and is thus necessarily future-directed because KLVWRULFDOSHUVSHFWLYHORRNVWRWKHSRVVLELOLW\RIFKDQJH6KHFRQIHVVHVWR9HUFXHLO IRULQVWDQFHWKDWXQWLOQRZVKHKDGDYRLGHGXVLQJWKHWHUP³KHURLVP´ ³7KHWLPHV FDOOIRUKHURLVP$ZRUGWKDWDV,VSHDNLWVRXQGVIRUHLJQWRP\OLSV,GRXEWWKDW ,KDYHHYHUXVHGLWEHIRUHHYHQLQDOHFWXUH:K\QRW"3HUKDSVRXWRIUHVSHFW 3HUKDSVRXWRIVKDPH´ $, :KDWKHUUHFHQWH[SHULHQFHVWHDFKKHUHVSHFLDOO\ the deaths of the two boys, is that there still exists a place in the world for the word ³KHURLVP´LQLWVSURSHUVHQVH2QKHULQWHQWLRQWRLPPRODWHKHUVHOIVKHZULWHV ³,PHDQWWRJRWKURXJKZLWKLW LVWKDWWKHWUXWK" This letter has become a maze, and I a dog in the maze … Why do I not call for KHOSFDOOWR*RG"«*RGLVDQRWKHUGRJLQDQRWKHUPD]H«KHLVORVWDV,DP ORVW $, This is a place where, in Harry Mulisch’s words, “Heaven was impossible, only KHOOPLJKWSHUKDSVH[LVW´IRUHYHQ*RGKDVORVWKLVZD\ TWGLQ&RHW]HHStranger Shores 6KHHYHQUHDGVKHUH[SHULHQFHRIWKHZRUOGDOOHJRULFDOO\ZKHQLQWKH GHVSHUDWH VHDUFK IRU %KHNL LQ WKH WRZQVKLSV VKH FRPPHQWV RQ )ORUHQFH¶V WZR 126 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship \RXQJJLUOV ³+RSHDQG%HDXW\,WZDVOLNHOLYLQJDQDOOHJRU\´ $, 2IFRXUVH given Mrs. Curren’s negative predisposition towards rules and orthodoxies, DOOHJRU\LVLWVHOIDPRGHZLWKZKLFKVKHZRXOGKROGQRWUXFN ,Q³:KDW,VD&ODVVLF"´LQDWLWXODUUHIHUHQFHWR76(OLRW¶VOHFWXUH&RHW]HH argues that the classic is based on the “criterion of testing and survival… The FODVVLFGH¿QHVLWVHOIE\VXUYLYLQJTherefore the interrogation of the classic, no matter how hostile, is part of the history of the classic, inevitable and even to be welcomed ´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG 66± 0UV&XUUHQOLYHVRXWWKLVSURFHVV of testing and survival if on an ethical rather than aesthetic level: she tests HW\PRORJLHV UHZRUNLQJ WKHP DFFRUGLQJ WR KHU QHHGV DQG UHIXVLQJ WR DFFHSW meaning uncritically. Mrs. Curren’s letter, which she puts before her readers as critics, is submitted to this process, as indeed is Mrs. Curren, given that writing is KHUPHDQVRIRXWZLWWLQJGHDWK6KHWDONVDERXW³SDVVLQJWKHWHVW´LQKHU³ZDJHU´ ZLWK9HUFXHLO DQGZLWKGHDWK $, DQGRIEHTXHDWKLQJKHUOHWWHU/LNH Age of Iron, the letter is future-directed since Mrs. Curren and Coetzee anticipate an audience reading and re-reading it. The test Coetzee sets his character is, ZLOO KHU DFFRXQW EH LQWHUSUHWHG DV VSHDNLQJ WUXWK WR SRZHU RU VLPSO\ DV WKH UDQWLQJVRIDQLQ¿UPHFFHQWULF"$VKHUVHQVHRIEHLQJKDXQWHGE\WKHUHVXUIDFLQJ EODFNFRUSVHLOOXVWUDWHVVKHWUHDWVKHUUHVSRQVLELOLW\WRKLVWRU\ZLWKJUDYLW\WKDW IURPWKHSDVWZHPLJKWOHDUQWRVHWULJKWWKHSUHVHQWIRUWKHVDNHRIWKHIXWXUH &RHW]HH¶V FRPPHQWV RQ KLVWRULFDO XQGHUVWDQGLQJ LQ ³:KDW LV D &ODVVLF"´ DUH apposite: it is “that part of our present – namely the part that belongs to history ±WKDWZHFDQQRWIXOO\XQGHUVWDQGVLQFHLWUHTXLUHVXVWRXQGHUVWDQGRXUVHOYHV QRW RQO\ DV REMHFWV RI KLVWRULFDO IRUFHV EXW DV VXEMHFWV RI RXU RZQ KLVWRULFDO VHOIXQGHUVWDQGLQJ´ 66 'HVSLWH 0UV &XUUHQ¶V FODVVLFDO NQRZOHGJH RI Thucydides, which teaches her, she says, “what can happen to our humanity in WLPHRIZDU´ $, KHUFODVVLFDOOHDUQLQJQHYHUWKHOHVVLVVRUHPRWHIURPWKH SUHVHQWLQZKLFKVKH¿QGVKHUVHOIWKDWKHUZRUGVLQHYLWDEO\IDOORQGHDIHDUV$V 6DLGVWLSXODWHVDSUHUHTXLVLWHRISXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOLVPLVWKDW\RXJHW\RXUYRLFH heard HPSKDVLVDGGHG Representations :KHUH0UV&XUUHQ¶VRSLQLRQV do get disseminated, ironically, is amongst reading communities who are always already communities of elites. In Age of Iron, physical pain, which signals Mrs. Curren’s imminent death, gives her the courage to have her say, where other avenues, not least her dialogue with her daughter, have been shut down. Elaine Scarry, discussed in Chapter 5, DUJXHVWKDWWKHVLOHQFHHQJHQGHUHGE\SDLQ³UHVLVWVREMHFWL¿FDWLRQLQODQJXDJH´ ZKHUHDV IRU 0UV &XUUHQ SDLQ ERWK SK\VLFDO DQG HPRWLRQDO IDFLOLWDWHV IUHHVSHHFKRULQKHURZQZRUGVHQDEOHVKHUWRJR³2QDQGRQ´6XIIHULQJKHU SDLQVKHLVQRWXQOLNH&RHW]HH¶VRWKHUPDLPHGRUGLV¿JXUHGSURWDJRQLVWV±WKH barbarian girl in Waiting for the Barbarians 0LFKDHO.LQLife & Times Friday in Foe ±ZKRVHDXWRQRP\SUREOHPDWLFDOO\LV¿JXUHGLQ their woundedness. (The white Paul Rayment in Slow Man [2005], who loses his leg in a bicycle accident, is maimed and autonomous, indicating that physical GLVDELOLW\LQ&RHW]HHVLJQL¿HVUDFLDORUJHQGHUHGRSSUHVVLRQ ,QDQDWLRQZKRVH Writing in the Face of Death 127 government has denied basic human rights of almost 9/10 of its population, the suffering body lends certaiQW\$V&RHW]HHDUJXHV ³7KHERG\ZLWKLWVSDLQ becomes a counter to the endless trials of doubt … . Not grace, then, but at least WKHERG\´ '3 1HYHUWKHOHVVWKRXJKIHHOLQJKHUZD\LQWKHSXEOLFGRPDLQ through her private rope of words, Mrs. Curren’s personal struggle against cancer prevails and she concedes: “The country smoulders, yet with the best will in the world I can only half-attend. My true attention is all inward, upon the thing, the word, the word for the thing LQFKLQJWKURXJKP\ERG\´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG $, Her pain has reduced language to signs that cannot be moulded. Attwell suggests to Coetzee that the ending of Age of Iron holds the possibility of absolution on both the personal and national plane. Coetzee, however, is hesitant: “the end of the novel seems to me more troubled (in the sense the sea can EHWURXEOHG WKDQ\RXLPSO\´ '3 ,QWKH¿QDOUHFNRQLQJ0UV&XUUHQ¿QGV redemption through death, which for the secular reader promises no sense of hope for the future. Her letter, on the other hand, through which she will immortalize KHUVHOI EXW SDUDGR[LFDOO\ WKDW PD\ QHYHU EH GHOLYHUHG DQG LWV ³PHVVDJH´ ORVW provides only testimony to the age of iron: it may serve as an example of how not WROLYH\HWRIIHUVQRVROXWLRQVIRUWKH³QRZ´0UV&XUUHQLVIRUFHIXOLQKHUHWKLFDO resolve and in getting herself heard, yet a poverty resides in her notions of charity, trust and so on, indicated by the helplessness and hopelessness of her actions to ZKLFK&RHW]HHVHOIFRQVFLRXVO\DOHUWVXV+HULQWHOOHFWXDODXWKRULW\LVZHDNHQHG by her preference for the introspection that her home truths import. This page has been left blank intentionally Chapter 7 Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg ,FKRRVHWKHFURRNHGURDGDQGWDNHFKLOGUHQLQWRGDUNSODFHV,IROORZWKHGDQFHRI the pen. J. M. Coetzee, The Master of Petersburg 236 7KHUHLVPRUHWRWKHVRUU\EXVLQHVVKRZHYHUWKDQMXVWWKHVKDPHRILW+HKDVFRPH to London to do what is impossible in South Africa: to explore the depths. Without descending into the depths one cannot be an artist. J. M. Coetzee, Youth 131 7KHZULWHUSURWDJRQLVW)\RGRU'RVWRHYVN\RI-0&RHW]HH¶VVHYHQWKQRYHOThe Master of Petersburg LV WRUPHQWHG E\ WKH VDPH GLOHPPD WKDW WURXEOHV WKH \RXQJ -RKQ LQ &RHW]HH¶V TXDVL¿FWLRQDO PHPRLUYouth 7KH DW RQFH pretentious and gauche John is torn between the demands of his ambition to pursue the life of a writer and those of self-censorship: to what extent can he give KLPVHOI XS WR IUHH H[SUHVVLRQ ZLWKRXW YLRODWLQJ WKH ERXQGV RI WKH HWKLFDO" The Master of Petersburg H[SORUHVWKHZULWHU¶VLQWLPDWHUHODWLRQWRKLVZRUNWKURXJKD ¿FWLRQDOL]HG'RVWRHYVN\WKH5XVVLDQPDVWHUZKRLQUHDOOLIHDV6WHSKHQ:DWVRQ QRWHVZDVGHVFULEHGE\DFRQWHPSRUDU\DVD³FUXHOWDOHQW´DQGE\IHOORZOLWHUDU\ PDVWHU DQG DGYHUVDU\ ,YDQ 7XUJHQHY DV D ³5XVVLDQ GH 6DGH´ TWG LQ :DWVRQ ³:ULWHUDQGWKH'HYLO´ Coetzee divulges his investment in the problem of self-censorship in Doubling the Point ZKHQ KH LQYRNHV 1DGLQH *RUGLPHU¶V LGHD RI WKH ³HVVHQWLDO JHVWXUH´RIHQJDJHGZULWLQJ ³:KDWLVDZULWHU¶VIUHHGRP"«7KHPRVWREYLRXV WKUHDW LV RI¿FLDO FHQVRUVKLS %XW >TXRWLQJ *RUGLPHU@ D µPRUH LQVLGLRXV¶ WKUHDW FRPHVIURPWKHZULWHU¶VµYHU\DZDUHQHVVRIZKDWLVH[SHFWHGRIKLP¶ µFRQIRUPLW\ WRDQRUWKRGR[\RIRSSRVLWLRQ¶´ '3 VHHDOVR*RUGLPHUEssential Gesture :KLOVWVHOIFHQVRUVKLSFDQEHQHFHVVDU\RQHWKLFDODQGSROLWLFDOJURXQGVLW KDVWKHSRWHQWLDOWRVW\PLHQRWRQO\WKHHWKLFDODQGSROLWLFDOIRUFHRIDOLWHUDU\ZRUN but also its aesthetics. Evidenced in the ongoing cultural debates about writerly commitment, such a problem had particular resonance in apartheid South Africa ZKHQFHUWDLQUHTXLUHPHQWVZHUHRIWHQVHOILPSRVHGE\WKHZULWHUZKRUHVLVWHGWKH forces of the state. Coetzee argues that writing is always autobiographical (DP DQGWKDW³WKHRQO\VXUHWUXWKLQDXWRELRJUDSK\LVWKDWRQH¶VVHOILQWHUHVWZLOO EHORFDWHGDWRQH¶VEOLQGVSRW´ '3 :KLOVWDV,ZLOODUJXHWKLVEOLQGVSRW LVVHOIFRQVFLRXVO\FRQVWUXFWHGE\&RHW]HHLQWKH¿JXUHRI'RVWRHYVN\LWPLJKW 130 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship usefully be tested against Coetzee’s own writerly practice. The choice of unwriting DQRYHOOLNHThe Possessed with its particular political baggage at a transformative moment in South African history such as this – 1994, the transition from apartheid WRGHPRFUDF\±LVWHOOLQJDQGEHJVWKHTXHVWLRQZKDWGRHV&RHW]HHUHYHDODQG FRQYHUVHO\ZKDWGRHVKHFHQVRURIKLPVHOI" The analysis that follows will show that, through the interplay of the dialectical motifs of evading the censor and censoring the self, The Master of Petersburg HQGHDYRXUVWRFXOWLYDWHDFULWLFDODQGVHOIUHÀH[LYHUHDGLQJFRPPXQLW\&RHW]HH LVDOOWRRDZDUHWKLVLVYLWDODWDKLVWRULFDOMXQFWXUHRIVXFKPDJQLWXGHDWLPH ZKHQ6RXWK$IULFDIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHEHFRPHVDIXOO\SRVWFRORQLDOVWDWH$V)UDQW] Fanon presciently warned, all new postcolonial states are susceptible to the ³SLWIDOOVRIQDWLRQDOFRQVFLRXVQHVV´ QHRFRORQLDOLVP ZKHUHE\WKHQHZUHJLPH SURPLVHVFKDQJHEXWZKLFKLQUHDOLW\KDUERXUVWKHLQWHUHVWVRIWKHROG4XLFNO\ forgetting the needs of the people once independence is declared, “the leader will reveal his inner purpose: to become the general president of that company of SUR¿WHHUVLPSDWLHQWIRUWKHLUUHWXUQVZKLFKFRQVWLWXWHVWKHQDWLRQDOERXUJHRLVLH´ (Wretched )RVWHULQJWKHFULWLFDOIDFXOW\LQWKHZD\WKDW,DUJXHThe Master of Petersburg does, a faculty which Edward Said argues is the lynchpin of public intellectualism (Representations LVRQHPHDVXUHWKDWFDQPLOLWDWHDJDLQVWWKH problem of neo-colonialism. 7KHZRUNRIWKHUHDGHUHQFRXQWHULQJDFHQVRUHGRUVHOIFHQVRUHGWH[WLVLQ the manner of the forensic scientist, to piece together its illicit or hidden subtexts: elision, ambiguity, omission, allegory, parable and metaphor all exercise the UHDGHULQWKHZRUNRILQWHUSUHWDWLRQ7KLVLVWKHUHDVRQ&RHW]HHSRLQWVRXWLQ³7KH 1RYHO7RGD\´ WKDWWKHSDUDEOHLVIDYRXUHGE\PDUJLQDOL]HGFRPPXQLWLHV ZKRVWDQGRXWVLGHKLVWRU\EHFDXVHLWVPHVVDJHLVREVFXUH 17 6HWWLQJDQWL UHDOLVW ¿FWLRQ DJDLQVW KLVWRU\ DQG WKH KLVWRULFDO QRYHO ZKLFK UHDI¿UP WKH VWDWXV TXR &RHW]HH DUJXHV WKDW WKH LQHIIHFWLYHQHVV RI FHQVRUVKLS KDV EHHQ LWV IDLOXUH WR ³UHFRJQLVH WKDW WKH RIIHQVLYHQHVV RI VWRULHV´ GRHVQ¶W OLH LQ WKHLU FDSDFLW\ WR WUDQVJUHVVUXOHVLPSRVHGE\RWKHUVEXWWRPDNHDQGFKDQJHWKHVHUXOHVDWZLOO 17 RQWKHYHU\FRQGLWLRQVRIH[LVWHQFHRIWKHSUREOHPLWVHOI´ ³0HWDFRPPHQWDU\´ -DPHVRQ¶VDUJXPHQWGLVWLOVWKH³PHVVDJH´RI&RHW]HH¶VQRYHO WKDWDVUHDGHUV ZHPXVWDOZD\VTXHVWLRQRXUUROHZLWKLQWKHOLIHRIWKHWH[W+RZGRZHUHDGD WH[WWKDWVHOIFHQVRUV"+RZGRZHUHDGWKHXQVDLG"$QGDERYHDOOwhy are we UHTXLUHGWRGRVR" 7KHVHOIH[LOHG'RVWRHYVN\LQThe Master of Petersburg has returned incognito from Dresden to St. Petersburg to discover the truth about the death of his stepson Pavel, to mourn his loss, to lay his ghost to rest and to resolve his own ambivalence DERXWKLVUHODWLRQVKLSDVIDWKHUWRKLVVWHSVRQ%RWKDVDZULWHUDQGIDWKHU HYRNLQJ WKHIDWKHULQJRIVWRULHV 'RVWRHYVN\IHHOVGXW\ERXQGWRUHFRYHUDQGUHFRUGKLV stepson’s memory: “A gate has closed behind his son … To open that gate is the ODERXUODLGXSRQKLP´ 03 1HYHUWKHOHVV'RVWRHYVN\LPDJLQHVDQ2HGLSDO struggle between them, heightened by a self-awareness that, as a novelist, he is always casting his writerly eye over the life and death of his stepson in the name of his craft: though grieving Pavel, he is already scrutinizing the boy’s past for the VHHGVRIDJRRGVWRU\0RUHRYHUDV'HUHN$WWULGJHVXJJHVWVKLVUHVLGHQFHLQ6W Petersburg far outlasts its apparent function of putting the dead boy’s belongings LQRUGHU 'RVWRHYVN\DSSHDUVWREHZDLWLQJWKHDUULYDORIVRPHWKLQJKHKDV\HWWR DUWLFXODWH $WWULGJH³([SHFWLQJ´± 7KHQRYHOVWDJHV)\RGRU'RVWRHYVN\¶VSURFHVVRIFUHDWLYHWKLQNLQJWKDWZRXOG beget The Possessed DOVRNQRZQDVThe Devils &RHW]HH¶VSULPDU\LQWHUWH[W 3HFKH\³3RVW$SDUWKHLG´ $WWULGJH³([SHFWLQJ´ ,WLVWKHLGHDRIWKLVERRN in The Master of PetersburgWKDWWKH¿FWLRQDO'RVWRHYVN\DZDLWV7KHUHDOOLIH 'RVWRHYVN\LQLWLDOO\SHUFHLYHGThe PossessedD³SDPSKOHWQRYHO´DQGKDG³KLJK KRSHVIRUWKHSLHFHEXWLQDWHQGHQWLRXVUDWKHUWKDQDUWLVWLFVHQVH> @,ZDQWWRXWWHU DIHZLGHDVHYHQLIP\DUWLVWU\LVGHVWUR\HGLQWKHSURFHVV´>TWGLQ/HDWKHUEDUURZ :KDWEHJDQDVSURSDJDQGDZDVRQO\ODWHUWUDQVIRUPHGLQWRDZRUNRI literary merit, as W. J. Leatherbarrow argues, as the novel shifted focus from SROLWLFDOQLKLOLVPWRQLKLOLVPLQLWVVRFLDODQGPRUDOIRUP /HDWKHUEDUURZ ± EDVHGRQ'RVWRHYVN\¶VQHZO\IRXQGFRPPLWPHQWWR2UWKRGR[&KULVWLDQLW\ 7KH¿QDOFKDSWHULQ&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOWLWOHG³6WDYURJLQ´VSHFL¿FDOO\LPDJLQHV WKHJHQHVLVRIWKH³$W7LKRQ¶V´FKDSWHULQThe Possessed, originally suppressed by the editor of The Russian Herald ZKHUH LW ¿UVW DSSHDUHG LQ VHULDOL]HG IRUP ZKRGHHPHG1LNROD\6WDYURJLQ9V\HYRORGRYLWFK¶VFRQIHVVLRQRIWKHDEXVHRIWKH JLUO0DWU\RVKDREVFHQHDQGWKHUHIRUHXQ¿WIRUSXEOLFDWLRQ&XULRXVO\'RVWRHYVN\ KLPVHOIODWHUZLWKKHOGWKHFKDSWHUZKHQWKHERRNZHQWWRSULQWEXWDFRS\KDV survived as an appendix to the edition translated by Constance Garnett (the HGLWLRQUHIHUUHGWRKHUH $YUDKP $EVROXWLRQDVWKHJRDORIFRQIHVVLRQDWWDLQHGE\TXHVWLQJIRU³WUXWKDERXWWKH VHOI´LVRYHUULGGHQLQ'RVWRHYVN\¶VFRQIHVVDQWVDVWKH\EHJLQWRWDNHJUDWXLWRXV SOHDVXUHLQWKHDFWRIFRQIHVVLQJDQGFRQVHTXHQWO\IDLOWR¿QGFORVXUH '3 6WDYURJLQFRQFHDOVKLVSDUWLQWKH³SHQNQLIHDIIDLU´IRUZKLFKWKHJLUO0DWU\RVKD is wrongly accused and neglects to intervene in her public shaming even though he believes she may be suicidal. He becomes self-consciously enamoured of KLV VWRU\ HPEHOOLVKLQJ KLV FRQIHVVLRQ ³, QRWH WKLV´ KH ZULWHV ³EHFDXVH LW LV LPSRUWDQWIRUWKHVWRU\´ The Possessed ,Q&RHW]HH¶VQRYHO'RVWRHYVN\ OLNH6WDYURJLQDGPLWVWRD³YROXSWXRXVXUJHWRFRQIHVV´WRKLV\RXQJZLIHLQ 'UHVGHQKLVFRQIHVVLRQV³EHGHYLOOLQJWKHLUPDUULDJHIDUPRUHWKDQWKHLQ¿GHOLWLHV WKHPVHOYHV´ 03 2IFRXUVHWKDW&RHW]HH¶V'RVWRHYVN\thinks about abusing WKHJLUO0DWU\RVKDLPDJLQLQJKHUODLGRXWQDNHGRQWKHEHGLVYHU\GLIIHUHQW from his acting upon these thoughts. As D. H. Lawrence, writing in defence of his censored novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover REVHUYHV ³FXOWXUHDQGFLYLOL]DWLRQ KDYHWDXJKWXV«>WKDW@WKHDFWGRHVQRWQHFHVVDULO\IROORZRQWKHWKRXJKW´ TWGLQ *2 VHHDOVR/DZUHQFHPropos ± 1HYHUWKHOHVV'RVWRHYVN\is culpable in that he is subtly corrupting the child and effaces Pavel’s diaries based on this experience. This will become the story of Stavrogin seducing Matryosha in The Possessed ³WKLVLVDSDVVDJHKHZLOOQRWIRUJHWDQGPD\HYHQRQHGD\UHZRUNLQWR KLVZULWLQJ´ 03 $WWULGJH DQG =LQRY\ =LQLN FRPSUHKHQVLYHO\ GUDZ FRPSDULVRQV EHWZHHQ WKH DXWKRU 'RVWRHYVN\ DQG &RHW]HH¶V FKDUDFWHU QRWLQJ WKDW ERWK DUH OLYLQJ LQ Dresden in 1869, observed by the Russian secret police and unable to return freely to Petersburg because they are being pursued by their creditors – the real-life 'RVWRHYVN\OLNHKLV¿FWLRQDOFRXQWHUSDUWZDVDIÀLFWHGZLWKDGDQJHURXVSHQFKDQW IRU JDPEOLQJ 'RVWRHYVN\ EHJDQ ZULWLQJ The Possessed in December 1869, a month after Coetzee sets the denouement of The Master of Petersburg/LNHKLV FRXQWHUSDUWWKHUHDOOLIH'RVWRHYVN\KDVDVWHSVRQFDOOHG3DYHOZKRPKHRIIHUV ¿QDQFLDOVXSSRUW%RWK'RVWRHYVN\VVXIIHUIURPHSLOHSV\SUHYLRXVO\WKRXJKWRIDV DNLQGRISRVVHVVLRQDQGDV$WWULGJHREVHUYHV³WKHWRUWXUHGVSLUDOVRIVHOIGRXEW self-denigration, and self-exculpation that occupy so much of the protagonist’s PHQWDOZRUOGDUHIDPLOLDUIURP'RVWRHYVN\¶V¿FWLRQDQGOHWWHUV´ ³([SHFWLQJ´ In The Master of Petersburg'RVWRHYVN\XQEXUGHQVKLVJULHIWRKLV³FRQIHVVRUV´ $QQDDQG0DWU\RVKD3DYHOFDQEHORRVHO\HTXDWHGZLWK6WDYURJLQZKRFRQIHVVHV WRKLVDEXVHRIWKHJLUOFKLOG0DWU\RVKDLQ'RVWRHYVN\¶VQRYHO6HUJHL1HFKDHY LVDKLVWRULFDO¿JXUHZKRLQIDPRXVO\ZDVLPSOLFDWHGLQWKHPXUGHURIDVWXGHQW member of the nihilists, I. I. Ivanov, who Nechaev believed might betray the RUJDQL]DWLRQ 2IIRUG :KLOVW 'RVWRHYVN\ REVFXUHV UHSUHVHQWDWLRQV LQ The PossessedRIERWK1HFKDHYDV3HWHU9HUNKRYHQVN\DQG,YDQRYDV,YDQ6KDWRY &RHW]HHWDNHVWKHOLEHUW\RIXQPDVNLQJWKHPLQKLVQRYHO&RHW]HHKRZHYHUDOVR PDNHVVLJQL¿FDQWGHSDUWXUHVIURPKLVWRULFDOWUXWKVQRWDEO\WKDWLQUHDOOLIH3DYHO RXWOLYHG'RVWRHYVN\ $WWULGJH³([SHFWLQJ´± VHHDOVR=LQLN &RHW]HH¶VQRYHOWKHUHIRUHDVVXPHVWKDWWKHUHDGHUKDVNQRZOHGJHRIZKDWLV D FRPSOH[ DQG GLI¿FXOW ZRUN DQG LV YHUVHG LQ WKH GRPLQDQW (XURSHDQ FDQRQ Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 133 :KLOVWLQ&RHW]HH¶VHDUOLHU³UDGLFDOPHWD¿FWLRQ´ '3 Foe, allusions to Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe DUHWUDQVSDUHQWIDPLOLDULW\ZLWKThe Possessed, particularly the suppressed chapter, DV$WWULGJHREVHUYHVLVOHVVOLNHO\ ³([SHFWLQJ´ 1RQHWKHOHVVE\HQJDJLQJZLWKDQRYHOWKDWHIIHFWLYHO\KDVEHHQFHQVRUHG Coetzee notionally enacts an evasion of the censor and situates the reader of The Master of PetersburgDVWKLVFHQVRU¿JXUHRUFULWLFZKRPXVW¿OOLQWKHJDSVRIWKH ³PLVVLQJ´ LQWHU WH[WMXVWDVLQFoe, the reader is challengingly positioned as critic RU³IRH´RIWKHZRUN &RHW]HH¶VQRYHODOVREULQJVWRJHWKHU'RVWRHYVN\DQGKLVORQJWHUPULYDO,YDQ Turgenev and Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons WKDWFKDUWVWKHVDPHPRPHQW in Russian history. (Coetzee borrows the names Pavel and Anna Sergeyevna from Fathers and Sons 7KHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQWKHWZR5XVVLDQDXWKRUVKDVEHHQZHOO GRFXPHQWHG DV'&2IIRUGSRLQWVRXW7XUJHQHYLV³YLFLRXVO\ODPSRRQHGLQWKH FKDUDFWHURI.DUPD]LQRY´LQThe Possessed %RWK7XUJHQHYDQG'RVWRHYVN\ UHFRJQL]HG WKH UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RI WKH ROGHU ³OLEHUDO´ JHQHUDWLRQ ZLWK LWV WLHV WR :HVWHUQ(XURSHWKDWVRUDQNOHGZLWK'RVWRHYVN\IRUWKHUHYROXWLRQDU\IHUYRXU RIWKH\RXQJHUVJHQHUDWLRQ 2IIRUG VHHDOVR3HDFH ,WZDVZLWK 7XUJHQHY¶V³OLEHUDOLVP´KLVFRXUWLQJRI\RXQJUDGLFDOVDQGKLVODFNRIQDWLRQDOLVP DVVRFLDWHGZLWKKLVOLNLQJRI:HVWHUQ(XURSHWKDW'RVWRHYVN\WRRNLVVXHDQGLW ZDV QRW XQWLO VKRUWO\ EHIRUH 'RVWRHYVN\¶V GHDWK WKDW WKH WZR UHVROYHG WKHLU GLIIHUHQFHV /HDWKHUEDUURZ $OOWKUHHZRUNVFathers and Sons, The Possessed and The Master of Petersburg GUDZ XSRQ WKLV JHQHUDWLRQDO FRQÀLFW DQG DUH accordingly, structured around the father-son relationship. In nihilist ideology the ³IDWKHU´ DXWKRULW\ PXVWEHUHJXODUO\URRWHGRXWIRUDV1HFKDHYLQThe Master of Petersburg says, “Revolution is the end of everything old, including fathers and sons… . With each generation the old revolution is overturned and history starts again. Carte blanche´ 03 ³)DWKHU´DOVRVLJQL¿HVWKHZULWHUO\DXWKRULW\RI &RHW]HH¶V'RVWRHYVN\ZKRLVWKH³PDVWHURI3HWHUVEXUJ´ 7KLVLVWKH¿UVWRI&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOVWREHSXEOLVKHGSRVWDSDUWKHLGDQGVHWLQ 6W3HWHUVEXUJ7VDULVW5XVVLDLURQLFDOO\LWLVWKH¿UVWLQZKLFKKHPRVWREYLRXVO\ ZLWKGUDZVIURPJHRSROLWLFDOFRQWH[WVWKDWFDQEHVDLGWREH SRVW FRORQLDO:ULWLQJ for The Master of PetersburgEHJDQLQWKHWUDQVLWLRQDOSHULRGPDUNHGLQ E\ the ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from his 27-year incarceration and when negotiating the winding down of apartheid was set in motion. Parallels between Tsarist Russia and apartheid South Africa are transparent: both are oppressive VRFLHWLHV ZKLFK KDYH VXEMHFWHG WKHLU FLWL]HQV WR FHQVRUVKLS LPSULVRQPHQW WRUWXUHDQGH[LOH ERWKQDWLRQVDUHXQGHUJRLQJVHLVPLFFKDQJHFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\ 1HFKDHY¶VUHPDUNLQWKHQRYHOWKDW³:HDUHRQWKHEULQNRIDQHZDJHZKHUHZH DUHIUHHWRWKLQNDQ\WKRXJKW´ 03 ,QWKHVZKHQERWKQRYHOVDUHVHW 5XVVLDZDVXQGHUWKHQHZ³UHIRUPLVW´UHJLPHRI1LFKRODV,,ZKLFKIROORZLQJ Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War of 1853–56, introduced a series of reforms including the abolition of the institution of serfdom. Nevertheless, what Offord FDOOV WKLV ³UHIRUPLQJ DUGRU´ TXLFNO\ GLVVROYHG LQ UHVSRQVH WR WKH EXLOGXS RI militant activity amongst the intelligentsia (Offord ,QERWK5XVVLDDQG 134 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship 6RXWK$IULFDWKHGLVSDULW\EHWZHHQULFKDQGSRRUZDV DQGVWLOOLV YDVWDIDFWRI ZKLFKSUREOHPDWLFDOO\&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOWDNHVOLWWOHDFFRXQW The issue of poverty LVRQO\DGGUHVVHGH[SOLFLWO\ZKHQDEOLQGIROGHG'RVWRHYVN\LVOHGWRWKHGHSWKV of the metropolis to meet Nechaev. Finally, of course, both Russia and South Africa spawned effective revolutionary movements that targeted state oppression. Continuing themes begun in Age of Iron WKLVSDUWLFXODUZULWHU'RVWRHYVN\ is disturbed by what he perceives as the demon-possession of revolutionary zeal. Published two years prior to the inauguration of the Truth and Reconciliation &RPPLVVLRQLQ DQGLQWKH\HDURI6RXWK$IULFD¶V¿UVWGHPRFUDWLFHOHFWLRQV the QRYHOOLNHLWVLQWHUWH[WDQWLFLSDWHVSHUWLQHQWTXHVWLRQVDERXWDEVROXWLRQ±MXVWLFH WUXWKVLQFHULW\UHGHPSWLRQUHSDUDWLRQYHQJHDQFHDQGIRUJLYHQHVV±FRQ¿JXUHGLQ the novel’s singular confessional mode which Watson argues is “literally freighted ZLWKDQHPRWLRQZKLFKFDQRQO\EHGHVFULEHGDVUHOLJLRXV´ ³:ULWHU´ :DWVRQ suggests that The Master of Petersburg³EHFRPHV«DQLQYROXQWDU\FRQIHVVLRQ´ WKHPHDQLQJRIZKLFKUHVLGHVLQD&KULVWLDQHWKLF ³:ULWHU´ 7KLVFKLPHVZLWK WKHUHDOOLIH'RVWRHYVN\¶VRZQSUHRFFXSDWLRQZLWKVSLULWXDOFRQYHUVLRQLQKLVODWHU ZRUNIURPWKHVRQZDUGVCrime and Punishment, The Possessed and The Brothers Karamzov ZKLFK$OH[DQGUD)5XGLFLQDDUJXHVDUHSDWWHUQHGE\ the “archetypal scheme of rebirth through transgression followed by suffering, or expiation, which informs the central myth of Christianity, the Fall of Man and his 5HGHPSWLRQ´ 5XGLFLQD The PossessedH[SUHVVHVQRWRQO\'RVWRHYVN\¶V GLVDYRZDO RI UDGLFDO DQG OLEHUDO SROLWLFV DQG KLV GLVWDVWH IRU:HVWHUQ LQÀXHQFH RQ5XVVLDEXWDOVRKLVSURIRXQGFRQFHUQIRUDODFNRI&KULVWLDQPRUDOLW\¿JXUHG LQLWVSULQFLSOHFKDUDFWHU6WDYURJLQ /HDWKHUEDUURZ 'HPRQVV\PEROL]HWKLV political, moral and religious turpitude. 'HPRQVDUHWKHLPSHWXVRI&RHW]HH¶VQRYHOLQFOXGLQJ'RVWRHYVN\¶VGHPRQV RIJULHIIRUKLVVWHSVRQ3DYHO ZKRGLHGLQVXVSLFLRXVFLUFXPVWDQFHV DQGKLVJXLOW at the series of betrayals he enacts – of Pavel and Matryosha and her mother. In KLV DWWHPSWV WR UHFRQFLOH KLPVHOI WR KLV VWHSVRQ¶V GHDWK 'RVWRHYVN\ UHDOL]HV LW is by consorting with the demons of a guilty conscience that his imagination is unleashed and he is enabled to write. Possession in The Master of Petersburg LV EHWRNHQHG E\ 'RVWRHYVN\¶V HSLOHSV\ D KLVWRULFDO IDFW WKH ³HQHUJ\´ EHKLQG 1HFKDHY¶VSROLWLFDODFWLYLVP 03 DQGVH[XDOHFVWDV\ $QQDDOPRVWLQDXGLEO\ ZKLVSHUV³GHYLO´DVVKHFOLPD[HVGXULQJLQWHUFRXUVHZLWK'RVWRHYVN\>03@ 0DGQHVVLVWKHHIIHFWRIDQGFUXFLEOHIRU'RVWRHYVN\¶VLPDJLQDWLYHZULWLQJWKH idea of The Possessed%0(QJHOKDUGWDUJXHVWKDWLQJHQHUDOWKH'RVWRHYVN\ KHUR³EHFRPHVDµSHUVRQRIWKHLGHD¶DSHUVRQSRVVHVVHGE\DQLGHD´7KLVLGHDLV DOOFRQVXPLQJDQGGH¿QHV\HWGLVWRUWVERWKWKHKHUR¶VOLIHDQGFRQVFLRXVQHVVXQWLO “The idea leads an independent life in the hero’s consciousness: in fact it is not he but the idea that lives, and the novelist describes not the life of the hero but the life RIWKHLGHDLQKLP´ (QJHOKDUGWTWGLQ%DNKWLQ $QWRQLR*UDPVFL¶VGH¿QLWLRQRI the interregnum, coined by Gordimer writing about the transitional zone between regimes in South Africa, captures the historical resonance of possession here: the LQWHUUHJQXPLVDWLPHZKHQ³WKHROGLVG\LQJDQGWKHQHZFDQQRWEHERUQ LQWKLV Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 135 LQWHUUHJQXPWKHUHDULVHVDJUHDWGLYHUVLW\RIPRUELGV\PSWRPV´ TWGLQ*RUGLPHU Essential Gesture 3ROLWLFDOWUDQVLWLRQPDQLIHVWVLWVHOISK\VLFDOO\RQWKHERG\ SRVVHVVHGE\³PRUELGV\PSWRPV´MXVWDV1HFKDHYLVSRVVHVVHG'RVWRHYVN\LV WKH HPERGLPHQW RI D WLPH ZKHQ LQ &RHW]HH¶V ZRUGV ³OLWHUDU\ VWDQGDUGV OLNH HYHU\WKLQJHOVHDUHFRQIXVHG´ '3 3RVWDSDUWKHLG WKH SUREOHP RI VHOIFHQVRUVKLS SODJXLQJ WKH ¿FWLRQDO 'RVWRHYVN\FRQWLQXHVWRHQFXPEHUFRQWHPSRUDU\6RXWK$IULFDQZULWHUV:KLOVW a form of self-censorship under apartheid – art engagé – was perceived by some ZKRIHOWERXQGE\WKHSULQFLSOHVRI³UHOHYDQFHDQGFRPPLWPHQW´ *RUGLPHUThe Essential Gesture WREHDPRUDOREOLJDWLRQ6RXWK$IULFDQZULWHUVWRGD\QRORQJHU forcibly constrained and regulated by the state, have been enabled to turn their FULWLFDOJD]HLQZDUGWRWKHVHOIWRVHOIUHÀHFWLRQDQGVHOITXHVWLRQLQJ WKRXJKWKLV LVQRWWRFODLPWKDWVXFKUHÀHFWLRQZDVDEVHQWLQZULWLQJRIWKHDSDUWKHLGHUD Regime change has made this increasingly inward turn possible, yet we should not too hastily suppose that the responsibility and accountability many writers previously felt obligated to express – forms of self-censorship – have miraculously PHOWHGDZD\7KHVKHHUYROXPHRIOLWHUDU\ZRUNVWKDWFULWLFDOO\HQJDJHZLWKWKH ³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´ZLWKWKHIDLOXUHVRIWKHQHROLEHUDOJRYHUQPHQWDQGWKH7UXWK and Reconciliation Commission, the housing crisis, homelessness and xenophobia DV FRQVHTXHQFHV RI ZLGHVSUHDG LPPLJUDWLRQ DQG WKH FDWDVWURSKH RI$,'6 DUH testimony to this. That Coetzee chooses to write about the uncompromising politics of nihilist UHYROXWLRQDULHVZKROLYHE\WKHPRWWR³(YHU\WKLQJLVSHUPLWWHGIRUWKHVDNHRIWKH IXWXUH´ 03 DWDWLPHZKHQ6RXWK$IULFDLVSUHRFFXSLHGZLWKWKHGLVFRXUVHV of forgiveness and reconciliation and expectantly awaits the birth of the “new 6RXWK$IULFD´LVWURXEOLQJEXWZLOOQRWVXUSULVHWKRVHDFTXDLQWHGZLWK&RHW]HH¶V W\SLFDOO\ XQFRPSURPLVLQJ YLVLRQ $WWULGJH FHOHEUDWHV WKH ZRUN IRU WKLV YHU\ TXDOLW\DUJXLQJWKDW¿FWLRQWKDWLVDEOHWRXQVHWWOHWKHUHDGHULVIXQGDPHQWDOWRWKH SUDFWLFHRIHWKLFDOZULWLQJDQGUHDGLQJ ³([SHFWLQJ´ ,Q³7KH3RVWDSDUWKHLG 6XEOLPH´*UDKDP3HFKH\DUJXHVWKDWWKHKHDG\GD\VRI VDZ6RXWK$IULFD HQWHULQJDSHULRGRI³DUUHVWHGQHRFRORQLDOLVP´DQGLGHQWL¿HVDQHZPRPHQWLQ writing also present in The Master of Petersburg that is morally obliged to call itself to account. Yet Rob Nixon argues that the freedoms that the end of apartheid EURXJKWDERXWDOVRVLJQDOOHGFRQVWUDLQWVIRUZLWKRXWWKHFULVLVRIDSDUWKHLGWR¿UH WKHLPDJLQDWLRQZKDWZDVOHIWWRIXHOWKHZULWHU¶VLPDJLQDWLRQ ³$IWHUPDWKV´ " 3HFKH\WDNHVWKLVSRLQWIXUWKHUZKHQKHLQYRNHVWKHVSHFWUHRIQHRFRORQLDOLVP in his contention that “The danger of the post-apartheid condition is that writing ZLOODSSHDUWREHDOLJQHGZLWKWKHEHQH¿FHQWPRYHVRIWKHVWDWHVHHPLQJWRKDYH QRWKLQJWRGRDIWHUWKHHQGRIUHSUHVVLRQ´ ³3RVWDSDUWKHLG´± ,ISDUWRIWKHZRUNRISRVWFRORQLDOVWXGLHVLVWRFDOOLQWRTXHVWLRQKHUHWRIRUH normalized modes of discourse and ideology (history, the Enlightenment, FRORQLDOLVP DQG VR RQ ZH FDQ VHH WKDW WKH IDLOXUH WR DSSO\ WKH VDPH FULWLFDO principles to postcolonialism would be remiss. In this respect Coetzee’s novel is SUHVFLHQW LQGHHGHFKRHVRIWKH³SLWIDOOVRIQDWLRQDOFRQVFLRXVQHVV´LGHQWL¿HGE\ 136 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship )DQRQUHERXQG6PXJJOHGLQWR1HFKDHY¶VKLGHRXW'RVWRHYVN\DVNVZKDWZLOOEH GLIIHUHQWRQFHWKH³SHRSOH¶VYHQJHDQFHKDVGRQHLWVZRUNDQGHYHU\RQHKDVEHHQ OHYHOOHG":LOO\RXVWLOOEHIUHHWREHZKRP\RXZLVK":LOOHDFKRIXVEHIUHHWR EHZKRPZHZLVKDWODVW"´ 03 :HVKRXOGQRWIRUJHWKRZHYHUWKDWWKH PDQFKDOOHQJLQJWKHLGHDRIUHYROXWLRQDU\XWRSLD'RVWRHYVN\ERWKLQUHDOOLIH DQGLQWKLVZRUNRI¿FWLRQEHFRPHVLQFUHDVLQJO\FRQVHUYDWLYHZLWKDJH(YHQVR Attridge and Michael Marais suggest it is not important, as some early reviewers RIWKHQRYHOKDYHGRQHWRDVNZLWKZKRP&RHW]HHPLJKWDOLJQKLPVHOISROLWLFDOO\ ³([SHFWLQJWKH8QH[SHFWHG´ 0DUDLV³3ODFHVRI3LJV´± 7KHQRYHORIIHUV important insights into the process and hazards of regime-change which certainly VSRNHWRWKHSROLWLFDOFRQWH[WVRI V6RXWK$IULFDZKHQWKHERRNZDVSHQQHG $OWKRXJKWKHSROLWLFVEHKLQGWKHERRNDUHQRWRQO\LQWULJXLQJEXWLPSRUWDQWLWV political contexts function as a catalyst for the debate about censorship, which in WXUQFDWDO\]HVTXHVWLRQVDERXWWKHFHQVRULQJVHOI5HDGLQJWKH&RHW]HHRHXYUHFDQ EHFKDUDFWHUL]HGDVDQH[HUFLVHLQUHDGLQJEHWZHHQWKHOLQHV¿OOLQJLQWKHJDSV and Coetzee apparently endorses this activity in White Writing ZKHQKH VXJJHVWVWKDWPRGHUQLVPWHDFKHVXVWRUHDGWKH³JDSVLQYHUVHVXQGHUVLGHV WKH YHLOHG WKHGDUNWKHEXULHGWKHIHPLQLQH DOWHULWLHV´%XWHYHQPRGHVRIUHDGLQJ VLOHQFHFDQEHFRPHQRUPDOL]HGKHDUJXHVEHFDXVHRQFHIDPLOLDUWKHVHNLQGVRI VLOHQFHULVN³EHFRPLQJGRPLQDQWLQWXUQ´ :: 1RWXQOLNH0UV&XUUHQLQAge of Iron, Coetzee states that he has little interest in the debate about censorship per se since it “fail[s] to rise above the level of the political in the worst sense. It remains stalled at the level of (to use a good )ODXEHUWLDQZRUG bêtiseVWXSLGLW\´ '3 5DWKHUWKDQH[SOLFLWO\HQJDJLQJ with the politics of censorship, Coetzee suggests that his earlier novels, Waiting for the Barbarians DQGLife & Times of Michael K H[SUHVVDPRUH visceral, what he calls “pathological response … to the ban on representing what ZHQWRQLQSROLFHFHOOV´LQ6RXWK$IULFD '3 1HYHUWKHOHVVKHFRQFHGHVD certain admiration for fellow writers who have faced the censor’s blue pencil and candidly anticipates, even accepts, the charge of evasion that so often has EHHQODLGDWKLVIHHWEHFDXVHKHDGPLWVKLVERRNVDUHWRRREOLTXHDQGHVRWHULFWR ZDUUDQWWKHFHQVRU¶VDWWHQWLRQ ³,UHJDUGLWDVDEDGJHRIKRQRXU´KHDGPLWV³WR KDYHKDGDERRNEDQQHGLQ6RXWK$IULFDDQGHYHQPRUHRIDQKRQRUWRKDYHEHHQ DFWHGDJDLQVWSXQLWLYHO\«7KLVKRQRU,KDYHQHYHUDFKLHYHGQRUWREHIUDQN PHULWHG´ '3 &RHW]HH LGHQWL¿HV D JHQHDORJ\ RI FRQÀLFW EHWZHHQ ZULWHUV DQG DXWKRULW\ LQFOXGLQJFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQZULWHUVWKHVWDWHDQGWKHVWDWHFHQVRU:ULWHUVW\SLFDOO\ attributed to themselves a social role that hinges upon moral obligation: Hostility between the two sides, which soon became settled and institutional, was exacerbated by the tendency of artists from the late eighteenth century onward to assume it as their social role, and sometimes indeed as their vocation DQGGHVWLQ\WRWHVWWKHOLPLWV WKDWLVWRVD\WKHZHDNSRLQWV RIWKRXJKWDQG Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 137 feeling, of representation, of the law, and of opposition itself, in ways that those LQSRZHUZHUHERXQGWR¿QGXQFRPIRUWDEOHDQGHYHQRIIHQVLYH *2 7KHLGHDRIEHLQJLPSHOOHGWRDGRSWDVRFLDOUROH,DPDUJXLQJZRXOGÀ\LQWKH IDFHRI&RHW]HH¶VDVVHUWLRQWKDWKHZULWHVWKHERRNVKH³ZDQWVWRZULWH´ '3 1HYHUWKHOHVV KLV ¿FWLRQ ³WHVWV WKH OLPLWV´ RI DFFHSWDEOH GLVFRXUVH LOOXVWUDWHG not only by a sustained and ghoulishly intimate representation of violence and perverted sexual desire, but also by the shifting portrayal of racial alterity, from VXEMHFWLRQDQGVLOHQFHLQWKHHDUO\ZRUNVWRDJHQF\DQGSROLWLFDOLQWUDQVLJHQFHLQ Age of Iron and The Master of Petersburg. Disgrace, of course, tests the limits ZLWKLWVFRQWURYHUVLDOSRUWUD\DORIEODFNRQZKLWHUDSH5DFLDODOWHULW\LQWKHPRVW recent novels, Elizabeth Costello Slow Man DQGDiary of a Bad Year LV¿JXUHGLQFKDUDFWHUVZKRIRUWKHPRVWSDUWDUHSV\FKRORJLFDOO\ UREXVWDQGRIWHQRXWVSRNHQ Not only does Coetzee corroborate his critics’ charge that he is politically HYDVLYH E\ FODLPLQJ D SRVLWLRQ RI ³QRQSRVLWLRQ´ DQG H[SODLQLQJ KLV GLVFRPIRUW DWEHLQJ³DVNHGWRDQVZHUIRU«P\QRYHOV´ '3 KHJRHVDVIDUDVVHOI consciously staging this evasion in The Master of Petersburg'RVWRHYVN\1HFKDHY claims, is not incapable of comprehending the idea of revolution but wishes to circumvent it: “The idea is so tremendous that you cannot understand it, you and \RXUJHQHUDWLRQ2UUDWKHU\RXXQGHUVWDQGLWRQO\WRRZHOODQGZDQWWRVWLÀHLWLQ WKHFUDGOH´ 03 (YDVLYHQHVVLVQRWVLPSO\EORRG\PLQGHGQHVVRQ&RHW]HH¶V SDUW KLV¿FWLRQH[SUHVVHVWKHHWKLFRSROLWLFDOLPSHUDWLYHRIJXDUGLQJWKHDXWKRU¶V right to free expression, even if, during the years of apartheid, this compromised the principles of literary commitment. That The Master of Petersburg is written in WKHZDQLQJ\HDUVRIWKHDSDUWKHLGUHJLPHLIZHDUHPLQGIXORI)DQRQWKHFULWLTXH of the practices of revolutionary politics are all the more timely. Before this transitional moment the move to challenge the forces of opposition on the part of Coetzee, a move representating the gaze turned inward of post-apartheid writing, ZRXOGKDYHEHHQUHJDUGHGMXVWL¿DEO\ZLWKVXVSLFLRQ The Master of Petersburg alludes to the loss of privacy engendered by apartheid that in turn was to become detrimental to the cultural sphere, where culture was SHUFHLYHGD³ZHDSRQRIWKHVWUXJJOH´DQGSURWHVWOLWHUDWXUHDFFRUGLQJWR/HZLV 1NRVL ZDV GHEDVHG E\ ³MRXUQDOLVWLF IDFW SDUDGLQJ RXWUDJHRXVO\ DV LPDJLQDWLYH OLWHUDWXUH´ Home and Exile ,QWKHKLGHRXWZKHUH'RVWRHYVN\DQG1HFKDHY WKUDVKRXWWKHSULQFLSOHVRIFRPPLWPHQW'RVWRHYVN\LVSUHVVHGWRZULWHSURSDJDQGD for Nechaev’s revolutionary circle. Nechaev is giving him the opportunity, he says, WR³DZDNHQWKHZRUOG´ 03 $PDQLQWKHFURZGLQYRNLQJGHEDWHVDERXW FHQVRUVKLSDQGIUHHH[SUHVVLRQFRPHVWR'RVWRHYVN\¶VGHIHQFH ³:ULWHUVKDYH WKHLURZQUXOHV7KH\FDQ¶WZRUNZLWKSHRSOHORRNLQJRYHUWKHLUVKRXOGHUV´ 03 ,URQLFDOO\'RVWRHYVN\ZLOOIHHODQRWKHUVHOIZDWFKLQJRYHUKLVVKRXOGHUDV he struggles to conceive The Possessed. Nechaev wishes to channel the energy of the crowd to political ends and with this in mind would override writers’ authority RYHU WKHLU ZRUN ³$ FURZG LVQ¶W LQWHUHVWHG LQ WKH ¿QH SRLQWV RI DXWKRUVKLS$ 138 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship FURZGKDVQRLQWHOOHFWRQO\SDVVLRQV´ 03 3URIHVVLQJWRKDYHQRWLPHIRU LQWHOOHFWLRQ GHVSLWHWKHIDFWWKDWQLKLOLVPZDVDSKLORVRSKLFDOGRFWULQH 1HFKDHY¶V agenda is action through political violence: “History isn’t thoughts, history isn’t PDGHLQSHRSOH¶VPLQGV+LVWRU\LVPDGHLQWKHVWUHHWV´ 03 5HFDOOLQJWKH LQWUDQVLJHQFHRIERWKWKHEODFNUHYROXWLRQDULHVDQGWKHVWDWH¶VKHQFKPHQDVZHOO as the diminution of privacy in Age of Iron, Nechaev’s position is unrelentingly PDWHULDOLVWSODFLQJZULWLQJ¿UPO\LQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH7KHSHRSOH³VKRXOGOHDUQ QHZUXOHV3ULYDF\LVDOX[XU\ZHFDQGRZLWKRXW3HRSOHGRQ¶WQHHGSULYDF\´ '3 /LNHZLVHPRFNLQJ'RVWRHYVN\DERXW3DYHO¶VSDSHUVWKHSROLFHLQYHVWLJDWRU 0D[LPRYDVNV ³,VDVWRU\DSULYDWHPDWWHUZRXOG\RXVD\"´ 03 +DYLQJ ORVWIDLWKLQ'RVWRHYVN\DVDZULWHURIFRQVFLHQFH1HFKDHYFDQQRWIDWKRPKRZ KHFRXOGKDYHFUDIWHGVRFRQYLQFLQJO\DFKDUDFWHUOLNHWKHUDGLFDO5DVNROQLNRYLQ Crime and Punishment ZKRP1HFKDHYKDGWDNHQDVDVWDQGDUG7DFLWO\ DFNQRZOHGJLQJWKHUHDOOLIH'RVWRHYVN\¶VSROLWLFDOWXUQDERXW1HFKDHYUHFRJQL]HV WKHGHVLUHLQ'RVWRHYVN\DVDQDUWLVWWRFUHDWHDJRRGVWRU\WKDWHYHQWKHGHVSHUDWH poverty the novelist witnesses in Nechaev’s hide-out might prove to be the stuff RI¿FWLRQ 03 In The Master of Petersburg Coetzee implicitly renounces the idea of committed OLWHUDWXUHWKURXJKWKHVHGLDORJXHVEHWZHHQ'RVWRHYVN\DQG1HFKDHYDQGEHWZHHQ 'RVWRHYVN\ DQG 0D[LPRY 'RVWRHYVN\ FRQGHPQV 1HFKDHY ³ EDUHO\GHVHUYHGWKHQDPHRIDSKLORVRSKLFDOGRFWULQH«LWVHHPHGWR'RVWRHYVN\ QRWMXVWDKHUHWLFDOGLYHUJHQFHIURPWKHXWRSLDQFRPPXQLWDULDQLVPRIWKHV but a malignant mutation of it – or, to use the master metaphor of The Devils, DQHYLOVSLULW±WDNLQJRYHUWKHPLQGVRIDULVLQJJHQHUDWLRQRIKDOIHGXFDWHG 5XVVLDQ\RXWK 66 2IIRUG DQG /HDWKHUEDUURZ DUH VLPLODUO\ RXWVSRNHQ EXW GUDZ TXLWH GLIIHUHQW FRQFOXVLRQV ERWK DFNQRZOHGJLQJ WKH YXOJDU FKDUDFWHUL]DWLRQ RI QLKLOLVP LQ The Possessed DQG 'RVWRHYVN\¶V YLVFHUDO UHDFWLRQ DJDLQVW ERWK UHYROXWLRQDU\ politics and5XVVLDQOLEHUDOLVP 2IIRUG /HDWKHUEDUURZ $V/HDWKHUEDUURZ FRPPHQWV 'RVWRHYVN\¶V ³SROLWLFDO JURWHVTXHV´ DUH ³XQDUJXDEO\´ H[DJJHUDWHG 'RVWRHYVN\ LV WKH ³µUHDOLVW LQ D KLJKHU VHQVH¶ VDFUL¿FLQJ YHULVLPLOLWXGH WR P\WKRJUDSK\´ ± $9/XQDFKDUVN\ REVHUYHV WKDW 'RVWRHYVN\ ³H[SRVHV WKHFRQWUDGLFWRU\QDWXUHDQGGXDOLW\RI'RVWRHYVN\¶VRZQVRFLDOSHUVRQDOLW\KLV oscillations between a revolutionary materialistic socialism and a conservative UHOLJLRXVZRUOGYLHZ±RVFLOODWLRQVWKDWQHYHUOHGWRDQ\GHFLVLYHUHVROXWLRQ´ TWG LQ%DNKWLQ &KRRVLQJFKDUDFWHUVRIVXFKDPELYDOHQWLGHRORJ\RUDOWHUQDWLYHO\ who have been so ambivalently received by the reading public, chimes with the VFKHPDRI&RHW]HH¶VERRNWKHQXUWXULQJRIDQ³HVRWHULFUHDGLQJFRPPXQLW\´ /HR 6WUDXVVTWGLQ*2 WKDWFDQUHDGEHWZHHQWKHOLQHV¿OOLQJLQWKHJDSV 7KHDPELYDOHQFHRIWKHQDUUDWLYHWDNLQJLWVOHDGIURP'RVWRHYVN\GLVFRXUDJHV UHDGHUVIURPDOLJQLQJWKHLUV\PSDWKLHVZLWKHLWKHU¿JXUH7KDW&RHW]HHDGPLUHV such a strategy is evident when he refers to Gordimer’s lauding in The Essential GestureRI7XUJHQHYDVLQ&RHW]HH¶VZRUGVWKH³H[HPSODU\UHDOLVW´ '3 Turgenev, Coetzee agrees, “was able to subordinate his personal political beliefs to the demands of his art to such a degree that his readers could not tell whether his sympathies lay with the progressive characters in his novels or with the UHDFWLRQDULHV´ '3 $OWKRXJK 'RVWRHYVN\ DQG 7XUJHQHY DUH ERWK DEOH WR XQVHWWOH DQ\ HDV\ FRQQHFWLRQ WKHLU UHDGHUV PLJKW PDNH EHWZHHQ FKDUDFWHU DQG author in terms of the politics each professes, today the two authors’ incompatible SROLWLFV DUH FRPPRQ NQRZOHGJH DQG FDQ EH UHDG DV FRPSHWLQJ QDUUDWLYHV LQ &RHW]HH¶VQRYHO%\DSSURSULDWLQJERWK7XUJHQHYDQG'RVWRHYVN\&RHW]HHHIIHFWV DIRUPRI³FHQVRUVKLS´FKDUDFWHUL]HGE\HUDVXUHDQGXQZULWLQJ,QWKLVUHVSHFW diminishing the authority of authorship, the novel captures Roland Barthes’s WKHVLVLQ³'HDWKRIWKH$XWKRU´ ³:HNQRZQRZWKDWDWH[WLVQRWDOLQHRIZRUGV UHOHDVLQJDVLQJOHµWKHRORJLFDO¶PHDQLQJ WKHµPHVVDJH¶RIWKH$XWKRU*RG EXW a multi-dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, EOHQGDQGFODVK´ ³'HDWK´ A concern in the novel for the right to free expression and, conversely, with the self-censoring limits such free expression warrants exposes an anxiety about authorship and the authority authorship engenders. The narrative self-consciously XQGHUPLQHV 'RVWRHYVN\¶V DXWKRULW\ DV DXWKRU -XVW DV &RHW]HH ERUURZV IURP 7XUJHQHY DV ZHOO DV 'RVWRHYVN\ E\ SDZLQJ RYHU 3DYHO¶V GLDULHV 'RVWRHYVN\ FRQMXUHV D SDOLPSVHVW RI LQÀXHQFHV IRU WKH LGHD RI KLV ERRN WKDW GHSOHWHV KLV 140 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship DXWKRULW\DV³$XWKRU*RG´+LVJXLOWLVQRWRQO\LQGXFHGE\HIIDFLQJWKHSULYDWH diaries but also by transgressing the boundaries of self-censorship and using WKHHQWULHVWRIHHGKLVSORW'RVWRHYVN\¶VLQWHUURJDWRU0D[LPRYUHWXUQV3DYHO¶V SDSHUVWR'RVWRHYVN\ZLWKWKHZRUGV ³7KHUHLVQRUHDVRQZK\\RXVKRXOGQRW tell yourself that I have ceased to exist, in the same way that a character in a ERRNFDQEHVDLGWRFHDVHWRH[LVWDVVRRQDVWKHERRNLVFORVHG´ 03 +HUH 0D[LPRYFRQIXVLQJO\FRQÀDWHVFKDUDFWHUZLWKKLVRZQUROHDVFHQVRURUUHDGHU suggesting that it is the reader who chooses whether a character will live or die in WKHPHPRU\)RU%DUWKHVWKHUHDGHU¶VDXWKRULW\WDNHVSUHFHGHQFHRYHUWKDWRIWKH DXWKRU ³7KHUHDGHULVWKHVSDFHRQZKLFKDOOWKHTXRWDWLRQVWKDWPDNHXSDZULWLQJ DUHLQVFULEHGZLWKRXWDQ\RIWKHPEHLQJORVW DWH[W¶VXQLW\OLHVQRWLQLWVRULJLQ EXWLQLWVGHVWLQDWLRQ´ ³'HDWK´ &RHW]HH¶VQRYHODVNVXVDVFULWLFDOUHDGHUV WREHVNHSWLFDORIWKHZULWHU¶VDXWKRULW\LPSOLHGLQWKHQDPLQJRI'RVWRHYVN\DV the “masterRI3HWHUVEXUJ´±DWLWOHWKDWZLOOFRPHWRWDXQW'RVWRHYVN\±EXWOLNH %DUWKHVLWDOVRDVNVXVWRUHÀHFWXSRQRXURZQDFFRXQWDELOLW\ZLWKLQWKHOLIHRIWKH ZRUN$OWKRXJKWKHUHDGHUOLNHWKHFHQVRUKDVWKHPHDQVWRGLYHVWWKHDXWKRURI authorial authority, the motivations for doing so certainly diverge and are therefore GLI¿FXOWWRFRPSDUH /LNHWKHSDUDEOHZKLFKLVVXEYHUVLYHEHFDXVHDV&RHW]HHDUJXHVLWLVGLI¿FXOW WRSLQGRZQLWVPHDQLQJ 17 'RVWRHYVN\¶V¿FWLRQVXEYHUVLYHO\HYDGHVEHFDXVH it incorporates, in Coetzee’s words, “hidden polemic and hidden dialogue´ RULJLQDO HPSKDVLV *2 $FFRUGLQJ WR 0LNKDLO %DNKWLQ LQ KLV FHOHEUDWHG Problems in Dostoevsky’s Poetics 'RVWRHYVN\ DVVLJQV KLV FKDUDFWHUV D double consciousness and autonomy: they simultaneously are independent from, \HWFRQVWLWXWHWKHDXWKRU¶VYRLFHZKLOVWWKH\PHUJHZLWKWKHHTXDOO\VLJQL¿FDQW FRQVFLRXVQHVVHV RI WKH RWKHU FKDUDFWHUV %DNKWLQ 6RXWK$IULFDQ DXWKRUV OLNH Breyten Breytenbach, whose writing was blue-pencilled by the censor, have HPSOR\HG MXVW VXFK D VWUDWHJ\ *2 &RHW]HH DUJXHV WKDW LQ WKH HDUO\ OLQHV RI%UH\WHQEDFK¶VSRHP³7KH&RQTXHURUV´IRUH[DPSOH³WKHUHLVDUXGLPHQWDU\ GLDORJXH DV WKH ZRUGV RI WKH RWKHU µKXPDQ¶ µKXPDQLW\¶ FUHHS LQ´ *2 1 1 The poem reads: EHFDXVHZHZRXOGQRWDFNQRZOHGJHWKHPDVKXPDQ beings everything human in us dried up and we cannot grieve over our dying because we wanted nothing more than fear and hatred we did not recognize the human uprising of humanity DQGWULHGWR¿QGURXJKVROXWLRQVEXWWRRODWH WKHÀRZHUVLQWKH¿UH no one is interested in our solutions— Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 141 Further exploring the subterfuge of polyphony, Pechey contends that Coetzee turns WR'RVWRHYVN\EHFDXVHWKHODWWHU NHHSV IDLWK ZLWK PRGHUQLW\¶V SURPLVH RI IUHHGRP ZKLOVW UHVLVWLQJ LWV ZLOO WR totality. The polyphonic novel is a space in which cynical and ironic voices are JLYHQIXOOZHLJKWZKHUHKHURHVVRXQGOLNH EXWDUHQRW DXWKRUVDQGWKHDXWKRU VRXQGVOLNH EXWLVQRW MXVWRQHKHURDPRQJRWKHUV ³3RVW$SDUWKHLG´ 3RO\SKRQ\LVWKHDXWKRU¶VFRYHUWPHDQVRIPDVNLQJWKHDXWKRULDOYRLFHLQWKLV ZD\VLJQDOOLQJDUHQXQFLDWLRQRIDXWKRULW\&RHW]HHVHWVVXFKDFULWLTXHLQSURFHVV 'RPLQLF +HDG DUJXHV E\ FRQVWUXFWLQJ 'RVWRHYVN\ DV ERWK ³PDVWHU´ DQG ³QRW PDVWHU´ J. M. Coetzee 'RVWRHYVN\DVVRFLDWHVWKH³PDVWHU´WLWOHGFRQIHUUHG XSRQ KLP ZLWK WKH ³PDVWHU EODFNVPLWK´ DQG WKH ³FDVWLQJ RI EHOOV´ EXW QDPHV KLPVHOID³FUDFNHGEHOO´IRU³7KHUHLVDFUDFNUXQQLQJWKURXJK´KLP 03 Doubling is not only realized in the representation of censorship in The Master of Petersburg but is a framing device sustained throughout the narrative. The VKDGRZ\SUHVHQFH'RVWRHYVN\IHHOVZDWFKLQJRYHUKLPDVKHUHDGVWKURXJKDQG HIIDFHV3DYHO¶VGLDU\LV'RVWRHYVN\¶VRWKHUVHOIDQGWKH³LGHD´RI'RVWRHYVN\¶V The Possessed: “This presence, so grey without feature – is this what he must IDWKHUJLYHEORRGWRÀHVKOLIH"«,VWKHWKLQJEHIRUHKLP«WKHRQHWKDWGRHV WKHIDWKHULQJDQGPXVWKHJLYHKLPVHOIWREHLQJIDWKHUHGE\LW"´ 03± (Stavrogin in The Possessed is plagued by the demons of a guilty conscience for his abuse of Matryosha but simultaneously draws sadistic pleasure from the child’s GLVWUHVV KHZLVKHVWRFRQIHVVEXWDW¿UVWIHHOVQRUHPRUVHIRUKLVDFWLRQVRUIRU KLVFRPSOLFLW\LQWKHJLUO¶VGHDWK 'RVWRHYVN\LVGULYHQE\KLVLQQHUGHPRQV RI FUHDWLYLW\ WRHIIDFHKLVVRQ¶VGLDU\ZKLOVWUHYLOLQJKLPVHOIIRUGRLQJVR KLVOXVWIRU Matryosha repels yet thrills him, as his fascination for nihilism and for Nechaev does – a fascination which Nechaev reciprocates. :LWKPRUELGQHFURSKLOLFDVVRFLDWLRQV'RVWRHYVN\REVHVVLYHO\GRQV3DYHO¶V ZKLWHVXLWDQGWKH¿JXUHLQWKHPLUURUWKDWSUHVHQWVLWVHOIZKRLVKLVRWKHUVHOI EHFRPHVDPRQVWURXVSDURG\RIKLVVRQ ³ORRNLQJLQWKHPLUURUKHVHHVRQO\D VHHG\LPSRVWHUDQGEH\RQGWKDWVRPHWKLQJVXUUHSWLWLRXVDQGREVFHQH´ 03 %RXQGDULHV EHWZHHQ IDWKHU DQG VRQ EHWZHHQ ³KH´ DQG ³,´ DUH ZHDNHQHG DQG WUDQVPXWHLQWRHDFKRWKHU7KHQDUUDWLYHLPSOLHV'RVWRHYVN\VXIIHUVDQHSLOHSWLF VHL]XUH 0DWU\RVKDDVNVKLPLIKHLVVLFN 'RVWRHYVN\LPDJLQHVKLPVHOIIDOOLQJ DVKLVVRQIHOOIURPWKHWRZHU ³:KHQKHFRPHVEDFNKHKDVDJDLQORVWDOOVHQVHRI ZKRKHLV+HNQRZVWKHIEXWDVKHVWDUHVDWLWLWEHFRPHVHQLJPDWLFDVDURFNLQ WKHPLGGOHRIWKHGHVHUW´ 03 %ORFNLQJRIIWKHPHPRU\RIKLVJULHIKRZHYHU we are past understanding ZHDUHRIDQRWKHUNLQG ZHDUHWKHFKLOGUHQRI&DLQ %UH\WHQEDFKTWGLQ*2 VHHDOVR%UH\WHQEDFK Buffalo Bill 142 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship he uses/misuses the white suit – Pavel’s story – to seduce Matryosha in the manner RIWKHVWRU\WHOOHUZHDYLQJ¿FWLRQV %DNKWLQH[WUDSRODWHVWKHQRWLRQRIGRXEOLQJLQWHUPVRIYRLFHWRVXJJHVW³WKDW RXWRIHYHU\FRQWUDGLFWLRQZLWKLQDVLQJOHSHUVRQ'RVWRHYVN\WULHVWRFUHDWHWZR SHUVRQVLQRUGHUWRGUDPDWL]HWKHFRQWUDGLFWLRQDQGGHYHORSLWH[WHQVLYHO\´ ,Q JHQHUDO WKH GLYHUJHQFH EHWZHHQ 'RVWRHYVN\ DQG KLV FRQWHPSRUDULHV FDQ EH FKDUDFWHUL]HGDFFRUGLQJWR%DNKWLQE\WKHIRUPHU¶VUHMHFWLRQRIWKH³PRQRORJLF world of the author’s consciousness … that which had been all of reality here becomes only one of the aspects of reality … what appears – metaphorically VSHDNLQJ±LVnovelistic counterpoint´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG Problems 3RO\SKRQ\ is one means of outsmarting the censor but is also a means of refusing to conform to societal expectations or to produce tendentious literature. Polyphony allows authors to withdraw from identifying with particular characters, to conceal their own point of view behind multiple consciousnesses and ironic voices, whilst it undermines any stable or coherent meaning. Coetzee’s use of allegory, which VHUYHV LQ SDUW WR PDVN SROLWLFL]HG GLVFRXUVH VHOIFRQVFLRXVO\ GLVSOD\V WKHVH aporias: typically his novels negate the very allegorical readings they solicit, LOOXVWUDWHGE\WKHIUHTXHQWUHFRXUVHWRWKHPRWLIVRIWKHODE\ULQWKDQGWKHDQDJUDP and in the process highlight the limitations reading allegorically entails. In the GHEDWHEHWZHHQ'RVWRHYVN\DQG1HFKDHYDERXWZULWHUO\FRPPLWPHQW'RVWRHYVN\ acerbically points out to the nihilist leader, Nechaev, that “Stories [rather than SDUDEOHV@FDQEHDERXWRWKHUSHRSOH \RXDUHQRWREOLJHGWR¿QGDSODFHIRU\RXUVHOI LQWKHP´ 03 7KHUHDGHUOLNH&RHW]HH¶VDXWKRU¿JXUHVLVORVWLQD³PD]HRI VHOIGRXEW´ ) This split consciousness, expressed through polyphony, manifests itself in the relationship between the censor and the writer: the close proximity of the censor DQGFHQVRUHGZULWHULVH[SHULHQFHGLQWKHZULWHUDVLQQHUFRQÀLFWRUFRQWDJLRQ &RHW]HH¶VHVVD\³7DNLQJ2IIHQVH´LGHQWL¿HVDSHUYHUVHIDVFLQDWLRQRIWKHZULWHU IRUWKHFHQVRUZKLFKOHDGVWR³KXPLOLDWLRQVHOIGLVJXVWDQGVKDPH´DQG¿QDOO\ to madness: $WDQLQGLYLGXDOOHYHOWKHFRQWHVWZLWKWKHFHQVRULVDOOWRROLNHO\WRDVVXPH an importance in the inner life of the writer that at the very least diverts him from his proper occupation and at its worst fascinates and even perverts the LPDJLQDWLRQ *2 7KHFHQVRU¿JXUHEHFRPHV³LQYROXQWDULO\LQFRUSRUDWHGLQWRWKHLQWHULRUSV\FKLF OLIH´RIWKHZULWHU³,QZLOOLQJIDQWDVLHVRIWKLVNLQG´&RHW]HHJRHVRQ³WKHFHQVRU is typically experienced as a parasite, a pathological invader of the body-self, UHSXGLDWHGZLWKYLVFHUDOLQWHQVLW\EXWQHYHUZKROO\H[SHOOHG´ *2 The Master of PetersburgOD\VEDUHWKHFORVHSUR[LPLW\RI'RVWRHYVN\WRKLV interrogator/censor manifested in disease or possession. Problematically, however, 'RVWRHYVN\FRQÀDWHVWKHSRVLWLRQRIUHDGHUZLWKFHQVRUand censored when he TXL]]HVKLVLQWHUURJDWRU0D[LPRYDERXWKLVYLFWLPV Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 143 What is the truth: do you suffer with him, or do you secretly exult being the arm WKDWVZLQJVWKHD[H"«UHDGLQJLVEHLQJWKHDUPDQGEHLQJWKHD[Hand being the VNXOO>RIWKHLQWHUURJDWHG@ UHDGLQJLVJLYLQJ\RXUVHOIXSQRWKROGLQJ\RXUVHOIDW DGLVWDQFHDQGMHHULQJ 03 $FFRUGLQJWR'RVWRHYVN\ZKRDFFXVHV0D[LPRYRIEHLQJXQDEOHWRUHDGSURSHUO\ UHDGLQJOLNHZULWLQJUHTXLUHVWKLQNLQJRQHVHOILQWRPXOWLSOHVXEMHFWSRVLWLRQV,QWKLV ZD\RQHIXOO\HQJDJHVZLWKWKHZRUN0D[LPRYUHWRUWVWKDW'RVWRHYVN\³VSHDN>V@ RIUHDGLQJDVWKRXJKLWZHUHGHPRQSRVVHVVLRQ´ 03 DQGVDUGRQLFDOO\DVNV 'RVWRHYVN\ZKREHOLHYHV0D[LPRYLVRXWIRUYHQJHDQFHRQ1HFKDHYUDWKHUWKDQ MXVWLFHWR³WHDFKKLPKRZWRUHDG´WR³([SODLQWRPHWKHVHLGHDVWKDWDUHQRW LGHDV´ 03 0D[LPRY¶VUROHDVLQWHUURJDWRUFHQVRULVWRGHWHUPLQHDGH¿QLWLYH DQGVDQFWLRQHG WH[WDQGWKLV'RVWRHYVN\FDQQRWDQGZLOOQRWSURYLGH The relationship between writer and censor is traduced into the rupture of self DQGRWKHULQWKHVHOIFHQVRULQJZULWHUZKRVWUXJJOHVZLWKWKHDSSDUHQWO\FRQÀLFWLQJ GHPDQGVRIFRQVFLHQFHDQGDUWDVWUXJJOHZKLFKWDNHQWRLWVFRQFOXVLRQUHVXOWV LQ SV\FKLF FROODSVH 'RVWRHYVN\ LPSOLFDWHV KLPVHOI LQ WKH DFW RI FHQVRUVKLS E\ FRQÀDWLQJWKHVHUROHVRIFHQVRUDQGUHDGHULQWKHTXRWDWLRQDERYHDQGUHDOL]HVWKDW he is not altruistically pursuing truth or performing a moral duty by altering Pavel’s GLDU\ TXLWHWKHFRQWUDU\LQIDFW SRVVHVVHGKHKDVDEDQGRQHGKLPVHOI DQG3DYHO WR KLV¿FWLRQ6HOIFHQVRUVKLSLVWKHUHIRUHV\PSWRPDWLFRIERWKWKHH[WHUQDOSUHVVXUHV imposed by society – state censorship or society’s expectations of its writers – DQGWKHLQQHUFRQÀLFWRIWKHFRQÀLFWHGFRQVFLHQFH2IFRXUVHLWDOVRVLJQL¿HVWKH necessary, ethico-political repression on which a free society depends. 7KH WKLUGSHUVRQ SUHVHQWWHQVH QDUUDWLRQ ZKLFK SUHVHQWV 'RVWRHYVN\ DV IRFDOL]HUVXJJHVWVFRQIHVVLRQEXWWKLVGHYLFHDOVRXQFDQQLO\KLQWVWKDW'RVWRHYVN\ KDVEHHQLQFRUSRUDWHGDVDFKDUDFWHUZLWKLQKLVRZQ¿FWLRQ&RUURERUDWHGE\WKH VFHQH LQ ZKLFK 'RVWRHYVN\ VHQVHV WKH DSSDULWLRQ VKDGRZLQJ KLP DV KH ZULWHV ZH LPDJLQH 'RVWRHYVN\ WKH DXWKRU ZDWFKLQJ RYHU WKH VKRXOGHU RI KLV ¿FWLRQDO DOWHUHJR JOHDQLQJ DOO DYDLODEOH H[SHULHQFH IRU KLV QH[W ZRUN The Possessed. Alternatively, this may of course be his censoring superego, policing his thoughts: ³7KHSHQGRHVQRWPRYH,QWHUPLWWHQWO\WKHVWLFN¿JXUHUHWXUQVWKHFUXPSOHGROG PDQWUDYHVW\RIKLPVHOI+HLVEORFNHGKHLVLQSULVRQ´ 03 Breytenbach’s autobiographical The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist DQWLFLSDWHVWKLVGHPRQDSSDULWLRQWKRXJKLQ%UH\WHQEDFKLWLVWKHFHQVRU PRQLWRULQJWKHRXWSXWRIZULWLQJ ³$EL]DUUHVLWXDWLRQ«ZKHQ\RXZULWHNQRZLQJ WKDWWKHHQHP\LVUHDGLQJRYHU\RXUVKRXOGHU´ Confessions 7KHFHQVRURI Breytenbach’s prison-writings metamorphoses into the censoring self, which in WXUQ LQ &RHW]HHLV PDQLIHVWHGLQ 'RVWRHYVN\¶V JXLOW\ FRQVFLHQFH %UH\WHQEDFK experiences this as complicity. Unravelling the motif of the mirror/page in Breytenbach’s writing in which Breytenbach collapses the prison interrogator with WKHFHQVRURULQWHUURJDWRUZLWKLQDVWKH³GDUNPLUURUEURWKHU´ True Confessions &RHW]HHREVHUYHVWKHVXUIDFHVRIWKHPLUURUDQGWKHEODQNSDJHFRQYHUJH Just as censors call upon the censored to redouble their efforts to produce and 144 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship UHSURGXFH WKH UHTXLUHG FRQIHVVLRQ VR ZULWHUV HPERG\ D ³FRXQWHUVHOI´ ZKLFK PRFNVWKHHIIRUWVRIVHOIH[SUHVVLRQ *2 ,QGHHG&RHW]HHVXJJHVWV³WKH posture of the writer before the mirror/page is assimilated with the attitude of WKH FRRSHUDWLYH SULVRQHU XQGHU LQWHUURJDWLRQ´ *2 DQG WKH LQWHUURJDWRU becomes, in the context of writing, both the self-censor and the “self that writes LWVHOI´ *2 RULQThe Master of PetersburgWKHJKRVWO\¿JXUHZDWFKLQJ RYHU'RVWRHYVN\DVKHSHQVThe Possessed. 8QWLO%UH\WHQEDFKWXUQVKLVDWWHQWLRQWRKLV³EODFNPLUURUEURWKHU´&RHW]HH ZDUQVKRZHYHUDOOWKDWLVRIIHUHGLV³DQRWKHULQJHQLRXVSRVWVWUXFWXUDOLVW¿JXUHRI WH[WXDOVHOISURGXFWLRQ´ *2 3XWDQRWKHUZD\PHWD¿FWLRQLVLQVXEVWDQWLDOLI it fails to be grounded in the ethical. Coetzee’s confessional mode in The Master of Petersburg, which is internalized and self-denunciatory, as Pechey explains, illustrates that the author “clearly regards the novel’s scepticism-to-the-second- SRZHUDVDYDOXDEOHUHVRXUFHQRWWREHWXUQHGWRSDUWLVDQHQGVEXWHTXDOO\QRWWR EHPLVWDNHQIRUQRQHQJDJHPHQW´ ³3RVW$SDUWKHLG´ 7KHRGRU$GRUQR¶V GH¿QLWLRQ RI FRPPLWPHQW LV DSSRVLWH JLYHQ WKDW WKH FRPPLWWHG WH[W ZRXOG prioritize an estranging form that encourages the reader’s critical engagement RYHUWHQGHQWLRXVQHVVRUWKHSURMHFWLRQRIWKHDXWKRU¶VRZQSKLORVRSKLFDOLGHDVWKDW OLPLWVWKHWH[W¶VHWKLFRSROLWLFDOSRWHQWLDO ³&RPPLWPHQW´ 7KH UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ RI 'RVWRHYVN\¶V SV\FKLF FRQÀLFW H[SUHVVHG LQ WKH polyphonous YRLFHVKHKLPVHOIHPERGLHVUDLVHVTXHVWLRQVDERXWFRPSOLFLW\DQG DFFRXQWDELOLW\ EHFDXVH WKLV EODFN ³PLUURUEURWKHU´ LV ³QRW 2WKHU EXW RWKHUVHOI µEURWKHU,¶´ *2 &RHW]HH LGHQWL¿HV D SURFHVV RI FRQIURQWDWLRQ DQG VHOI accusation reminiscent of the patterning of unresolved confession. Here, he is referring to Breytenbach’s End Papers DQGZRQGHUVZKHWKHUWKLVUHODWLRQVKLS can ever be productive. That which Coetzee in a different context calls “warring WZLQV´ *2 WKHZKLWHSROLFHPDQDQGWKHEODFNUHYROXWLRQDU\DUH enemies brought together in the mirror. Is the mirror the place, then, where history LVWUDQVFHQGHG"«&DQGLDORJXHZLWKWKHPLUURUEHWUXVWHGWRSURFHHGSHDFHDEO\ or will it degenerate into hysterical confrontation … hysterical self-accusation, a VSLUDOOLQJGHVFHQWLQWR³WKHERWWRPOHVVSLWRIGHSUHFDWLRQDQGGLVJXVW´" *2 Breytenbach, End Papers± Breytenbach describes the passing of the self through a labyrinth: “it is a FRQWLQXDWLRQRIWKHORRNLQJIRUWKH0LQRWDXUWKDWGDUNFHQWUHZKLFKLVWKH, H\H WKDW0LVWHU,´ P\VWHU\ TWGLQ*2 VHHDOVR%UH\WHQEDFK Confessions In Breytenbach’s Mouroir ZKLFKLQFRUSRUDWHVWKHVSHFWUHRILPSRVVLEOH endings, the surface of mirror and page, Coetzee argues, are impassable and the search for the labyrinth’s core thwarted: “Instead, a new surface recurs at every turn, leading into yet another corridor of the labyrinth… . Text becomes FRH[WHQVLYHZLWKOLIH WH[WZLOOQRWHQGWLOOZULWLQJHQGV ZULWLQJZLOOQRWHQGWLOO EUHDWKHQGV´ *2 ± 7KHSUHVVXUHVEHDULQJGRZQXSRQWKHZULWHUZKLFK UHVXOWLQVHOIFHQVRUVKLSLQERWKLWVFRQVFLRXVDQGXQFRQVFLRXVIRUPVDUHFRQ¿JXUHG Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 145 in a dialogue between the writer’s moral and artistic selves. Indeed, typically in Coetzee, writers’ uncertainty about their artistic worth leads and in turn becomes ineluctably anchored to an uncertainty about their ethico-political integrity (the brutalizing Jacobus Coetzee in Dusklands> @EHLQJWKHREYLRXVH[FHSWLRQ In The Master of Petersburg WKH WRUPHQWHG 'RVWRHYVN\ ¿QGV KLPVHOI ORVW LQDOLWHUDOODE\ULQWKZKHQKHLVWDNHQWRPHHW1HFKDHY 03 ZKLOVWDWWKH GHQRXHPHQWDV'RVWRHYVN\VWUXJJOHVWRUHFRQFLOHKLPVHOIWRKLVSRVLWLRQDVDXWKRU KHUHFRJQL]HVWKDWKH³LVLQWKHROGODE\ULQWK´1RWGLVVLPLODUWR0UV&XUUHQLQAge of IronKHLVORFNHGLQDGDQJHURXVZDJHUZLWK*RGDWVWDNHKLVDUWDQGKLVPRUDO integrity: “It is the story of his gambling in another guise. He gambles because God GRHVQRWVSHDN+HJDPEOHVWRPDNH*RGVSHDN%XWWRPDNH*RGVSHDNLQWKHWXUQ RIDFDUGLVEODVSKHP\´ 03 7KXV'RVWRHYVN\HQWHUVWKHERZHOVRIZULWHUO\ SUDFWLFHZKHQKHLVWDNHQWR1HFKDHY¶VKLGHRXW7KLVSODFHLVDPHWDSKRUIRUWKH labyrinth of both censorship and confession – because here, as with Pavel’s diaries DQG'RVWRHYVN\¶VFRUUXSWLRQRI0DWU\RVKDKHZLOO¿QGLQVSLUDWLRQIRUKLVERRN – and which in apartheid South Africa connotes the experience of writing under the strong-arm of apartheid law. A young man reading a newspaper, cryptically UHIHUUHGWRDV³WKHUHDGHU´DQGVSHDNLQJ)UHQFKWKHODQJXDJHDVVRFLDWHGZLWKWKH :HVWHUQL]DWLRQZKLFKWKHUHDOOLIH'RVWRHYVN\VRGHWHVWHGPRFNLQJO\RIIHUVWKH GLVRULHQWDWHG'RVWRHYVN\GLUHFWLRQVRXWRIWKHPD]H ³Tout droit, tout droit!´ 03 VWUDLJKWDKHDGVWUDLJKWDKHDG ,QWKHH\HVRIWKHVHPHQZKRLQNHHSLQJZLWK WKHJHQHUDWLRQDOFRQÀLFWLQWKHUHDOOLIH'RVWRHYVN\¶V5XVVLDDUHGLVWLQJXLVKHGE\ WKHLU\RXWK'RVWRHYVN\¶VORVVRIEHDULQJGHQRWHVKLVORVVRIPRUDODQGSROLWLFDO direction. The unnamed reader, representing the generic reader, is pushing the writer in a certain ideological direction. %DNKWLQDQDO\]HVWKHVXSSUHVVHG³$W7LKRQ´FKDSWHULQThe Possessed in terms RIWKHRWKHU ZKDWHPHUJHVLQ6WDYURJLQ¶VFRQIHVVLRQKHDUJXHVLV6WDYURJLQ¶V VSOLWFRQVFLRXVQHVVVHOIRWKHU,PSRUWDQWO\QRWXQOLNHWKHPRGHORILQWHUURJDWRU LQWHUURJDWHGRXWOLQHGDERYHWKHFRQIHVVRUSULHVW7LKRQLVGUDZQLQWRWKLVFRQÀLFWXDO consciousness: 6WDYURJLQ¶VGLDORJXHZLWK7LNKRQLVDPD[LPDOO\SXUHPRGHORIWKHFRQIHVVLRQDO dialogue. The entire orientation of Stavrogin in this dialogue is determined by KLVGXDODWWLWXGHWRZDUGWKH³RWKHUSHUVRQ´ E\WKHLPSRVVLELOLW\RIPDQDJLQJ ZLWKRXW KLV MXGJHPHQW DQG IRUJLYHQHVV DQG DW WKH VDPH WLPH E\ D KRVWLOLW\ WRZDUGKLPDQGUHVLVWDQFHWRKLVMXGJHPHQWDQGIRUJLYHQHVV«,WLVDVLIWZR SHUVRQV ZHUH VSHDNLQJ ZLWK 7LNKRQ PHUJHG LQWHUUXSWHGO\ LQWR RQH 7LNKRQ is confronted with two voices, into whose internal struggle he is drawn as a SDUWLFLSDQW %DNKWLQ 6WDYURJLQLVDEOHERWKWRDVVLPLODWHDQGWRUHVLVWWKH³RWKHUSHUVRQ¶V´RSSRVLWLRQDO FRQVFLRXVQHVVHV +HDG OLQNV WKLV ³FHQVRUZULWHU FRQIURQWDWLRQ´ WR D WUDQVLWLRQDO moment in Coetzee’s writing: not only does it constitute an important stage in WKHGHFRORQL]LQJSURFHVVZKHQWKHFRORQL]HGVXEMHFWUHFRJQL]HVWKHSRURXVQHVV 146 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship of the boundaries that separate colonizer from colonized, more troublingly this UHFRJQLWLRQPD\UHVXOWLQ³DGLVDEOLQJVHOIDFFXVDWLRQ´ J. M. Coetzee ZKLFK in certain contexts, I would interpose, should be read more positively as the QHFHVVDU\WDVNRIDXWRFULWLTXH 'RVWRHYVN\ UHDOL]HV WKDW LW LV WR WKH RWKHU WKDW KH PXVW WXUQ DV WKH SDWK WR DEVROXWLRQ DQG UHGHPSWLRQ IRU KLV WUDQVJUHVVLRQV7KH RWKHU D ³OHDVW WKLQJ´ LV VLJQL¿HG DV LQ Disgrace and Age of Iron UHVSHFWLYHO\ E\ D GRJ RU D GUXQNHQ EHJJDU 03 $GHFUHSLWGRJRUWKHXQORYDEOH³EHJJDU´ZKRLVLQIDFWDFOHYHUO\ GLVJXLVHG SROLFH VS\ ZLOO KHOS 'RVWRHYVN\ KH LQLWLDOO\ EHOLHYHV WR UHVROYH KLV feelings about his stepson’s death and about the betrayal, committed in the name of writing, that he feels he has enacted of Pavel’s memory. He chances upon the DQLPDOFKDLQHGWRDGUDLQSLSHDQGVHQVHVLWVRYHUZKHOPLQJWHUURUDNLQKHLPDJLQHV to that his son must have experienced as he fell from the tower: “Pavel will not be saved till he has freed the dog and brought it into his bed, brought the least thing´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV 03 ,QDODVWVHOIFRQVFLRXVWZLVWSOXQJLQJLQWRWKHUHDOPV RIPHWDWH[WXDOLW\'RVWRHYVN\UHFRJQL]HVWKHSLWIDOOVRIVHOIUHYHODWLRQ +HLVZDLWLQJIRUDVLJQDQGKHLVEHWWLQJ WKHUHLVQRJUDQGHUZRUGKHGDUHXVH WKDWWKHGRJLVQRWWKHVLJQLVQRWDVLJQDWDOOLVMXVWDGRJDPRQJPDQ\GRJV KRZOLQJLQWKHQLJKW%XWKHNQRZVWRRWKDWDVORQJDVKHWULHVE\FXQQLQJWR distinguish things that are things from things that are signs he will not be saved. 03 $FNQRZOHGJLQJ WKH IDOOLELOLW\ RI LGHQWLI\LQJ WKH RWKHU WKH GRJ ZLWK VSLULWXDO release and in the process testing his spiritual conviction – The Possessed, you ZLOOUHPHPEHULVLQSDUWDQH[SUHVVLRQRI'RVWRHYVN\¶VUHDZDNHQHGUHOLJLRVLW\ ±&RHW]HH¶V'RVWRHYVN\HQWHUVWKHZRUOGRIVLJQV OLNHWKDWO\ULFDOO\LQKDELWHGE\ Friday at the end of Foe DQGWULHVWRPDNHVHQVHRIWR³UHDG´KLVH[SHULHQFHV That the GRJRI9ODGLPLU¶VSRHPLQ6DPXHO%HFNHWW¶VWaiting for Godot LV UHDG DV DQ LQYHUVLRQ RI ³JRG´ DQG WKXV DQ DI¿UPDWLRQ RI WKH DSRFDO\SWLF DEVXUGLVWQDWXUHRIWKHSOD\PDNHV&RHW]HH¶VQRGWRZDUGV%HFNHWWDOOWKHPRUH DSW DSDUWKHLG LV IUHTXHQWO\ DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK WKH DEVXUG 'RVWRHYVN\ HOLGHV WKH otherness of dogs and beggars with that of Nechaev who, amongst others, he suspects is the apparition watching over his shoulder. It dawns on him that to bring the grieving process to an end he must accept his son’s alliance and friendship with 1HFKDHY LQGHHGKHPXVWOHDUQWRORYH1HFKDHYZKRPKHUHJDUGVDVDQ³LPLWDWRU DSUHWHQGHU DEODVSKHPHU´ 03 DVKHZRXOGKLVVRQ,QSDUWWKLVLVDERXW UHOLQTXLVKLQJKLV IDWKHUO\DQGDXWKRULDO DXWKRULW\ ³$V1HFKDHYKDWHVWKHIDWKHUV DQGPDNHVLPSODFDEOHZDURQWKHPVRPXVW3DYHOEHDOORZHGWRIROORZKLP"´KH ZRQGHUV 03 Responding to a period of seismic transition in South Africa, The Master of PetersburgLVDQRYHODERXWWKHZULWHUWDNLQJVWRFN FHQVRUVKLSLVQRORQJHUDQ immediate threat yet writers continue to be exercised by external pressures, as well as by their own demons of conscience. The cusp of regime change in contexts as Evading the Censor/Censoring the Self in The Master of Petersburg 147 H[WUHPHDVDSDUWKHLGLVQRWWKHPRPHQWIRUZULWHUVWRIRUJHWWKHWDVNRIWHVWLQJWKH OLPLWVRIDFFHSWDEOHGLVFRXUVHOHVWWKHFRQVHTXHQFHVRIQHRFRORQLDOLVPUXQWKHLU course. The heads of the new governments, Fanon warns, “are the true traitors in Africa, for they sell their country to the most terrifying of all its enemies: VWXSLGLW\´ Wretched ,Q &RHW]HH¶V ¿UVW QRYHO SXEOLVKHG SRVWDSDUWKHLG 'RVWRHYVN\JXDUGVWKHVDQFWLW\RI³DUWIRUDUW¶VVDNH´IRUKHQRWRQO\DGYRFDWHV the release of writers from social obligations to society, but also that readers VKRXOGQRWEHFRQ¿QHGWRWKHLURZQOLPLWLQJH[SHULHQFHV6LJQDOOLQJDQHZSKDVH in South African writing, this is not a position the novel fully endorses, but rather, E\QXUWXULQJWKH³HVRWHULFUHDGLQJFRPPXQLW\´WKDWFDQUHDGEHWZHHQWKHOLQHVLW insists our engagement with texts should remain critical, attentive all the while to WKHIDOOLELOLW\RI³FRUUHFW´UHDGLQJV In Doubling the Point &RHW]HHOLNHQVWKHDFWLYLW\RIFULWLFLVPWRWKH³DFWRI WULXPSKDQWO\ WHDULQJ WKH FORWKHV RII LWV VXEMHFW DQG GLVSOD\LQJ WKH QDNHGQHVV EHQHDWK±µ%HKROGWKHWUXWK¶´,QWKLVKHDUJXHVFULWLFLVP³H[SRVHVDQDwYHWpRILWV RZQ´ '3 +HZDUQVRIFULWLFLVPEHFRPLQJ³OD]\ DQGHYHU\RUWKRGR[\JURZV OD]\ ´WKDWLQLWVUROHRIGHP\VWL¿FDWLRQFULWLFLVP³SULYLOHJHVP\VWL¿FDWLRQV´ '3 &ULWLFLVPLPSOLHVFRQVWUDLQWKHVXJJHVWVIRUZKHUHDV³7KHfeel of writing ¿FWLRQLVRQHRIIUHHGRPRILUUHVSRQVLELOLW\RUEHWWHURIUHVSRQVLELOLW\WRZDUG VRPHWKLQJWKDWKDVQRW\HWHPHUJHG´FULWLFLVPLPSOLHVDUHVSRQVLELOLW\WRZDUGV DQLPDJLQHGJRDO '3 1XUWXULQJDGHHSHUFULWLFDOSUDFWLFHThe Master of Petersburg alerts the reader to the problems of the author’s authority, encouraging DVXVSLFLRQRIDXWKRULDODWWHPSWVWR³PDVWHU´WKHWH[W Lizalise Idinga Lakho ³7KHIRUJLYHQHVVRIVLQVPDNHVDSHUVRQZKROH´ ;KRVDK\PQ 2 - 0 &RHW]HH UHWXUQV WR D 6RXWK$IULFDQ VHWWLQJ LQ KLV VHFRQG %RRNHU 3UL]H winning novel Disgrace ZKLFK WKURXJK WKH ³WULDO´ RI LWV SURWDJRQLVW Professor David Lurie for his affair with one of his female students and his VXEVHTXHQWFULVLVRIDXWKRULW\WDFLWO\FDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHSURFHVVHVRIWKHPXFK PDOLJQHG7UXWKDQG5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ&RPPLVVLRQ 75& ZLWKLQWKHFRQWH[WRID QDWLRQLQWUDQVLWLRQ7KHQRYHODVNVZKDWNLQGRIWUXWKVFDQEHOHJLWLPDWHO\WROG LQSXEOLF"%URXJKWEHIRUHDGLVFLSOLQDU\FRPPLWWHHDWWKHXQLYHUVLW\DWZKLFKKHLV HPSOR\HG/XULHLVUHTXLUHGWRFRQIHVVKLVJXLOWIRUKLVDIIDLUZLWK0HODQLHZKR E\6RXWK$IULFDQGHVLJQDWLRQLV³FRORXUHG´WKHWH[WLPSOLHVVLQFH/XULHLQZDUGO\ UHQDPHVKHU³0HOiQL´RU³GDUNRQH´ ',6 7KLVUHQDPLQJWKRXJKXQVSRNHQ establishes a historical loop whereby the past is brought to bear on the present by DOOXGLQJWRWKHREVHVVLYHFDWHJRUL]DWLRQRI³UDFH´XQGHUDSDUWKHLGWKDWODPHQWDEO\ FRQWLQXHVWRVWUXFWXUH6RXWK$IULFDQVRFLHW\WRGD\7KH\RNLQJRISDVWDQGSUHVHQW in the narrative not only calls to mind the 1949 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the 1950 Immorality Act through Lurie’s affair, for instance, but also the TXHVWLRQRIODQGGLVWULEXWLRQWKURXJKWKHRZQHUVKLSRI/XULH¶VGDXJKWHU/XF\¶V smallholding and Lucy’s perception of her rape by the three men as reparations. 7KHVHKLVWRULFDOUHVRQDQFHVSRLQWWRPXFKODUJHUTXHVWLRQVWKDQ/XULH¶VWDZGU\ DIIDLUTXHVWLRQVRIDFFRXQWDELOLW\UHVSRQVLELOLW\DQGGLVSRVVHVVLRQLQWKHSRVW DSDUWKHLG VWDWH7KXV WKH ³WULDO´ VFHQH IXQFWLRQV ¿UVWO\ DV D FDWDO\VW WKDW VHWV LQPRWLRQDSURFHVVRIVHOIUHÀHFWLRQDQGVHOIDEQHJDWLRQRQ/XULH¶VSDUWZKR UHMHFWVFRQIHVVLRQLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH\HWQHYHUWKHOHVVXQFRQVFLRXVO\VWULYHVIRU self-forgiveness in the private, and, secondly, by analogy, as a vehicle to call LQWR TXHVWLRQ WKH SROLWLFL]DWLRQ E\ WKH 75& RI WKH GLVFRXUVHV RI WUXWKWHOOLQJ reparations and reconciliation in the public-national domain. DisgraceMRLQVWKH JHQUHRI³75&QDUUDWLYHV´WKDWKDVSUROLIHUDWHGLQUHFHQW\HDUVLQ6RXWK$IULFD WKDWLQJHQHUDOFDOOLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHYLDELOLW\RIWKH75& 1DGLQH*RUGLPHU¶V The House Gun $FKPDW 'DQJRU¶V Bitter Fruit DQG 1GHEHOH 1 An early version of this Chapter appeared in Scrutiny2 2 4XRWHG E\ &RPPLVVLRQHU %RQJDQL )LQFD WKLV K\PQ RSHQHG WKH ¿UVW 7UXWK &RPPLVVLRQ KHDULQJ $QWMLH .URJ LQ Country of My Skull VXJJHVWV WKDW WKH sentiment it expresses demonstrates that ideas of reconciliation, or redemption, are not FRQ¿QHGWR&KULVWLDQFXOWXUH Country 150 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship 1MDEXOR¶VThe Cry of Winnie Mandela DUHMXVWDIHZH[DPSOHV7\SLFDOO\ VXFKQDUUDWLYHVSRLQWXSDNH\ÀDZRIWKHSURFHVVHVRIWKH75& WKDWGLVFRXUVHV of truth and reconciliation are premised upon a Christianized, private ethics of FRQIHVVLRQDQGDUHWKHUHIRUHLQHTXLWDEOHLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUHRIWKH75& $ PDMRU SUREOHP IDFLQJ WKH ³QHZ 6RXWK $IULFD´ IROORZLQJ WKH GHPLVH RIDSDUWKHLGKDVEHHQKRZEODFNVDQGZKLWHV RIWKHROGUHJLPH FDQQRZOLYH SHDFHDEO\ WRJHWKHU7KH REMHFWLYH RI WKH75& ZKLFK ZDV LQDXJXUDWHG LQ and covered the period 1 May 1960 to 10 May 1994, was national unity through reconciliation with, rather than recrimination of, the former oppressor. This was to be achieved through truth-telling, reparations and amnesty, by alleviating the YLFWLPRIWKHEXUGHQRIPHPRU\PDNLQJ¿QDQFLDOUHFRPSHQVHDQGEULQJLQJWKH abuses of perpetrators to light. (The reparations operation of the TRC was, as Tutu conceded, found wanting because it failed to pay out anywhere near the sum to YLFWLPVRULJLQDOO\PRRWHG>³)RUHZRUG´TRC @ ,QWKHFRQWH[WRIWKH75&ZH VKRXOGDVN¿UVWO\KRZGRWUXWKWHOOLQJDQGDPQHVW\LPSLQJHXSRQMXVWLFH"$QG VHFRQGO\IURPWKLVKRZGRZHPHDVXUHWUXWK" Most commentators have noted that the TRC uncovered truth at the cost of MXVWLFH UHVRXUFHVVXFKDVODQGIRULQVWDQFHKDYHQRWEHHQUHGLVWULEXWHGXQGHU WKH QHZ FRQVWLWXWLRQ OHDGLQJ 0DKPRRG 0DPGDQL WR FRQFOXGH WKDW WKH 75& ZDV ³ERUQ RI SROLWLFDO FRPSURPLVH´ 7UXWK DQG 5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ &RPPLVVLRQ ³7UDQVIRUPLQJ 6RFLHW\´ Q SDJ 0DPGDQL SRLQWV RXW WKDW XQGHU WKH 75&¶V DXVSLFHV ³5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ LV D FRGH ZRUG IRU D GLPLQLVKHG WUXWK´ ³7UXWK´ ±EHFDXVHDWOHDVWRQHSDUW\LQWKHFRQWUDFWRIUHFRQFLOLDWLRQZLOODOZD\V be compromised. Yet compromise should always be regarded as transitory, he contends, enabling progression through an impasse. When in Disgrace Lurie tells KLVGDXJKWHU/XF\³,ZDVRIIHUHGDFRPSURPLVHZKLFK,ZRXOGQ¶WDFFHSW´VKH counsels him that compromise has its place: “You shouldn’t be so unbending, 'DYLG,WLVQ¶WKHURLFWREHXQEHQGLQJ,VWKHUHWLPHWRUHFRQVLGHU"´ ',6 0DPGDQLDVNV³ZKDWNLQGRIWUXWKGLGWKH75&SURGXFH´"7UXWKKHVXJJHVWV can be thought of in two ways, individual and institutional. Individual truth, originating from the Old Testament, sets truth against power and is the opposite of lies. Institutional truth, theorized by critics of the Enlightenment from Marx onwards, produces partial, ideological truths which protect the interests of the institution. Mamdani argues that the truth of the TRC should be understood as institutional, DVWKHRXWFRPHRIDSURFHVVRIWUXWKVHHNLQJRQHZKRVHERXQGDULHVZHUHVR QDUURZO\GH¿QHGE\SRZHUDQGZKRVHVHDUFKZDVVRFRPPLWWHGWRUHLQIRUFLQJ the new power, that it turned the political boundaries of a compromise into DQDO\WLFDOERXQGDULHVRIWUXWKVHHNLQJ%\UHLQIRUFLQJDSROLWLFDOFRPSURPLVH with a compromised truth … the TRC has turned a political into a moral compromise and obscured the larger truth. Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 151 Whilst political compromise may be necessary to facilitate change, moral LQGLYLGXDO LQWHOOHFWXDO FRPSURPLVH LV QRW DQG PD\ LQGHHG XQGHUPLQH WKH SROLWLFDOFRPSURPLVHWKDWLWZDVLQWHQGHGWRVXSSRUW 0DPGDQL³7UXWK´± In her autobiographical account of the TRC hearings, Country of My Skull WKHSRHWDQGMRXUQDOLVW$QWMLH.URJUHFRJQL]HVWKHSUREOHPRIUHFRQFLOLQJWUXWK DQGMXVWLFHDWWKHKHDULQJV ³,I>WKH&RPPLVVLRQ¶V@LQWHUHVWLQWUXWKLVOLQNHGRQO\ WRDPQHVW\DQGFRPSHQVDWLRQWKHQLWZLOOKDYHFKRVHQQRWWUXWKEXWMXVWLFH´,Q order to be inclusive, she claims, the TRC was right to give precedence to truth RYHUMXVWLFH ³,I>WKH&RPPLVVLRQ@VHHVWUXWKDVWKHZLGHVWSRVVLEOHFRPSLODWLRQRI people’s perceptions, stories, myths and experiences, it will have chosen to restore PHPRU\DQGIRVWHUDQHZKXPDQLW\DQGSHUKDSVWKDWLVMXVWLFHLQLWVGHHSHVWVHQVH´ .URJ +RZHYHUWUXWKVVXFKDVWKLVREVFXUHZKDW0DPGDQLFDOOVWKH³EDQDO UHDOLW\´ ± LWVHOI D NLQG RI WUXWK ± RI DSDUWKHLG WKDW ZDVQ¶W DFFRXQWHG IRU DW WKH KHDULQJV ³7UDQVIRUPLQJ6RFLHW\´QSDJ The fact that the TRC, chaired by Tutu, was founded upon what some have called a Christian ethics has led many of its critics to point up the debasement in the process of the transposition to the public sphere of the hearings of the NLQGV RI WUXWKWHOOLQJ IRUJLYHQHVV DQG UHFRQFLOLDWLRQ XVXDOO\ UHVHUYHG IRU WKH private sphere and derived from religious confession. Benita Parry, for instance, FRPPHQWVXSRQWKH³DWPRVSKHUHRIHXSKRULF&KULVWLDQUHYLYDOLVP´WKDWWDLQWHGWKH hearings (Postcolonial Studies ZKLOVW-DFTXHV'HUULGDVXJJHVWVWKDW³ZKHQ Desmond Tutu was named president of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, KH &KULVWLDQL]HG WKH ODQJXDJH XQLTXHO\ GHVWLQHG WR WUHDW µSROLWLFDOO\¶PRWLYDWHG FULPHV DQHQRUPRXVSUREOHP« ´ ³2Q)RUJLYHQHVV´ 'HUULGDGHPDUFDWHV WKHUHDOPVRIMXGJHPHQWIDOOLQJZLWKLQWKHUHPLWRIWKHVWDWHDQGWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH DQGIRUJLYHQHVVZKLFKRQO\WKHLQGLYLGXDOFDQJUDQW ³2Q)RUJLYHQHVV´ ,QWKH HWKLFDOHFRQRP\RIIRUJLYHQHVVWKHVWDWH³KDVQHLWKHUWKHULJKWQRUWKHSRZHU´WR IRUJLYH'HUULGDFODLPVEHFDXVH³IRUJLYHQHVVKDVQRWKLQJWRGRZLWKMXGJHPHQW´ which doesIDOOZLWKLQWKHVWDWH¶VUHPLW ³2Q)RUJLYHQHVV´ $QWKRQ\+ROLGD\ ZKR SLFNV XS WKHVH DQ[LHWLHV DERXW WKH UHOLJLRXV LQÀHFWLRQV RI WKH 75&¶V FRQVWLWXWLRQLVWURXEOHGE\WKHLQDGHTXDFLHVRIWKHFRQFHSWXDOFDWHJRULHVRIMXVWLFH and truth at the hearings, arguing that “the conception of justice that informed the 75&¶VSURFHHGLQJVFRXOGVFDUFHO\EHFDOOHGµ&KULVWLDQ¶´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG 7KH religious conception of forgiveness, he argues, is concerned with an “inner moral OLIH´ZKLFKFDQQRWE\LWVYHU\QDWXUHEHUHJXODWHGE\SXEOLFERGLHV ³IRUJLYHQHVV by reason of its conceptual dependence on remorse, must be an intensely personal, HYHQDSULYDWHPDWWHU´ ³)RUJLYLQJ´± Nevertheless, the same critics of the TRC have tended to agree on what it did achieve, even if in a limited fashion. Mamdani suggests that the TRC’s only real SRZHUKDVEHHQWRLQVWLJDWHGHEDWH ³7UDQVIRUPLQJ6RFLHW\´QSDJ DQG1HYLOOH $OH[DQGHU JUDQWV WKDW LQGLUHFWO\ LW FDWDO\]HG ³UDLVLQJ KLVWRULFDO FRQVFLRXVQHVV´ WKURXJK SXEOLF GHEDWH DERXW WKH SDVW TWG LQ 3DUU\ Postcolonial VHH DOVR Alexander, Ordinary ,Q D PRUH FHOHEUDWRU\ WRQH 1GHEHOH ZHOFRPHV WKH UHVWRUDWLYHIXQFWLRQRIWKHVXEPLVVLRQVWRWKH75&WRVXJJHVW³LWLV>WKH@UHÀHFWLYH 152 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship capacity, experienced as a shared social consciousness, that will be that lasting OHJDF\RIWKHVWRULHVRIWKH75&´ ³0HPRU\0HWDSKRU´ Disgrace traces Lurie’s faltering steps towards reconciliation not only with those directly touched by his actions but also with himself and with his own sense of place – recently, he has found himself out of place – in South African history DQGWKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´,QWKHQHZ'HSDUWPHQWRI&RPPXQLFDWLRQVKHIHHOV ³PRUHRXWRISODFHWKDQHYHU´ ',6 DQGRQHVFDSLQJWR/XF\¶VIDUPWKLQNV ³7KLVLVQRWZKDWKHFDPHIRU±WREHVWXFNLQWKHEDFNRIEH\RQG«,IKHFDPHIRU anything, it was to gather himself, gather his forces. Here he is losing himself day E\GD\´ ',6 5DWKHUWKDQVDWLVI\WKH'LVFLSOLQDU\&RPPLWWHH¶VUHTXLUHPHQW that his apology be made sincerely, Lurie departs the city for the sanctuary of KLVGDXJKWHU¶VIDUP7KHIDUPLVEXUJOHGDQG/XF\LVUDSHGE\WKHWKUHHEODFN men, an event which forces Lurie to reassess his own relationship with women. 1RQHWKHOHVVDWWKHRXWVHWKHLVHYHQ³RXWUDJHGDWEHLQJWUHDWHGOLNHDQRXWVLGHU´± EHFDXVHKHLVDPDQ±LQWKHVWRU\RI/XF\¶VUDSH ',6 (YHQWKRXJKDV'HUHN Attridge contends, “there is little to suggest … that [Lurie] is consciously and deliberatelyHPEDUNLQJRQDFRPSOHWHUHLQYHQWLRQRIKLVZD\RIOLYLQJ´ HPSKDVLV DGGHG ³$JHRI%URQ]H´ VRPHNLQGRIUHLQYHQWLRQRFFXUVQHYHUWKHOHVV /XULHKROGVWKHSRVLWLRQRI$GMXQFW3URIHVVRURI&RPPXQLFDWLRQVDWDWKLUGUDWH university, Cape Technical University, formerly Cape Town University College, KLVIRUPHUGHSDUWPHQWKDYLQJEHHQGLVEDQGHG³DVSDUWRIWKHJUHDWUDWLRQDOL]DWLRQ´ programme and evidence of the continuing global devaluation of the Arts. Attridge JRHVDVIDUDVDUJXLQJWKDWWKHORVVRISULYDF\IHOWE\/XULHZKHQKHLVUHTXLUHG to confess to the committee is not merely a mapping of the transitional period ZLWKLQ6RXWK$IULFDSRVWDSDUWKHLGEXWORRNVEH\RQGWRWKHJOREDOHFRQRP\DQG WKHLQFUHDVLQJLQÀXHQFHRIWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV ³$JHRI%URQ]H´± $WWULGJH FRQWHQGVWKDW³7KLVQDUUDWLYH«LVQRWDQDWWDFNRQWKHQHZQDWLRQWKDWHPHUJHG from the elections of 1994 and expresses no yearnings for the system of apartheid. 5DWKHU LW SRUWUD\V ZLWK LPPHQVH GLVWDVWH D QHZ JOREDO DJH´ ³$JH RI %URQ]H´ +RZHYHUZKLOVWDisgraceGRHVORRNEH\RQGLWVORFDOFRQWH[WVLWUHPDLQV GHHSO\URRWHGLQORFDOFRQFHUQVPRVWVWULNLQJO\WKHSUREOHPVRIWKH75&WKDWDUH parodied through the self-conscious staging of Lurie’s trial as global spectacle, DV/XULHVD\V³D79VKRZLQIDFW´ ',6 ,WDOVRUDLVHVWKHODQGTXHVWLRQDQG WKHTXHVWLRQRIUDSH0RUHRYHULWZRXOGEHZURQJWRVXJJHVWWKDWDFULWLTXHRIWKH new nation necessarily implies nostalgia for the old. As Frantz Fanon has warned, though we deplore the egregious abuses of the old regime, we should not ignore the pitfalls of the new. 7RXQWDQJOHWKHSUREOHPRIWUXWKWHOOLQJLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUHZHPXVW¿UVW consider what truth means in the private and Coetzee’s essay “Confession and 'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´ SURYLGHVD¿WWLQJVWDUWLQJSRLQW,QWKLVHVVD\&RHW]HH UHDGVWKHFRQIHVVLRQDOZULWLQJRI7ROVWR\5RXVVHDXDQG'RVWRHYVN\WRUHYHDOWKH ways in which truth in the private sphere can be compromised. Secular confession, Coetzee argues, is characterized by the desire to “tell an essential truth about the VHOI´ '3 +HUH&RHW]HHDSRORJL]HVIRUDFHUWDLQVOLSSDJHEHWZHHQVHFXODU Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 153 DQGUHOLJLRXVFRQIHVVLRQ WKH¿UVWLVGLUHFWHGWRZDUGVDQDXGLWRURUDXGLHQFHDQG WKHVHFRQGWRDFRQIHVVRUZKRKROGVWKHDXWKRULW\WRJUDQWDEVROXWLRQ '3 &RHW]HHDOVRFRQ¿QHVKLVGLVFXVVLRQWRYROXQWDU\FRQIHVVLRQDQGQRWWRYLROHQW IRUPVHOLFLWHGWKURXJKFRHUFLRQOLNHWKRVHIDYRXUHGE\&RORQHO-ROOLQWaiting for the Barbarians ZKRWDNHVVDGLVWLFSOHDVXUHLQH[WUDFWLQJFRQIHVVLRQV WKURXJKWRUWXUHFODLPLQJKHLVDEOHWRUHFRJQL]HWKH³WRQHRIWUXWK´ZKLFKLVRQO\ SRVVLEOHLQD³VSHFLDOVLWXDWLRQ´ ³)LUVW,JHWOLHV\RXVHH±WKLVLVZKDWKDSSHQV ±¿UVWOLHVWKHQSUHVVXUHWKHQPRUHOLHVWKHQPRUHSUHVVXUHWKHQWKHEUHDNWKHQ PRUHSUHVVXUHWKHQWKHWUXWK7KDWLVKRZ\RXJHWWKHWUXWK´ :% 1HYHUWKHOHVV voluntary confessions also can be unreliable because understanding the truth DERXWWKHVHOILVSUREOHPDWL]HGE\TXHVWLRQVRIGHFHSWLRQVHOIGHFHSWLRQDQGWKH problem of closure: how to end the cycle of self-analysis and self-doubt into which the confessant is liable to fall. 5HDGLQJ7ROVWR\&RHW]HHLGHQWL¿HVWKUHHHOHPHQWVRIWUXWKLQWKHSURWDJRQLVW¶V FRQIHVVLRQ ¿UVWO\WKHIDFWVRIWKHHYHQWXQGHUVFUXWLQ\VHFRQGO\WKHGLVFRYHU\ of the truth about the self attained through confessing, and thirdly, what Coetzee FDOOV WKH ³XQFRQVFLRXV´ WUXWK ZKLFK ³VOLSV RXW LQ VWUDQJH DVVRFLDWLRQV IDOVH UDWLRQDOLVDWLRQV JDSV FRQWUDGLFWLRQV´ 8QFRQVFLRXV WUXWKV LQ SDUW DFFRXQW IRU ironic confessions, where confessants believe they are confessing to one thing, EXWDUHLQIDFWFRQIHVVLQJWRVRPHWKLQJHQWLUHO\GLIIHUHQW '3 \HWLQVSLWHRI ZKLFKWKHVHNLQGVRIWUXWKDUHOLNHO\WREHWKHPRVWUHOLDEOH The experience of conversion, where the confessant sees the light, conventionally GLVWLQJXLVKHVEHWZHHQ³WUXH´DQG³IDOVH´VHOYHV³WKHIDOVHVHOIEHLQJUDWLRQDODQG VRFLDOO\FRQGLWLRQHG´ZULWHV&RHW]HH³WKHWUXHVHOILQVWLQFWXDODQGLQGLYLGXDO´ The true/false binary can be mapped on to the private/public one, though in line ZLWK&RHW]HH³IDOVH´GRHVQRWQHFHVVDULO\PHDQPRUDOO\ZURQJ5DWKHUSXEOLFLW\ UHTXLUHVPDLQWDLQLQJIDFHZKLFKLVFOHDUO\DGLVWRUWLRQRIWKH³WUXH´VHOI&RHW]HH DUJXHVWKDW7ROVWR\¶VZULWLQJZKLFKFDOOVLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHYHU\LGHDRIWUXWKPRYHV EH\RQGWKLVSRODUL]DWLRQRI³WUXH´DQG³IDOVH´VHOYHV '3 )RU7ROVWR\DVLQ the case of Lurie, the confessant is unconsciously driven towards the truth, which 7ROVWR\FRQFHLYHVDV³WUXWKGLUHFWHGQHVV´RUDQ³LPSXOVHWRZDUG*RG´ '3 The confessant undergoes a life-changing crisis, “a confrontation with his own GHDWK´DFFRUGLQJKLPDVHOINQRZOHGJH³WKDWPDNHVLWDEVXUGIRUKLPWRFRQWLQXH LQDVHOIGHFHLYHGPRGHRIH[LVWHQFH´ '3 ,QDisgrace Lurie plumbs the depths of such a crisis in the aftermath of his affair with Melanie. In general, it is the experience of the urgency of this crisis, the unstoppable process to which FRQIHVVDQWVDUHVXEMHFWHGWKHLUIDOVHVHOYHVODLGEDUHDQGWKHGRJJHGTXHVWLQJIRU WUXWKZKLFKLQVXPFRQVWLWXWHVLQFHULW\ '3 At the disciplinary hearing Lurie is expected to express remorse as Farodia Rassool, sitting on the Disciplinary Committee, explains, “The statement should FRPHIURP>/XULH@LQKLVRZQZRUGV7KHQZHFDQVHHLILWFRPHVIURPKLVKHDUW´ ',6 $SSOLHGWRWKH75&KHDULQJVWKHTXHVWLRQRIVLQFHULW\LQFRQIHVVLRQ particularly in relation to those applying for amnesty, is a particularly thorny one DQG RQ D SROLWLFDO OHYHO LV XQWHQDEOH $OWKRXJK WKH75& QHYHU UHTXLUHG WKRVH 154 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship DSSO\LQJ IRU DPQHVW\ WR PDNH SXEOLF DSRORJLHV LWV &KDLUSHUVRQ WKH 5HYHUHQG 7XWX DW WLPHV GLG 4XHVWLRQV RI VLQFHULW\ VXFK DV WKRVH H[SUHVVHG KHUH KDYH been realized in their most abstract form at the hearings in amnesty applications H[SUHVVLQJ JXLOW IRU IDLOXUH WR MRLQ WKH VWUXJJOH 7KH SUREOHP RI VLQFHULW\ LV isolated in the trial scene in its allusion to the misplaced religiosity of the public hearings. Lurie realizes that what is demanded of him is an apology “in the spirit RIUHSHQWDQFH´ZKLFKKHEHOLHYHV³EHORQJVWR«DQRWKHUXQLYHUVHRIGLVFRXUVH´ ',6 +LVUHIXVDOWRYDOLGDWHWKH8QLYHUVLW\¶VYHUVLRQRIWKHWUXWKFDOOVLQWR TXHVWLRQWKHHI¿FDF\RIFRQIHVVLRQLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH ZLWKRXWRIIHULQJDQ\HDV\ VROXWLRQV KHLVSUHSDUHGWRDGPLWUHJUHWEXWUHIXVHVLQGRLQJVRWRFRQ¿UPKLV VLQFHULW\ZKLFKLV³EH\RQGWKHVFRSHRIWKHODZ´ ',6 Writing about Rousseau’s confession of the ribbon story in Confessions,3 Paul de Man argues that authentic truths are only apparent when the confessant, in &RHW]HH¶VZRUGV³ODSVHVLQWRWKHODQJXDJHRIWKH2WKHU´6XFKODQJXDJHLVPDUNHG E\DQXQFKDUDFWHULVWLFVW\OH ³5RXVVHDXLVQRWVSHDNLQJ IRU KLPVHOI VRPHRQHHOVH LVVSHDNLQJWKURXJKKLP´ '3 ,WLVRQO\WKURXJKXQFRQVFLRXVVHOIUHYHODWLRQ WKDW³GHHSHU´WUXWKVDUHH[SRVHG5RXVVHDX¶V³ODQJXDJHRIWKH2WKHU´LVNH\WRP\ XQGHUVWDQGLQJRI/XULH¶V³HSLSKDQ\´ZKLFK,WXUQWREHORZLQZKLFKSURFHVVHV RILGHQWL¿FDWLRQZLWKDQGV\PSDWK\IRUWKHRWKHUDUHDWZRUN FI$WWULGJHJ. M. Coetzee± +ROODQG Whilst Lurie may simply be nursing his wounded pride, the larger, historical LPSOLFDWLRQV RI WKH ³WULDO´ DQG KLV UHIXVDO WR FRQIHVV RVWHQVLEO\ EHFDXVH KH UHFRJQL]HV WKH ZHDN SRLQWV RI WKH &RPPLWWHH¶V SURFHGXUHV VKRXOG QRW EH RYHUORRNHG,QYLWLQJFRPSDULVRQVZLWKWKHIHWLVKL]HGQDWXUHRIUHFRQFLOLDWLRQDQG IRUJLYHQHVVERWKORFDOO\DQGLQWKH³:HVW´KHH[SODLQVWR/XF\³7KH\ZDQWHG D VSHFWDFOH´ ',6 1RQHWKHOHVV /XULH ODPHQWV WKH HPHUJLQJ SUXULHQFH WKDW KDV EHVHW WKH ³QHZ 6RXWK$IULFD´ ZKHUH ³3ULYDWH OLIH LV SXEOLF EXVLQHVV´ ',6 7KHQRYHOVXJJHVWVWKHORVVRIWKHSULYDWHLQWKHDSDUWKHLGHUDLVUHSODFHGE\ privacy that is made public, post-apartheid. Attridge is reminded of the Clinton- /HZLQVN\DIIDLUZKLFKUHYHDOHGDSDUDGR[RIVRFLHWDODWWLWXGHVWRZDUGVVH[XDOLW\ where sexuality is brought into the public sphere, as a matter for public dissection, according to Attridge, this generates “an increase in puritanical surveillance and PRUDOLVWLFGHQXQFLDWLRQ´ ³$JHRI%URQ]H´ /XULHLVLQWURGXFHGDVD³GLVJUDFHGGLVFLSOH´RI:RUGVZRUWK ',6 ZKR QRZQHDULQJWKHHQGRIKLVXQUHPDUNDEOHFDUHHUKDVLPPHUVHGKLPVHOILQWKH OLIHDQGZRUNRIWKHVHQVXDOLVW%\URQ³FHOHEUDQW´DFFRUGLQJWR/DXUD&ODULGJH ³RIWKHPDWHULDOZRUOG´ :RUGVZRUWKRQWKHRWKHUKDQG5LFKDUG%RXUNH FODLPV³QHYHURYHUWO\SUHVFULEHGDµGHFDGHQW¶5RPDQWLFDHVWKHWLFLVPLQKLVSURVH ZULWLQJV´ LQPoems in Two Volumes :RUGVZRUWKGHFODUHVWKDWKLV 3 The story, according to Coetzee, which appears in both Confessions and Rêveries, tells how, employed as a manservant, Rousseau is found in the possession of a ribbon he has VWROHQ+HEODPHVDPDLGVHUYDQWIRUWKHWKHIWPDNLQJWKHDFFXVDWLRQLQKHUSUHVHQFH7KH LQFLGHQWDSSDUHQWO\WURXEOHV5RXVVHDXIRUPDQ\\HDUV '3 Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 155 poetry sets out “to teach the young and the gracious of any age [to become] more DFWLYHO\DQGVHFXUHO\YLUWXRXV´ TWGLQ%RXUNH /XULHLVVWUXJJOLQJWRZULWH his opera Byron in ItalyZKLFKWHOOVWKHVWRU\RI%\URQÀHHLQJWR,WDO\WRDYRLG³D VFDQGDO´ KLVLQFHVWXRXVUHODWLRQVKLSZLWKKLVKDOIVLVWHU$XJXVWD DQGRIKLV³ODVW ELJORYHDIIDLU´ZLWK&RQWHVVD7HUHVD*XLFFLROL ',6 ,WLVQRWLQVLJQL¿FDQW that Lurie is presented as a mediocre academic and artist – Byron in Italy, he FRQFHGHVZDV³PLVFRQFHLYHG´ ',6 ±ZKRVHH[SHULHQFHRIZULWHU¶VEORFN FRLQFLGHVZLWKDQ[LHWLHVDERXWKLVZDQLQJVH[XDOLW\7KH³FRQFHSWLRQ´RIWKHRSHUD ± GHULYDWLYHV RI ³WR FRQFHLYH´ DSSHDU IRXU WLPHV RQ WKH WZR SDJHV GHVFULELQJ /XULH¶VDWWHPSWVWRRYHUFRPHWKLVEORFNDJH±LVVHWDJDLQVWWKHOLWHUDOFRQFHSWLRQ RI/XF\¶VFKLOGLQWKHWH[WZKRDVDFKLOGRIUDSHRIIHUVDEOHDNSUHGLFWLRQRI 6RXWK$IULFD¶VIXWXUH ',6± ,QEURDGWHUPVWKH5RPDQWLFWUDGLWLRQLVFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\D³FULVLVRIDXWKRULW\´ %RXUNH DFULVLVZKLFKLQDisgraceLVLURQLFDOO\LQÀHFWHGXQGHUWKHWHQHWVRI postcolonialism by the Romantics’ apparent elitism, bestowed posthumously, as DUFKHW\SHVRIWKH³:HVWHUQ´FDQRQ South Africa’s British colonization coincides with a movement in the home country of counter-Enlightenment, which harnesses poetry as the vehicle of VWUXJJOHDJDLQVWDUHDVRQVHHQDVRSSUHVVLYH«/XULH¶VLGHQWL¿FDWLRQZLWK>WKH Romantics] develops into a sharing of their fate, an exile that in his case is LQWHUQDO ³3XUJDWRULDO$IULFD´ (YHQVRWKLVLGHQWL¿FDWLRQZLOOEHWHVWHGGXULQJWKHFRXUVHRIWKHQDUUDWLYH/XULH KDV ZULWWHQ WKUHH SRRUO\ UHFHLYHG ERRNV LQFOXGLQJ Wordsworth and the Burden of the Past, which constitutes an ironic, titular reference to Lurie’s own struggle IRUVHOIKRRGLQWKHQDVFHQWVWDWH$V3LHWHU9HUPHXOHQSRLQWVRXW WKHUHLVD need both in Wordsworth’s The Prelude and for Lurie as undistinguished tutor of the Romantics, to harmonize the imagination and what Lurie calls “the onslaughts RIUHDOLW\´ ',6 4 Suggestive of a liberal consciousness that always until now KDVPDQDJHGWRNHHSWKHUHDOLW\RIDSDUWKHLGDWED\/XULH¶VEXUGHQRIJXLOWDOVR expresses the guilt experienced by white liberals for their albeit unwilling complicity in South Africa’s past. Vermeulen glosses an early scene in Disgrace in which Lurie ventures to enthuse his indifferent students in Wordsworth’s “failed encounter with Mont Blanc in Book 6 of The Prelude´ 9HUPHXOHQ 4 For further discussion of the Romantic intertexts in Disgrace see Easton, “Coetzee’s Disgrace´DQG0DUDLV³-0&RHW]HH¶VDisgrace´ 156 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship Lurie believes that, “Nevertheless, Wordsworth seems to be feeling his way toward DEDODQFH´ ',6 0LNH0DUDLVFRQ¿UPVWKLVFRQWUDGLFWLRQZKHQKHDUJXHVWKDW DQ³DPELJXLW\´UHVLGHVDWWKH³KHDUWRI5RPDQWLFLVP´³WKHIDFWWKDWLWVDHVWKHWLF FRQ¿GHQFHLVDFFRPSDQLHGE\DVHQVHRILQHYLWDEOHIDLOXUH´EURXJKWDERXWE\DQ anxiety in Romantic nature poetry about authentic imitation rather than empty copy ³7DVN´± 5 This failure of the imagination is evident in Lurie in his failure WRUHVROYHWKHQHHGVRIKLVDUWZLWKKLVSODFHLQWKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´ at the centre of the picture a young woman, das ewig Weibliche,6 lightly pregnant, LQDVWUDZVXQKDW$VFHQHUHDG\PDGHIRUD6DUJHQWRUD%RQQDUG&LW\ER\VOLNH KLP EXWHYHQFLW\ER\VFDQUHFRJQL]HEHDXW\ZKHQWKH\VHHLWFDQKDYHWKHLU EUHDWKWDNHQDZD\ ',6 /XULH¶V UHDI¿UPDWLRQ RI D :RUGVZRUWKLDQ HWKLF LQ WKH HFRQRP\ RI FRQIHVVLRQ VNHWFKHG KHUH FKLPHV ZLWK %RXUNH¶V FODLP WKDW :RUGVZRUWK LV D ¿JXUH ZKR ³SRHWLFDOO\ DVVXDJHV UHFRQFLOHV DQG UHGHHPV´ RU 6WHSKHQ 3ULFNHWW¶V VXJJHVWLRQWKDW:RUGVZRUWKSUDFWLVHGWKH³KHDOLQJDUW´ TWGLQ%RXUNH /XULH ZKRPDNHVDV\PEROLFUHWXUQWRWKHODQGDV/XF\KDVEHIRUHKLPKDVEHFRPH reconciled to the beauty of the ordinary. Lucy is the very antithesis of Lurie’s ideal woman. She resembles her father’s mental picture of Byron’s middle-aged Teresa: plain, dumpy and, what is more, WR/XULH¶VFKDJULQVKHLVJD\:KLOVW/XULHOLNH%\URQSHUFHLYHVKLPVHOIWREH WKHUDNLVK³PDQRIWKHFLW\´ ',6 /XF\HPEUDFHVWKHSDVWRUDO 5 0DUDLV GUDZV XSRQ 7LORWWDPD 5DMDQ¶V Dark Interpreter: The Discourse of Romanticism LQPDNLQJKLVDUJXPHQW 6 “Das ewig Weibliche´PHDQLQJ³WKHHWHUQDOIHPLQLQH´DUHWKHRSHQLQJZRUGVWRWKH ¿QDOOLQHLQ*RHWKH¶VFaust. Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 157 WKHPDVWHULQJRIWKHODQGWKDWLVWKHSULPDOVWXIIRIWKH$IULNDQHUplaasroman or ³IDUPQRYHO´E\UHIXVLQJWRFDOOWKHKRPHVWHDGDIDUP ³LW¶VMXVWDSLHFHRIODQG ZKHUH,JURZWKLQJV´VKHVD\V ',6 7KHGLDOHFWLFEHWZHHQPHWURSROLVDQG rural in Disgrace, that also patterns the Byron/Wordsworth narrative, inverts the plaasroman which, Coetzee writes in White Writing ³KDUNV EDFN « WR D ORVW LGHDOHFRQRPLFLQGHSHQGHQFHWRWKHLGHDRIWKHIDUPDVDµNRQLQNU\NLH¶ OLWWOH NLQJGRP ZKHUHDPDQFDQEHKLVRZQPDVWHU´ :: %HWZHHQ DQG WKHSODDVURPDQ³DOPRVWH[FOXVLYHO\´FRQFHUQHGLWVHOIZLWKWKH$IULNDQHU¶V “painful transition from farmer to townsman … [with] a renewal of the peasant RUGHUEDVHGRQWKHP\WKRIWKHUHWXUQWRWKHHDUWK´ ::± 7KHDQWLSDVWRUDO RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG GRPLQDWHG E\ ³(QJOLVK´ 6RXWK$IULFDQV ZULWHV DJDLQVW WKLV WUDGLWLRQ+XPDQNLQGDQGQDWXUHQRORQJHUH[LVWLQKDUPRQ\ WKHODQGLVEDUUHQ and hostile, the farming community its adversary. Stephen Gray, in his study of Southern African literature, argues that /DQGVFDSHLQ6RXWK$IULFDQUHDOLVW¿FWLRQQHYHUPHUHO\VXVWDLQVDQGPDJQL¿HV PDQ LWGZDUIVDQGRYHUZKHOPVLWUHPDLQVXQ\LHOGLQJDQGGHVWUXFWLYH«ZRUVW of all [the land] disallows them from achieving man’s most sacred desire, the GHVLUH WR WDNH URRW LQ WKH ODQG DQG EHORQJ « LWV FKDUDFWHUV GR QRW ± FDQQRW – belong. (Southern African Literature± *UD\LVUHIHUULQJVSHFL¿FDOO\WRWKHOLEHUDO$QJORSKRQHWUDGLWLRQRIWKHDQWLSDVWRUDO ZKLFK³JRHVKDQGLQKDQGZLWKUHDOLVP´DQGZKLFKLVSHUKDSVEHVWLOOXVWUDWHGE\ Olive Schreiner’s The Story of an African Farm *UD\ /XULH ZDYHUV EHWZHHQ GLVGDLQ DQG DGPLUDWLRQ ',6 DV KH QRWLFHV WKDW /XF\LVEHFRPLQJDSHDVDQWD³WKURZEDFN´Dboervrou ',6 +HSHUFHLYHV KLVWRULFDOFRQWLQXLW\LQKLVGDXJKWHU¶VV\QWKHVLVRIQDWXUHDQGODQGWKDWZDVODFNLQJ in her parents: “perhaps it was not [her parents] who produced her: perhaps history KDGWKHODUJHUVKDUH«3HUKDSVKLVWRU\KDGOHDUQHGDOHVVRQ´ ',6± /XULH UHÀHFWV³6KHWDONVHDVLO\DERXWWKHVHPDWWHUV$IURQWLHUIDUPHURIWKHQHZEUHHG In the old days, cattle and maize. Today, dogs and daffodils. The more things FKDQJHWKHPRUHWKH\UHPDLQWKHVDPH´ ',6 James Graham, writing about the farm novel of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, argues that stringent legislation of racial difference was used by the government of 5KRGHVLDWRVXSSRUWDQGPDLQWDLQDVSHFL¿FDOO\Rhodesian identity, rather than RQHWKDWZDVVLPSO\³(XURSHDQ´RU%ULWLVK7KLVLQWXUQGHPDQGHG³DIDVWLGLRXV regime of self-discipline [in which a] supposedly inviolable boundary was drawn EHWZHHQ WKH IDUPKRXVH DQG WKH VXUURXQGLQJ ODQG´ *UDKDP ³$EMHFW /DQG´ QSDJ 77KLVDOOOHGWR³DJHQGHUHGDVZHOODVUDFLDOL]HGVSDWLDORSSRVLWLRQ´,Q RWKHUZRUGVZKLWH5KRGHVLDQZRPHQZHUH¿JXUHGGLIIHUHQWO\LQWKLVUHODWLRQIURP 7 This paper has now been published in English Studies in Africa DV³$Q$EMHFW/DQG" Remembering Women Differently in Doris Lessing’s The Grass is SingingDQG&KHQMHUDL Hove’s Bones¶´ 158 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship white Rhodesian men: “As master of his African farm the white farmer could cross this boundary at will, but as the vulnerable custodian of racial purity, middle-class manners, Englishness and, encompassing all of these, domesticity, his wife could QRW´ *UDKDP³$EMHFW/DQG´QSDJ 7KHZKLWHZRPDQLQWKH6RXWKHUQ$IULFDQ farm novel, overburdened with symbolism, is upheld as the guardian of white QDWLRQDOLGHQWLW\LQFOXGLQJWKH³SXULW\´RIWKHUDFH7KLVH[SODLQVZK\/XF\DQG KHUIDWKHULQDFRQWH[WRIEODFNGLVSRVVHVVLRQIURPWKHODQGFRPHWRSHUFHLYHKHU as a commodity in the patriarchal system of exchange. The dissipation of white ownership in the novel converges in the rape of Lucy E\WKHEODFNPHQZKRUDLGKHUKRPHDQGZKRP/XULHFDXVWLFDOO\QDPHVWKHKRO\ WULQLW\³WKUHHIDWKHUVLQRQH´ ',6 ([SUHVVLQJQRWLRQVRIZKDWKDVEHFRPH NQRZQ LQ 6RXWK$IULFD VLPSO\ DV ZKLWH JXLOW /XULH UDWLRQDOL]HV WKH DWWDFN DV V\PEROLFUHSDUDWLRQIRUDKLVWRU\RIRSSUHVVLRQ IRU/XULHWKHUDSHVLJQL¿HV³WKH GD\RIWHVWLQJ´-XGJHPHQW'D\ ',6 LW ZDV KLVWRU\ VSHDNLQJ WKURXJK WKHP « $ KLVWRU\ RI ZURQJ « ,W PD\ KDYH seemed personal, but it wasn’t. It came down from the ancestors … Booty, war UHSDUDWLRQV DQRWKHULQFLGHQWLQWKHJUHDWFDPSDLJQRIUHGLVWULEXWLRQ ',6 When Lurie confronts Pollux, child-rapist and relative of Petrus, he imagines that the boy’s challenging demeanour demands, “By what right are you here"´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV ',6 DVHQWLPHQWWKDWTXHVWLRQVWKHSUHVHQFHRIZKLWHV in the post-apartheid state by alluding to the historical land issue. In an article on WKH6RXWK$IULFDQSDVWRUDOLQ³WKHHUDRIODQGUHIRUP´-HQQLIHU:HQ]HOEULGJHV SDVWDQGSUHVHQWE\OLQNLQJWKHLVVXHRIODQGLQWKHplaasromanZLWKWKH WKHQ imminent and far-reaching 1998 Land Reform programme in post-apartheid South Africa: The cycle of anti-apartheid protest and state repression that began in the 1940s and climaxed in the 1980s challenged the logic of the plaasroman: the pastoral promise of the return to the land was countered by the political imperative of the return of the land. The 1994 elections represented one culmination of the struggle against apartheid, and the moment of political transition brought with LWWKHSRVVLELOLW\RIDUHFRQ¿JXUDWLRQRIODQGRZQHUVKLSWKURXJKODQGUHIRUP the possibility, for white commercial farmers, of losing the farm (“Pastoral 3URPLVH´ Property describes and maintains the colonial and apartheid relation or, as James Ferguson puts it, “property … is not a relation between people and things … [but] a UHODWLRQEHWZHHQSHRSOHFRQFHUQLQJWKLQJV´ TWGLQ:HQ]HO )HUJXVRQQSDJ This dynamic between people and land is clearly what Lurie has in mind. Lucy, OLNHKHUIDWKHUZRQGHUVLIWKHDWWDFNLVUHWULEXWLRQIRUWKHDEXVHVRIDSDUWKHLG including dispossession from the land: “the price one has to pay for staying on Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 159 … They see me as owing something. They see themselves as debt collectors, tax FROOHFWRUV´ ',6 Whilst Lurie anticipates the publicizing of Lucy’s story of her rape across the district, suggesting that she has lost autonomy over her story – it is “Not her story WRVSUHDGEXWWKHLUV WKH\DUHLWVRZQHUV> K@RZWKH\SXWKHULQKHUSODFHKRZWKH\ VKRZHGKHUZKDWDZRPDQZDVIRU´ ',6 ±/XF\SXUSRVHIXOO\PRYHVLWIURP WKHSXEOLFWRWKHSULYDWHVSKHUH WKHDWWDFN³LVDSXUHO\SULYDWHPDWWHU,QDQRWKHU time, in another place it might be held to be a public matter. But in this place, at WKLVWLPHLWLVQRW,WLVP\EXVLQHVVDQGPLQHDORQH´ ',6 :HVKRXOGQRW PLVVWKHLURQ\WKDW/XF\PDNHVWKHVDPHFODLPVWRSULYDF\ULJKWVDVKHUIDWKHU at the disciplinary hearing nor the fact that the crime committed against her will never go to court. If the effect of guarding the right to privacy in Lucy’s case is VHHPLQJO\WRSURWHFWKHUDWWDFNHUVIURPWKHODZLQ/XULH¶VWKHUHYHUVHLVWUXH KLV obdurate refusal to express remorse only mires him deeper in his disgrace. Such resistance to public confession or testimony disavows the prevailing belief that the post-apartheid era heralds a return to the private. Privacy in the context RI/XF\¶VUHIXVDOWR³WHVWLI\´LVDODVWGLWFKDWWHPSWWRUHVLVWUDFLVWGLVFRXUVHVRI ³EODFNSHULO´UHVXUIDFLQJGXULQJWKLVWLPHDV,H[SODLQEHORZWKDWKDUNEDFNWR DSDUWKHLG7KHFODLPWRSULYDF\LQWKHFRQWH[WRI/XF\¶VUDSHDOVRXVKHUVLQDNLQG RIOHYHOOLQJIRU/XF\ZKR³SUHSDUHGWRGRDQ\WKLQJPDNHDQ\VDFUL¿FHIRUWKH VDNHRISHDFH´ ',6 DFNQRZOHGJHVWKDWWKHUDSH³LVKXPLOLDWLQJ%XWSHUKDSV WKDWLVDJRRGSRLQWWRVWDUWIURPDJDLQ´ ',6 )RU/XF\UDSHVLJQL¿HVDOHYHOOHURIUDFLDOLQMXVWLFHWKDWFDQEHWUDFHGGLUHFWO\ EDFN WR ODQG 3UHJQDQW VKH FRQIRXQGV KHU IDWKHU ZLWK KHU GHFLVLRQ ¿UVWO\ WR NHHSWKHFKLOGDQGVHFRQGO\WRDFFHSW3HWUXV¶VPDUULDJHSURSRVDOLQUHWXUQIRU his protection. Historically, in the economy of the farm novel, Lucy’s acceptance of Petrus’s proposal of marriage (a business arrangement rather than an affair RIWKHKHDUW DQGKLVSURSRVDOWRFRPDQDJHWKHIDUPYLRODWHVWKHVDQFWLW\RIWKH $IULNDQHUvrou en moeder ZLIHDQGPRWKHU DQGWKHWDERRRIPLVFHJHQDWLRQE\ WUDQVJUHVVLQJERXQGDULHVRIJHQGHUDQGUDFH:DUQLQJ/XF\VKHLVRQWKH³EULQN RIDGDQJHURXVHUURU´E\FKRRVLQJVXFKDSDWKYLDDORYHOHVVPDUULDJHWRDNLQG of historical reconciliation, Lurie suggests, “You wish to humble yourself before KLVWRU\´ ',6 7KHUHSUHVHQWDWLRQRIUDSHLQWKHWH[WGLVTXLHWLQJO\HTXDWHGZLWKWKHWURSHRI WKH³UDSHRIWKHODQG´WKURXJKWKHPHWDSKRUVRIGHEWFROOHFWLRQDQGUHSDUDWLRQLV highly problematic in a country in which rape is endemic, though of course reviled DFURVVWKHSROLWLFDOVSHFWUXP9LROHQFHDIÀLFWVWKH³5DLQERZ1DWLRQ´ZKLFKKDV failed to deliver the promises of social transformation and economic prosperity it seemed to offer. Coetzee chooses to write about a criminal class of South African VRFLHW\ZLWKZKLFK3HWUXVLVLQFRQQLYDQFH.QRZLQJZHOOWKHNLQGRIUHVSRQVHVXFK a portrayal would elicit, Coetzee engages with controversial racist stereotypes: LQ WKHVH VFHQHV EODFN DJHQF\ LV FRQ¿JXUHG LQ WKH DFW RI UDSH ZLWK GHYDVWDWLQJ implications for a nation in which racist whites have regarded miscegenation with DEKRUUHQFH DQG WKH EODFN PDQ DV WKH QDWXUDO UDSLVW /XF\¶V ULJKWV DV D ZRPDQ 160 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship have been displaced by the withdrawal of her rights as representative of the white RSSUHVVRU(OOHNH%RHKPHUDUJXHVWKDW/XF\ZLOOQHLWKHUVSHDNSXEOLFO\RIWKHUDSH QRU³VHHNLWVUHGUHVV´DQGULJKWO\SXWVWKHTXHVWLRQ³WKURXJKWKHPHGLXPRIWKH tightly patterned narrative[, ] whether it is not outrageous to align this acceptance IRUZKLFKDWOHDVWLQ/XF\¶VRSLQLRQWKHUHLVQRDOWHUQDWLYH ZLWK/XULH¶VDFWVRI XQFRQVFLRXVH[SLDWLRQ´ ³1RW6D\LQJ6RUU\´ )RU*UDQW)DUUHGWKH³XELTXLW\ of violence, especially against women, constitutes the most damning instance of GLVJUDFH´ ³0XQGDQDFLW\´ 1RQHWKHOHVV %RHKPHU¶V FRQWHQWLRQ WKDW /XF\ “insists that what the men did to her was not a historical act, not a symbolic JHVWXUHRIUHYHQJH´GHVSLWHPDNLQJWKHVXEVHTXHQWFODLPWKDWVKH³SK\VLFDOO\ LI QRW YHUEDOO\ DFFHSWV D EXUGHQ RI DFFRXQWDELOLW\ IRU WKH ZURQJV RI WKH SDVW´ ³1RW6D\LQJ6RUU\´ GRHVQRWWDOO\ZLWK/XF\¶VEHOLHIWKDWWKHUDSLVWV VHHWKHPVHOYHVDV³GHEWFROOHFWRUV´7KLVODVWUHPDUNVXJJHVWVWKLVLVKRZ/XF\ SHUFHLYHVWKHPWRR/XF\DFNQRZOHGJHVWKHQHHGIRUQDWLRQEXLOGLQJWKDWFRXOGEH KLQGHUHGE\WKHGDPDJLQJHIIHFWVRIZKDW/XF\*UDKDPLGHQWL¿HVDVWKHGLVFRXUVH RI³EODFNSHULO´HYLGHQFHGIRUZKLWHUDFLVWVLQWKHSUHYDOHQFHRIUDSHDWWKHFXUUHQW WLPH ³8QVSHDNDEOH´± Critics who have condemned the novel on grounds of race, David Attwell DUJXHV KDYH SDLG OLWWOH DWWHQWLRQ WR 0DQDV 0DWKDEDQH WKH EODFN 3URIHVVRU RI Religious Studies and chair of the disciplinary committee: Mathabane is not mentioned because he falls outside the stereotype the novel is WDNHQWREHSHGGOLQJ«,QKLVGHGLFDWLRQWRIDLUQHVVDQGSURFHGXUH0DWKDEDQH is, in fact, the novel’s true representative of the Enlightenment, and his generally forgiving stance echoes the presence of the clergy associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (“Race in Disgrace´ $WWZHOOSRLQWVRXWWKDWDOORIWKHFRPPLWWHHDUHEODFN³LQWKHLQFOXVLYHVHQVH´ although “None of these characters act out racial stereotypes … and the only hint of racial discourse comes from Rassool, who draws the committee’s attention WRWKHµRYHUWRQHV¶RIWKHFDVH´ ³5DFHLQDisgrace´ 5HDGHUVIDPLOLDUZLWK Coetzee, who has prepared the ground for this novel with Age of Iron and The Master of Petersburg LQWKHLUFULWLTXHRISROLWLFDODFWLYLVPZLOO UHFRJQL]HWKHFRPSOH[LWLHVRIWKHZRUNWKDWDUHLQSOD\7KLVEOHDNUHQGHULQJRI WKH ³QHZ 6RXWK$IULFD´ ULVHV WR WKH FKDOOHQJH VHW E\ SURJUHVVLYHV OLNH 1DGLQH *RUGLPHUDQG/HZLV1NRVLZKRZDUQLQJRIWKHSRWHQWLDOO\GHEDVLQJHIIHFWVRI SURWHVWDUWDGYRFDWHGPRUHFULWLFDOUHÀH[LYLW\ The diptych structure of the novel allows Coetzee to parallel the violation of Lucy with Lurie’s own abuse of women, women towards whom Lurie admits he is predatory. In the case of Melanie, Lurie also abuses his position of authority in his role as teacher and mentor. Comparable to Byron’s mistreatment of women ± ³$PRQJ WKH OHJLRQV RI FRXQWHVVHV DQG NLWFKHQPDLGV %\URQ SXVKHG KLPVHOI LQWRWKHUHZHUHQRGRXEWWKRVHZKRFDOOHGLWUDSH´ ',6 ±/XULHGHHPVWKH ODVW RFFDVLRQ RI KLV ORYHPDNLQJ ZLWK 0HODQLH WR EH ³QRW UDSH QRW TXLWH WKDW Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 161 EXWXQGHVLUHGQHYHUWKHOHVVXQGHVLUHGWRWKHFRUH´ ',6 /XULHPLVJXLGHGO\ ZDUPVWRDQGQRGRXEWLGHQWL¿HVZLWK%\URQWROHUDWLQJKLVFRXQWHQDQFHEHFDXVH FRPSDUHG WR WKH NLQG RI YLROHQFH LQÀLFWHG XSRQ /XF\ %\URQ ³ORRNV YHU\ ROG IDVKLRQHGLQGHHG´ ',6 Lurie realizes it is through loving what he cannot love – women such as Teresa RUWKHHTXDOO\VTXDW%HY6KDZ±WKDWKHZLOOUHLJQLWHKLVV\PSDWKHWLFIDFXOW\DQG RYHUFRPHZULWHU¶VEORFN,QWKHSURFHVVKHZLOOFRPHWRDEHWWHUVHOIXQGHUVWDQGLQJ ³&DQKH¿QGLWLQKLVKHDUWWRORYHWKLVSODLQRUGLQDU\ZRPDQ>7HUHVD@"&DQKH ORYHKHUHQRXJKWRZULWH«PXVLFIRUKHU",IKHFDQQRWZKDWLVOHIWIRUKLP"´ ',6 $IWHUDOOKHWKLQNVDOOWKHZRPHQLQKLVOLIHWHDFKKLPVRPHWKLQJ,WLV not incidental that Teresa transforms into a middle-aged woman in Lurie’s mind’s H\H DW WKH WLPH RI KLV EULHI DIIDLU ZLWK WKH PLGGOHDJHG %HY 6KDZ ',6 In the economy of confession the novel promotes, Lurie is confronted therefore ZLWKDGRXEOHELQG KHEHOLHYHVWKDWKHPXVW³¿QGKLPVHOI´WKURXJKZRPHQEXW inevitably will fail because in doing so, he necessarily continues in a self-oriented and therefore self-deceiving mode of existence. Recent feminist critics have argued that the male Romantics typically DSSURSULDWHGWKH IHPDOH RWKHULQWKHLUTXHVWIRUDXWRQRP\DQGLQQRYDWLRQIRU LQ &ODULGJH¶V ZRUGV WKH ³DJJUDQGL]HPHQW RI WKH PDOH OLWHUDU\ FRQVFLRXVQHVV´ &ODULGJHDJUHHVZLWKIHPLQLVWVWKDWWKHPDMRULW\RIWKHPDOH5RPDQWLFV¶SRHPV “aimed at recuperating the special potency that accrues to marginalized forces, in WKLVFDVHZRPDQDVWKDWZKLFKLVQRWDOUHDG\ZULWWHQ´ ± 6XFKDQHYDOXDWLRQ RIWKHPDOH5RPDQWLF¶VOLWHUDU\HJRLVUHÀHFWHGLQ/XULH¶VGLVLQJHQXRXVDSRORJ\WR Melanie’s father Mr. Isaacs and in his belief that all his relationships with women KDYH³HQULFKHG´KLP ³Enriched WKDWZDVWKHZRUGWKHQHZVSDSHUVSLFNHGRQWR MHHUDW´IROORZLQJWKH³WULDO´ ',6 +RZHYHULQKLVDWWHPSWVWRRYHUFRPHZULWHU¶VEORFN/XULH¿QDOO\WXUQVQRW to the voice of Teresa but to the comic. Drawing the conclusion that Byron in ItalyOLNHKHKLPVHOILV³JRLQJQRZKHUH´KHWDNHVXSKLVGDXJKWHU¶VWR\EDQMRWR compose his opera in the realization that: It is not the erotic that is calling to him after all, nor the elegiac, but the comic. He is in the opera neither as Teresa nor as Byron nor even as some blending of WKHWZR KHLVKHOGLQWKHPXVLFLWVHOILQWKHÀDWWLQQ\VODSRIWKHEDQMRVWULQJV« 6RWKLVLVDUWKHWKLQNVDQGWKLVLVKRZLWGRHVLWVZRUN ',6± +LVORIW\DHVWKHWLFLVPLVUHGXFHGWRWKHDEVXUGDQGKH¿QGVKLPVHOIKXPEOHGE\ the ordinary. The “plink-plunk´ RI WKH EDQMR KH VWUXPV ',6 FRQYH\V WKH ³ODQJXDJHRIWKHRWKHU´±DXWKHQWLFWUXWKV±REVHUYHGE\GH0DQLQ5RXVVHDX¶V Confessions. John Banville is right to suggest in his review of Disgrace that “the RSHUDWLFWKHPH¿WVRGGO\LQWRWKHVFKHPHRIWKHERRN´ QRQHWKHOHVVKLVH[SODQDWLRQ WKDWLWIXQFWLRQVDVD³FRXQWHUSRLQWWRWKHJHQHUDOPLQLPDOLVWEOHDNQHVVRIWKHVWRU\´ %DQYLOOH LVLQVXEVWDQWLDO7KHRSHUDQDUUDWLYHGHOLEHUDWHO\GUDZVDWWHQWLRQ to itself as disjointed DQG LQ WKH PRGHO RI FRQIHVVLRQ VNHWFKHG E\ &RHW]HH RI 162 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship the confessant searching for self-truths, is a more authentic expression of Lurie’s consciousness. Although initially he fails to connect with either Byron or the ³IHPDOH´YRLFH/XULH¶VLQFUHDVLQJLGHQWL¿FDWLRQZLWK7HUHVDPDUNVDQDFFHSWDQFH RIDQHZHUWUXWKDQGDQXQVSRNHQEXWLQWHUQDOO\DUWLFXODWHGHWKLFDOWUDQVLWLRQ7KH VSRQWDQHLW\KHDWWDLQVRQWKHVWULQJVRIWKHEDQMRFKDUDFWHUL]HV³GHHSHU´DXWKHQWLF WUXWKVVLJQDOOLQJWKDW/XULHLVOHDUQLQJWRVSHDNIURPWKHKHDUW DisgraceUHSHDWHGO\PDNHVDVVRFLDWLRQVEHWZHHQKXPDQDQGDQLPDOEHKDYLRXU /XULH¶VVH[XDOSDVVLRQVDUHDQLPDOLVWLFSUHGDWRU\ /XF\LVWUHDWHG³OLNHDGRJ´E\ WKHPHQZKRUDSHKHU ',6 ZKRWKHPVHOYHVEHKDYH³OLNHGRJVLQDSDFN´ ',6 3HWUXV/XF\¶VEODFNQHLJKERXUVDUGRQLFDOO\LQWURGXFHVKLPVHOIWR/XULHDV WKH³GRJPDQ´ ',6 RQO\WRUHMHFWWKLVSRVLWLRQDVKHJDLQVDXWRQRP\ZLWKLQ WKH³QHZ6RXWK$IULFD´ ',6 LQWKHRU\DVWKHZKLWHQRQGHPRFUDWLFSRZHU base is dismantled. (Such a realignment of power can only be a symbolic gesture in the novel since in the socio-economic contexts of the novel little has actually FKDQJHG HYLGHQFHG LQ WKH RQJRLQJ KRXVLQJ DQG XQHPSOR\PHQW FULVHV 8 The FRQÀLFWEHWZHHQWKHVHWZRSDWULDUFKVUHDFKHVLWVFOLPD[ZKHQIROORZLQJ/XF\¶V rape, Lurie helps Petrus to lay pipes on his land. Accruing Freudian connotations, /XULHDVNV3HWUXV³'R\RXQHHGPHKHUHDQ\ORQJHU"´WRZKLFK3HWUXVUHVSRQGV ³1RQRZLWLVHDV\QRZ,PXVWMXVWGLJWKHSLSHLQ´ ',6 /XULHLVUHGXFHGWR WKHUROHRI³GRJPDQ´LQKLVZRUNZLWK%HY6KDZDQGLVUHVLWXDWHGDVRWKHUE\WKLV newly conferred role. Whilst human behaviour in these examples is degraded and debased by its comparison to animals, this allows Coetzee to distance the narrative from racialized, racist discourse traceable to the Great Chain of Being with its hierarchy of so-called species. ,WLV¿QDOO\WKURXJKGRJV±ZKLFKLQAge of Iron and The Master of Petersburg SHUWDLQWR/HYLQDV¶V$EVROXWH2WKHUDVWKHSDURGLFLQYHUVLRQRI³*RG´±WKDW/XULH VWUXJJOHVIRUDWRQHPHQW+HDW¿UVWUHJDUGHG/XF\DQG%HY¶VDIIHFWLRQIRUDQLPDOV DVVHQWLPHQWDO ',6 DQLPDOVDUHRIDORZHURUGHUKHUHDVRQVDQGWKRXJK WKH\VKRXOGEHWUHDWHGKXPDQHO\WKLVVKRXOGQRWEHPRWLYDWHGE\JXLOW ',6 /XF\¶V VXJJHVWLRQ WKDW /XULH KHOS %HY DW WKH FOLQLF ³VRXQGV VXVSLFLRXVO\ OLNH FRPPXQLW\VHUYLFH«OLNHVRPHRQHWU\LQJWRPDNHUHSDUDWLRQIRUSDVWPLVGHHGV´ ',6 0RUHRYHU/XF\QRWHVKHUIDWKHU¶VLQLWLDOGLVGDLQIRU%HY6KDZDQG her husband Bill built, Lucy believes, on the fact that if her father had his way VKHZRXOGGHYRWHKHUVHOIWRDKLJKHU UDUH¿HG FXOWXUDORUGHU VKH³RXJKWWREH SDLQWLQJVWLOOOLYHVRUWHDFKLQJ>KHU@VHOI5XVVLDQ´)ULHQGVOLNH%LOODQG%HYRQ WKHRWKHUKDQG³DUHQRWJRLQJWROHDG>KHU@WRDKLJKHUOLIH´ 1RQHWKHOHVV/XF\¶V service to animals, she lets slip, is itself self-interested: “I don’t want to come EDFNLQDQRWKHUH[LVWHQFHDVDGRJRUDSLJDQGKDYHWROLYHDVGRJVRUSLJVOLYH 8 Unemployment in South Africa rose from 31.2 per cent in 1993 to a high of 41.8 per FHQWLQ .LQJGRQDQG.QLJKWQSDJ $VWKHEncyclopedia of the Nations states, “only DERXWRQHWHQWK´RIWKHGZHOOLQJVQHHGHGWRWDFNOHWKHKRXVLQJVKRUWDJHZHUHEHLQJEXLOWLQ WKHODWH V³OHDYLQJWKHFRXQWU\ZLWKDVHULRXVKRXVLQJVKRUWDJH´ QSDJ Truth and Reconciliation in Disgrace 163 XQGHUXV´>',6@ ,QVSLWHRIWKLV/XULHEHFRPHVV\PSDWKHWLFWRWKHFDXVHLQ WKHZDNHRI/XF\¶VUDSH 7KHLGHDWKDWDQRGLRXVFKDUDFWHUVXFKDV/XULHFDQ¿QGUHGHPSWLRQWKURXJK FDULQJIRUVLFNDQLPDOVZKHUHWKHMX[WDSRVLWLRQRIDQLPDODQGKXPDQVXIIHULQJ EULQJVWKHWZRIRUPVRIVXIIHULQJLQWRUHOLHILQWKHFRQWH[WRIHJUHJLRXVLQHTXDOLW\ that has been largely racially determined, might well be construed inappropriate. Just as the oppression of women in Coetzee’s parody of the TRC corresponds with apartheid’s oppressed, it is through alleviating animal suffering that Lurie DWRQHVIRUKLVDEXVLYHDWWLWXGHWRZDUGVZRPHQ$WVWDNHLVZKHWKHUE\SDUDOOHOLQJ YHU\ GLIIHUHQW PRGHV RI RSSUHVVLRQ &RHW]HH VDFUL¿FHV VSHFL¿FLW\ DQG VLOHQFHV WKHZRUNLQJVRIWKHSDUWLFXODU 0DPGDQLZULWLQJDERXWWKH³WUXWKV´RIWKH75& points out that the TRC read apartheid through the analogy of Latin American dictatorships, thereby diminishing the truth of apartheid. Such an analogy, he argues, erroneously papers over the racialized nature of oppression in South $IULFDREVFXULQJ³WKHOLQNEHWZHHQSHUSHWUDWRUDQGEHQH¿FLDU\´>³7UXWK´ @, UHDOL]HWKDWWRPDNHP\SRLQW,WRRDPIDOOLQJEDFNXSRQDQDQDORJ\ Disgrace was published concurrently in 1999 with The Lives of Animals (later republished in Elizabeth Costello>@ WZROHFWXUHVJLYHQE\&RHW]HH at Princeton University in which, standing before his audience, he seemingly adopts the persona of Elizabeth Costello, a moderately successful and eccentric author and academic who has been invited to Appleton College in the States to OHFWXUHRQWKHWKHPHRIDQLPDOULJKWV0DUMRULH*DUEHULQKHUUHVSRQVHWRLives, argues that the premise of Costello’s position on our treatment of animals resides LQZKDW)UHXGFDOOVWKH³VHGXFWLRQRIDQDQDORJ\´ DQLOOFRQFHLYHG\HWVHHPLQJO\ credible appropriation of one term – in Disgrace and Lives the suffering of animals ±WRLOOXPLQDWHDQRWKHU RSSUHVVHGSHRSOHV /$ 6XFKD³VHGXFWLRQ´LVEHVW illustrated in Lives ZKHQ &RVWHOOR OLNHQV WKH WUHDWPHQW RI DQLPDOV LQ IDFWRU\ farms to that of the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps (the animals to humans analogy is reversed in Disgrace $EUDKDP6WHUQD-HZLVKSRHWZKRUHVSRQGVWR &RVWHOOR¶VSROHPLFLQDOHWWHUEHFDXVHKHFDQQRWVWRPDFKEUHDNLQJEUHDGZLWKKHU warns: “The inversion insults the memory of the dead [and] trades on the horror of WKHFDPSVLQDFKHDSZD\´ /$ 7KHUHVSRQGHQWWRKHUWDON3URIHVVRU7KRPDV O’Hearne, charges Costello with drawing an analogy between modes of oppression WKDWDUHRID³GLIIHUHQWVFDOH´ /$ 7HVWHGDJDLQVWDisgraceZHPLJKWDVNGRHV /XULH¶VDVVXDJHPHQWRIJXLOWWKURXJKDQLPDOVWHHWHURQVKDN\HWKLFDOJURXQGWKDWLV EDVHGZLWKLQWKHWH[WRQDQLOOFRQFHLYHGHTXLYDOHQFH" 7RDQVZHUWKLVTXHVWLRQZHFDQWXUQWR&RVWHOOR¶VFULWLTXHRI(QOLJKWHQPHQW WKLQNLQJ LQ ZKLFK VKH VHWV WKH SRHWV DJDLQVW WKH SKLORVRSKHUV 6KH SRXUV VFRUQ RQ WKH QRWLRQ WKDW EHFDXVH DQLPDOV ODFN WKH SRZHU WR UHDVRQ WKHLU VODXJKWHU LV MXVWL¿HG LQ OLJKW RI WKLV ³UHDVRQ ORRNV WR PH VXVSLFLRXVO\ OLNH WKH EHLQJ RI KXPDQWKRXJKW´VKHVD\V /$ 6KHTXLFNO\GLVPLVVHVWKHFKDUJHWKDWVKHLV anthropomorphizing animal behaviour by claiming that animals and humans have WKHFRPPRQERQGRI³HPERGLHGQHVVWKHVHQVDWLRQRIEHLQJ´ /$ ,IWKHUH is a sense of community between all species, and if we are able to conceptualize 164 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship death, which is, after all, outside our experience, do we not have the capacity to LPDJLQHRXUVHOYHVDVDQLPDOV /$ ",QDisgrace, suggestive of the otherness RIGHDWKWKHXWWHUKXPLOLDWLRQLWHQJHQGHUV/XULHZRQGHUVLIGRJVOLNHKXPDQV ³IHHOWKHGLVJUDFHRIG\LQJ´ ',6 &RVWHOORUHIHUVKHUDXGLHQFHWRKHUQRYHO The House on Eccles Street, which portrays the life of Marion Bloom, wife of Joyce’s Leopold in Ulysses: if writers can imagine the lives of their characters, VKHUHÀHFWVVXUHO\LWLVSRVVLEOHWRLPDJLQHDQLPDOEHLQJ"1HYHUWKHOHVVDV³3HWHU 6LQJHU¶V´ GDXJKWHU VXJJHVWV RU WKH DQLPDO ULJKWV SKLORVRSKHU 6LQJHU KLPVHOI ZKRDSSURSULDWHVDPHWDJHQHULFGHYLFHQRWXQOLNH&RHW]HH¶VLQKLV³UHÀHFWLRQ´RQ Lives WKLVVHQWLPHQWLVTXLWHREYLRXVO\ÀDZHG /$ ± LPDJLQLQJRXUVHOYHV into other human beings is very different from imagining ourselves into the being RIDQLPDOV&RVWHOORDUJXHVWKDWWKHSRHWPLJKWEHPRUHDGHTXDWHO\HTXLSSHGWR comprehend animal existence than the philosopher and urges us “to read the poets ZKRUHWXUQWKHOLYLQJHOHFWULFEHLQJWRODQJXDJH´6KHFRQFOXGHVWKDW³,IWKHODVW common ground that I have with [the philosopher she has read in preparation for WKHWDON@LVUHDVRQDQGLIUHDVRQLVZKDWVHWVPHDSDUWIURPWKHYHDOFDOIWKHQWKDQN \RXEXWQRWKDQN\RX,¶OOWDONWRVRPHRQHHOVH´ Lives ,WLVWKHV\PSDWKHWLF imagination that ushers in authentic communion with the other. Lurie passes through a stage of what might be called penitence in Coetzee’s model of confession to form a close bond with the dogs under his care and strives to return to the animals – even as corpses – their dignity: “He has learned by now, IURP>%HY@WRFRQFHQWUDWHDOOKLVDWWHQWLRQRQWKHDQLPDOWKH\DUHNLOOLQJJLYLQJ LWZKDWKHQRORQJHUKDVGLI¿FXOW\LQFDOOLQJE\LWVSURSHUQDPH ORYH´ ',6 The novel closes, but does not offer closure, with Lurie giving up one particular dog with which he has formed an especially close bond for euthanasia: “Bearing KLPLQKLVDUPVOLNHDODPEKHUHHQWHUVWKHVXUJHU\µ,WKRXJKW\RXZRXOGVDYH KLPIRUDQRWKHUZHHN¶VD\V%HY6KDZµ$UH\RXJLYLQJKLPXS"¶µ WKHPRWLYHIRUWKLVJHVWXUHLVLWVHOITXHVWLRQDEOHVLQFHKHFDQRQO\VXSSUHVVKLV violent rage against Pollux through Teresa, “That is why he must listen to Teresa. 7HUHVDPD\EHWKHODVWRQHOHIWZKRFDQVDYHKLP´ 6HFRQGO\LQDJHVWXUH RINLQGQHVVKHJLYHVXSWKHVLFNGRJZLWKZKLFKKHKDVIRUPHGDSDUWLFXODUO\ LQWLPDWHERQGIRUHXWKDQDVLD/XULHLVSURSHOOHGRQWRDMRXUQH\RIVHOIGLVFRYHU\ DQGSHUVRQDODWRQHPHQWZKLFKXOWLPDWHO\LVUHYHDOHGWREHPRUDOO\EDQNUXSWIRU he visits Melanie’s family home and, in an act of what Graham Pechey calls ³JURWHVTXH REHLVDQFH´ ³3XUJDWRULDO$IULFD´ NLVVHV WKH IHHW RI KHU IDWKHU all the while secretly lusting after Melanie’s even more beautiful sister, the aptly named Desiree. Lurie’s failure to atone for the affair signals that this is also a novel about saving oneself. &RHW]HH¿QDOO\GUDZVWKHDQLPDODQGRSHUDVXEWH[WVWRJHWKHUZLWK/XULH¶VKDOI LURQLFQRWLRQRILQWURGXFLQJDGRJLQWRWKHRSHUD SDURG\LQJWKH5XVVLDQQLKLOLVWV PDQWUDWKHLQHIIHFWXDODFDGHPLFZRQGHUV³VXUHO\LQDZRUNWKDWZLOOQHYHUEH performed, all things are permitted"´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ',6 +RZHYHUKH V\PEROLFDOO\UHOLQTXLVKHVKLVDXWKRULW\DVZKLWHZULWHU RULVrelinquished of this DXWKRULW\ ZKHQKHUHDOL]HVWKDWDVD³¿JXUHIURPWKHPDUJLQVRIKLVWRU\«>K@H LVLQYHQWLQJWKHPXVLF RUWKHPXVLFLVLQYHQWLQJKLP EXWKHLVQRWLQYHQWLQJWKH KLVWRU\´ ',6 +HZRQGHUV³:LOOWKLV>WKH(DVWHUQ&DSH@EHZKHUHWKH GDUNWULR>%\URQ7HUHVDDQGµWKHKXPLOLDWHGKXVEDQG¶@DUHDWODVWEURXJKWWROLIH QRWLQ&DSH7RZQEXWLQROG.DIIUDULD"´ ',6 +LVWRU\KDV³FRPHIXOOFLUFOH´ ',6 /XULHKDVFRQIURQWHGKLVSDVWLQWKHUHDOPVRIWKHSDVWRUDOEXWWKHQRYHO UHTXLUHVXVWRTXHVWLRQWKHDXWKHQWLFLW\RIKLVHWKLFDOWUDQVLWLRQGHVSLWHWKHLPSOLHG FULWLTXHRIWKH75&5DWKHUWKDQRIIHULQJDQDOWHUQDWLYHWRSXEOLFFRQIHVVLRQWKH QRYHOUHMHFWVDXWKHQWLFWUXWKVERWKLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUHRIWKH8QLYHUVLW\&RPPLWWHH KHDULQJV DQGE\DQDORJ\WKH75& DQGLQWKHSULYDWHUHDOPRI/XULH¶VVHOIGRXEW because neither institutional nor individual truths, the narrative warns us, can be properly tested. This page has been left blank intentionally Chapter 9 &RHW]HH¶V$FWVRI*HQUHLQWKH/DWHU:RUNV Truth-telling, Fiction and the Public Intellectual Would that I could follow your advice, my dear Anya … But alas, it is a collection of opinions I am committed to, not a memoir. A response to the present in which I ¿QGP\VHOI J. M. Coetzee, Diary of a Bad Year ,DPLPPHQVHO\XQFRPIRUWDEOHZLWKTXHVWLRQV«WKDWFDOOXSRQPHWRDQVZHUIRU LQWZRVHQVHV P\QRYHOVDQGP\UHVSRQVHVDUHRIWHQWDNHQDVHYDVLYH«P\ GLI¿FXOW\LVSUHFLVHO\ZLWKWKHSURMHFWRIVWDWLQJSRVLWLRQVWDNLQJSRVLWLRQV J. M. Coetzee, Doubling the Point ³:KDWGRHVHDFKUHYHODWLRQ,PDNHcost"´7KLVLVWKHTXHVWLRQWKDWSUHRFFXSLHV-0 &RHW]HHDVKHPDNHVKLVLQDXJXUDOSURIHVVRULDOOHFWXUH³7UXWKLQ$XWRELRJUDSK\´ WRWKHDVVHPEO\JDWKHUHGLQWKHKDOOVRIWKH8QLYHUVLW\RI&DSH7RZQRQWKHVXEMHFW RI-HDQ-DFTXHV5RXVVHDX¶VConfessions DQGWKHJHQUHRIDXWRELRJUDSK\ &RHW]HH ³7UXWK´ ,W LV WKH FRVW RI WUXWKWHOOLQJ WKDW SUHRFFXSLHV PXFK RI &RHW]HH¶V ¿FWLRQ FU\VWDOOL]HG LQ WKH ODWHU ZRUNV The Lives of Animals Elizabeth Costello DQGDiary of a Bad Year ZKLFKWKURXJKWKHLU very mode of address, through the radical defamiliarization of the discourses of JHQUHFDOOLQWRTXHVWLRQWKHHWKLFRSROLWLFVRILQWHOOHFWXDOSUDFWLFHDVZHOODVWKH truths of authorship. The manner and mode of the lectures in Lives and Elizabeth Costello and J. C.’s aphoristic opinion pieces in Diary allow Coetzee to grapple more openly with the ethico-politics of intellectual practice. Indeed, his apparent direct engagement with contemporary politics (the lectures and opinion pieces range from animal ULJKWV WKH VWDWXV RI WKH QRYHO LQ$IULFD LQWHOOLJHQW GHVLJQ WKH ³ZDU RQ WHUURU´ and Harold Pinter’s controversial 2005 Nobel Prize acceptance speech on that ZDU PD\VXUSULVHWKRVHPRUHXVHGWRDWDFLWXUQ&RHW]HHZKRUHIXVHVWRQDLOKLV political colours to the mast. These lectures and novels invite public debate, albeit FRQIRXQGLQJO\WKURXJKWKHFLSKHURI¿FWLRQ,QGHHGDV,ZLOODUJXHLWLVWKURXJK the formRIWKHVHZRUNVWKURXJKZKDW,FDOO³DFWVRIJHQUH´ FI:ULJKW³)HPLQLVW 9HJHWDULDQ´ *UDKDP ³7H[WXDO 7UDQVYHVWLVP´ UDWKHU WKDQ WKHLU VXEVWDQFH WKDWWKHPRVWVLJQL¿FDQWLQWHOOHFWXDOL]LQJLVGRQH³$FWV´FDSWXUHVQRWRQO\WKH 168 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship SHUIRUPDWLYHVHOIFRQVFLRXVTXDOLW\RIWKHOHFWXUHVDQGWKHGXSOLFLW\RIJHQUHDVLW PDQLIHVWVLQWKHVHZRUNVEXWDOVRWKHDJHQF\DQDFWHQJHQGHUV %\ LVRODWLQJ WKH ³FRVW´ RI WUXWK &RHW]HH LV UHIHUULQJ WR WKH discourse of autobiography rather than the sincerity of the author: “In terms of the economic OLIHRIWKHGLVFRXUVHLWVRPHWLPHVFRVWVWRRPXFKWRPDNHFHUWDLQUHYHODWLRQV WKH\WKUHDWHQWKHDELOLW\RIWKHGLVFRXUVHWRJURZWKH\WKUHDWHQLWVIUHHGRP´KH H[SODLQV ³7UXWK´ ,Q WKH HFRQRP\ RI DXWRELRJUDSK\ LQ RWKHU ZRUGV ZKDW &RHW]HHFDOOVDFHUWDLQ³EOLQGQHVV´WRWKHWUXWKLVUHTXLUHGWRMXVWLI\FRQIHVVLRQ EHFDXVHLIRXUH\HVDUH³ZLGHRSHQ´WKHQWKHQHHGIRUFRQIHVVLRQTXLFNO\GLVVLSDWHV ³7UXWK´ ,IDV&RHW]HHDUJXHV³7KHRQO\VXUHWUXWKLQDXWRELRJUDSK\LVWKDW RQH¶VVHOILQWHUHVWZLOOEHORFDWHGDWRQH¶VEOLQGVSRW´ '3 DQGLIZHDFFHSW &RHW]HH¶VPD[LP³$OODXWRELRJUDSK\LVVWRU\WHOOLQJDOOZULWLQJLVDXWRELRJUDSK\´ '3 GHHSHUVHOIWUXWKVLQDXWRELRJUDSK\DQGLQZULWLQJPRUHJHQHUDOO\UHVLGH LQXQFRQVFLRXVVHOIUHYHODWLRQVZKLFKDUHWKXVGLI¿FXOWWRORFDWHOHWDORQHYHULI\ (YHQWKHDXWKRURIDERRNFDQQRWIXOO\NQRZLWVPHDQLQJDQGLVWKHUHIRUHGHQLHG absolute authority over it. Meaning can reconstruct action or, alternatively, can EHUHFRQ¿JXUHGE\DGHYHORSLQJFRQVFLRXVQHVV7KDW&RHW]HHLVFRQFHUQHGZLWK ³KRZWRWHOOWKHWUXWKLQDXWRELRJUDSK\´WKHUHIRUHGRHVQRWPHDQKHLVFRQFHUQHG with truth per se, but with its telling. In other words, Coetzee is less interested LQWKHWUXWKYDOXHRIQDUUDWLYHWKDQLQWKHPHFKDQLVPVE\ZKLFK³WUXWK´±DOZD\V DFDWHJRU\WREHTXHVWLRQHGLQ&RHW]HH±LVEURXJKWWROLJKW,QWKHODWHUZRUNV that foreground intellectual practice, Coetzee focuses not on the truth-value of the public interventions his writer-intellectuals circulate but on the manner and mode E\ZKLFKWKHVHLQWHUYHQWLRQVDUHGLVVHPLQDWHG:HDUHUHTXLUHGWREH³EOLQG´WR such truths in order that the intellectual, whom we must rely upon to be truthful or at least sincere, can enlighten us. $Q LQFUHDVLQJO\ PHWDGLVFXUVLYH PRGH LQ &RHW]HH¶V ¿FWLRQ WKDW FRLQFLGHV with his departure from South Africa for Adelaide, Australia in 2002, also for the PRVWSDUWPDUNVDGHSDUWXUHLQWKHRHXYUHIURPWKHSRVWFRORQLDOSDUDGLJPDWD WLPHLURQLFDOO\ZKHQ6RXWK$IULFDLVIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHSURSHUO\³SRVWFRORQLDO´ IROORZLQJWKHLQFHSWLRQRIGHPRFUDF\LQ 6RZKLOVWWKHVHODWHUZRUNVPD\ VHHPWRKDYHOHVVUHOHYDQFHLQDERRNDERXWSRVWFRORQLDODXWKRUVKLSWKH\GRPDNH important contributions to debates on intellectualism and the author’s authority SHUWLQHQWWRWKHSRVWFRORQLDO¿HOG)RULQVWDQFHLQ³/HVVRQ 5HDOLVP´ Elizabeth Costello &RVWHOOR DSRORJL]HV WR KHU DXGLHQFH ³, DP QRW , KRSH DEXVLQJ WKH SULYLOHJH RI WKLV SODWIRUP´ VKH LV GHOLYHULQJ D OHFWXUH RQ .DIND¶V ³5HG 3HWHU´ VWRU\LQGHIHQFHRIDQLPDOV (& ,QDVHOIFRQVFLRXVWZLVWLQZKLFK&RHW]HH apparently undermines his own procedures, the writer J. C. in Diary even disparages Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault’s reduction of the authority of the DXWKRUWRQRWKLQJPRUHWKDQ³DEDJIXORIUKHWRULFDOWULFNV´DQGUHPLQGVXVLQ³2Q DXWKRULW\LQ¿FWLRQ´WKDW³$XWKRULW\PXVWEHHDUQHG´ '%< -&VSHFXODWHV LQ³2QKDYLQJWKRXJKWV´RQKLVULJKWWRDLUKLVRSLQLRQVDWDOOVLQFHKHKDV³QHYHU EHHQ HDV\ ZLWK DEVWUDFWLRQV RU JRRG ZLWK DEVWUDFW WKRXJKW´ '%< \HW LQ these words he repudiates the loftiness of the traditional intellectual that Antonio Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 169 *UDPVFLDQGVXEVHTXHQWO\(GZDUG6DLGKDYHUHMHFWHG&RHW]HHWLPHDQGDJDLQLQ KLV¿FWLRQDQGHVVD\VVLJQDOVWKHFRQYLFWLRQWKDWKHKDVQ¶WHDUQHGWKLVULJKWSlow Man VHW LQ$XVWUDOLD DQG WHOOLQJ WKH VWRU\ RI 3DXO 5D\PHQW FRPLQJ WR terms with the loss of a leg following a bicycle accident, is a more conventional novel and so for this reason I focus on what I will call the Costello lectures (Lives DQGWKHOHFWXUHVFROOHFWHGDV³OHVVRQV´LQElizabeth Costello DQGDiary. Set in a postcolonial locale, Slow ManUDLVHVTXHVWLRQVDERXWLPPLJUDWLRQDQGHFRQRPLF PLJUDQF\WKDWIDOOZLWKLQWKHUHPLWRIWKH³SRVWFRORQLDO´ 2I FRXUVH PXFK RI &RHW]HH¶V HDUOLHU ZRUN DOVR GLVUXSWV RXU H[SHFWDWLRQV of genre. Dusklands SUHVHQWV-DFREXV&RHW]HH¶VGLYHUJHQWDFFRXQWVIRU instance, of the servant Klawer’s death, unsettling notions of verisimilitude to ZKLFKWKHZRUN¶VSDUWMRXUQDOVW\OHQDUUDWLYHJLYHVFUHGHQFHIn the Heart of the Country LQGLDU\IRUPDWHPSOR\VDVLPLODUGHYLFHZLWK0DJGD¶VPXOWLSOH versions of her rape and two of the fate of her father. Foe UDGLFDOO\UHYLVHV WKHFRORQLDOLVWLQGLYLGXDOLVW5RELQVRQDGHZLWKWKHGHDWKLQWKH¿UVWRIWKUHHSDUWV of its hero Cruso, whose marginality is compounded by his usurpation by a female narrator Susan Barton. Age of Iron GLVWXUEVWKHJHQUHRIWKHHSLVWOHZLWK Mrs. Curren’s improbable letter to her daughter (improbable because, as Dominic Head points out, it incorporates dialogue and description [J. M. Coetzee @ 7KH memoirs Boyhood DQGYouth DUH¿FWLRQDOL]HGDFFRXQWVRIWKHDXWKRU J. M. Coetzee’s life: the use of the third person narrator, out of place in memoir or DXWRELRJUDSK\VXJJHVWVMXVWWKLV PRUHRYHUWKH$PHULFDQSXEOLVKHURIBoyhood LQVLVWHGSURSHUQDPHVEHFKDQJHG±WKDWLV¿FWLRQDOL]HG±WRSURWHFWWKHLGHQWLWLHV of the protagonists in John Coetzee’s life (Attridge, J. M. Coetzee± DQGWKH GXVWMDFNHWRIYouthSOHGJHV¿FWLRQ5D\PHQW¶VOLIHLQSlow Man seems uncannily to be repeating itself in the hands of the inimitable novelist Elizabeth Costello ZKRPDNLQJDVXUSULVHDSSHDUDQFHLQWKLVQRYHOLVDEOHWRUHFRXQWYHUEDWLPWKH report of Rayment’s accident which opens the narrative. Later Rayment will sum up his aberrant and far-fetched encounter engineered by Costello with Marianna, his blind paramour, as an “experiment, that is what it amounts to, an idle, biologico- OLWHUDU\H[SHULPHQW´ 60 ,WLVLQWKHODWHU¿FWLRQVWKDW&RHW]HHIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHHQJDJHVZLWKWKHHWKLFR politics of public intellectual practice. Up until this point he has shied away from the publicity such intellectualism entails. Yet the slipperiness that characterizes his writing even here endures. The metageneric play of the Costello lectures and Diary VHOIUHÀH[LYHO\VWULSVDZD\OD\HUVRILQWHOOHFWXDODXWKRULW\WRPDNH&RHW]HHERWK accountable and not-accountable to the ethico-politics his characters promote. In WKHVHODWHUZRUNVWKH¿JXUHRI&RHW]HHPRVWREYLRXVO\KDXQWV¿FWLRQDOL]HGWH[WV WRGLVUXSWWKHSDFWVRIJHQUH ,PSRUWDQWO\ERWK&RVWHOORDQG-&OLNH&RHW]HH KLPVHOIDUHERWKQRYHOLVWVDQGSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOV ,WLVWKHVOLSSDJHEHWZHHQWKH WZR EHWZHHQ DXWKRU DQG DXWKRUSURWDJRQLVW WKDW HQHUJL]HV TXHVWLRQV DERXW WKH relationship between public intellectuals and the truths they promote. The painfully uncharismatic Costello is the persona Coetzee has seemingly elected to perform in a series of real-life lectures at various international venues, 170 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship ODWHUWREHSXEOLVKHGDV³OHVVRQV´LQElizabeth Costello (the two Princeton lectures ¿UVW DSSHDUHG LQ SULQW LQ DV The Lives of Animals 1 DQG ZH NQRZ WKDW similarities exist between Coetzee’s principles and Costello’s such as their shared vegetarianism.2 Costello therefore, unsurprisingly, has been referred to variously DV&RHW]HH¶V³PRXWKSLHFH´ *UDKDP³7H[WXDO7UDQVYHVWLVP´ KLV³VXUURJDWH´ $WWZHOO³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ DQGKLV³DOWHUHJR´ %HOO $OWKRXJK&RVWHOORLV only one character amongst many in the lectures, suggesting that Coetzee cannot VLPSO\EHYHQWULORTXL]LQJWKURXJKKHU&RVWHOORLVWKHFRQQHFWLQJWKUHDGLQWKH series of republished lectures that otherwise would function as discreet entities. J. C. is the name the main narrator of Diary XVHVWRVLJQKLPVHOIRIILQKLVMRXUQDO RI³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´±D¿FWLRQDOL]HG-RKQ&RHW]HH¶VUXPLQDWLRQVRQFRQWHQWLRXV current debates. The similarities between author and narrator don’t end there: -&LVD6RXWK$IULFDQRIDERXWWKHVDPHDJHDV&RHW]HHZKROLNH&RHW]HHKDV PRYHGWR$XVWUDOLD OLNH&RHW]HHKHLVDQRYHOLVWZKRVHRHXYUHLQFOXGHVWaiting for the BarbariansDQGOLNH&RHW]HH¶VKLV VERRNRQFHQVRUVKLSZDVTXLHWO\ received. So in the Costello lectures and Diary the porousness of genre boundaries misleadingly entices us down the path of biographical reading. We are tempted to draw parallels and distinctions between Coetzee and his intellectual-protagonists, ZRUNIRUOLWHUDU\FULWLFVQRWJHQHUDOO\UHJDUGHGZLWKPXFKHVWHHPH[FHSWLQWKH ¿HOGRIOLIHZULWLQJ:HVKRXOGQRWKRZHYHUWRRHDVLO\EHVHGXFHGLQWRUHDGLQJ either Costello or J. C. as Coetzee, as a number of critics have pointed out, or to LQWHUSUHWWKHZRUNVZLWKLQWKHLUSXUSRUWHGJHQUHV±EURDGO\VSHDNLQJWKHSXEOLF LQWHUYHQWLRQ7KLVLVWKHPLVWDNHWKDW,DQ+DFNLQJPDNHVLQKLVUHYLHZRILives.3 The trap of correspondences and similarities may have been laid, yet it is my contention that the puzzlement the texts elicit, especially over Coetzee’s performance of &RVWHOOR RQ VWDJH WKDW /XF\ *UDKDP FDOOV KLV ³WH[WXDO WUDQVYHVWLVP´ ³7H[WXDO 7UDQVYHVWLVP´ DQGLQDiary over such obvious signposts to Coetzee’s life, encourage us as readers to wrestle with what such performances might mean. It would be all too easy for Coetzee to broadcast his beliefs but such a move would À\LQWKHIDFHRIKLVSULQFLSOHG WKRXJKRYHUO\LGHDOLVWLFDQGHYHQQDwYH GLVDYRZDO of political rhetoric, that, though “Sympathetic to the human concerns of the left, he is alienated, when the crunch comes, by its language – by all political language, LQIDFW´ '3 1 1HLWKHUWKHODVWWZROHVVRQV³(URV´DQG³$WWKH*DWH´QRUWKH³3RVWVFULSW´XWLOL]H the motif of the public address and are included as new material in Elizabeth Costello (Attridge, J. M. Coetzee ± 2 For an account of the contexts of the Costello lectures see Attridge, J. M. Coetzee ± 3 0LFKDHO %HOO QRWHV WKLV ÀDZ LQ +DFNLQJ¶V RWKHUZLVH ³SHQHWUDWLQJ´ UHYLHZ %HOO ³:KDWLVLWOLNH"´ +DFNLQJ³2XU)HOORZ$QLPDOV´ Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 171 7KHODWHUTXDVL¿FWLRQDOZRUNVDOOGHOLEHUDWHO\YLRODWHRUGLVUXSWWKH³SDFW´RI JHQUHDV&RHW]HHZRXOGKDYHLW ³7UXWK´ EHWZHHQZULWHUVSHDNHUDQGUHDGHU audience. Such pacts are, he says, negotiated over the years between writers and readers (and always open to UHQHJRWLDWLRQ IRUHDFKRIWKHJHQUHVDQGVXEJHQUHVSDFWVZKLFKFRYHUDPRQJ other things, what demands may be made of each genre and what may not, what TXHVWLRQVPD\EHDVNHGDQGZKDWPD\QRWZKDWRQHPD\VHHDQGZKDWRQHPXVW EHEOLQGWR ³7UXWK´ I am suggesting that Lives, Elizabeth Costello and Diary DVN ZKDW LV WKH FRVW RIWUXWKWRWKHJHQUHVRIWKHSXEOLFOHFWXUHDQGRSLQLRQSLHFH"2UZKDWDUHWKH QHFHVVDU\FRQGLWLRQVIRUWUXWKWREHVSRNHQ" 7KHTXHVWLRQRIWUXWKLQDUWLVWRRZLGHUHDFKLQJWRDGGUHVVKHUHEXWFDQEH GLYLGHGEURDGO\LQWRWKUHHFDWHJRULHV ¿UVWO\WKHSHUVRQDOWUXWKVRIFRQIHVVLRQDO ZULWLQJ VHFRQGO\³WUDQVFHQGHQWDOSRHWLF´WUXWKVRIWKHNLQGDVVRFLDWHGZLWKOLEHUDO KXPDQLVP DQG WKLUGO\ SXEOLF WUXWKV RU ³VRFLRFXOWXUDO´ WUXWKV WKDW FKDOOHQJH systems of power.4:KDWKDSSHQVZKHQWKHVHGLIIHUHQWNLQGVRIWUXWKDUHEURXJKW to bear upon each other within a single text and how might this affect the purchase RI WKHLU SXEOLF LQWHUYHQWLRQV" 7KH GLVFRXUVH RU SDFW RI WKH SXEOLF LQWHUYHQWLRQ GHSHQGVXSRQRXUIDLWKLQWKHDXWKRULW\ WUXWKIXOQHVVRULQWHJULW\ RIWKHLQWHOOHFWXDO ZKRZLOOLPSDUWWUXWKVWRZKLFKZHDUHUHTXLUHGWREH³EOLQG´2QFHWKLVDXWKRULW\ EHFRPHVVXEMHFWWRGRXEWWKHLQWHUYHQWLRQLWVHOILVWKUHDWHQHG&RVWHOORDQG-& violate the pacts of the genres in which they engage, as I go on to explain, in Costello’s case, purposively. ,I SXEOLF LQWHOOHFWXDOLVP LV EXLOW LQ WKH ZRUGV RI 6DLG RQ ³VSHDNLQJ WUXWK WR SRZHU´ Representations ZH VKRXOG DVN ZKDW WKHQ LV WUXWK"$QG ZKDW LV &RHW]HH¶V LQYHVWPHQW LQ WUXWK" $OWKRXJK SRVWVWUXFWXUDOLVW DQG SRVWFRORQLDO WKHRULHVKDYHWDXJKWXVWREHVNHSWLFDORIWUXWKIRUWKHSXUSRVHVRIWKLVFKDSWHU ,DPFRQFHUQHGZLWKWKHWUXWKVVSRNHQE\SXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOVZKLFKDUH\RNHG to free speech: based on ethico-political conviction, the capacity to say what we OLNHWRZKRPZHOLNHDQGZKHQ,QWXUQIUHHVSHHFKWDNHVWKUHHGLVWLQFWIRUPV DOORIZKLFKSRWHQWLDOO\FDQEHEORFNHG7KH¿UVWLVPHDVXUHGE\REOLJDWLRQVWR society (and, in extreme contexts such as apartheid, regulated by the state through PHFKDQLVPV OLNH FHQVRUVKLS WKH VHFRQG E\ VHOIUHJXODWLRQ RU VHOIFHQVRUVKLS WKH FHQVRU ZLWKLQ DQG WKH WKLUG E\ XQFRQVFLRXV GULYHV D PRGH RI FHQVRUVKLS which supersedes both that of the state and the conscious self. Coetzee’s writing even suggests that private thoughts are not, as commonly held in Enlightenment GLVFRXUVHIUHHIURPSROLFLQJ+RZDQGZKHQWKHUHIRUHFDQZHNQRZWKDWWKH WUXWKLVEHLQJVSRNHQ"&RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQUHYHDOVWKDWHYHQWUXWKVDSSDUHQWO\WROG IUHHO\DUHVXEMHFWWRGRXEW&RQYHUVHO\LWWHVWVWKHH[WHQWWRZKLFKRQH¶VLQQHUPRVW 4 ,Q³:KDWLVD&ODVVLF"´&RHW]HHHODERUDWHVXSRQWZRDSSDUHQWO\GLYHUJHQWPRGHVRI criticismWKH³WUDQVFHQGHQWDOSRHWLF´DQGWKH³VRFLRFXOWXUDO´ 66 172 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship thoughts and feelings can be brought acceptably into the public domain. How far FDQRQHH[SORUHDQGUHYHDOWKH³GHSWKV´RIFRQVFLRXVQHVVDQGFRQVFLHQFH Youth DQGUHPDLQZLWKLQWKHOLPLWVRIWKHHWKLFDO" 7KLVLV&RVWHOOR¶VWRSLFLQ³/HVVRQ 7KH3UREOHPRI(YLO´,QYLWHGWRVSHDN RQ³WKHDJHROGSUREOHPRIHYLO´DWDFRQIHUHQFHLQ$PVWHUGDP (& VKH argues “certain things are not good to read or to write´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV (& 6KH SXEOLFO\FRQGHPQVWKH UHDOOLIH DXWKRU3DXO:HVW¶V QRYHOThe Very Rich Hours of Count von Stauffenberg ZKLFKEDVHGRQIDFWXDOHYHQWV GHSLFWVLQVLFNHQLQJO\LQWLPDWHGHWDLOWKHH[HFXWLRQRIDEDQGRI+LWOHU¶VZRXOGEH DVVDVVLQV ³RQHFDQQRWFRPHDZD\XQVFDWKHGDVDZULWHUIURPFRQMXULQJXSVXFK VFHQHV´ (& VKHEHOLHYHV3ULYDWHO\VKHUHÀHFWVWKDWVXFKUHSUHVHQWDWLRQV DUH³2EVFHQHEHFDXVHKDYLQJWDNHQSODFHWKH\RXJKWQRWWREHEURXJKWLQWRWKH OLJKWEXWFRYHUHGXSDQGKLGGHQIRUHYHULQWKHERZHOVRIWKHHDUWK´ (& 6XFKPRUDOL]LQJZKLFKVHHPVWRXQGRWKHSULQFLSOHVRIIUHHVSHHFKLVQRWXQOLNH IHPLQLVWV¶UHVSRQVHWRSRUQRJUDSK\IHPLQLVWVZKRFODLPV-&LQ³2Q3DHGRSKLOLD´ DQGHFKRHGE\&RHW]HHLQ³7DNLQJ2IIHQVH´>*2@ KDYH³FKRVH>Q@WRJRWR EHGZLWKWKHUHOLJLRXVFRQVHUYDWLYHV´ '%< The position of Anya, the neighbour J. C. employs as his secretary to transcribe KLV RSLQLRQ SLHFHV WKDW DFWV GR QRW QHFHVVDULO\ IROORZ WKRXJKWV ³DUH ZLFNHG WKRXJKWVUHDOO\VRZLFNHG«)RUDQROGPDQDIWHUDOOZKDWLVWKHUHOHIWLQWKH ZRUOGEXWZLFNHGWKRXJKWV"´>'%<@ LVFORVHUZHPLJKWVXSSRVHWR&RHW]HH¶V RZQ,Q³7KH7DLQWRIWKH3RUQRJUDSKLF´&RHW]HHVHWVVWUDLJKW'+/DZUHQFHZKR exercises taboo in order to exorcize it of its offensive meaning, by arguing that the “moral [Lawrence] is really after is that only a mind already tainted can be touched E\WDLQW´ '3 $Q\DLVUHSXOVHGE\-&¶VZULWLQJVRQSDHGRSKLOLD ZKLFK-& WDFLWO\GHIHQGVE\HYRNLQJDQHWKLFRIUHSUHVHQWDWLRQWKDWDQDGXOWDFWLQJWKHSDUW RIDFKLOGLVDIDUFU\IURPFKLOGSRUQRJUDSK\LWVHOI>'%<@ 1RQHWKHOHVVVKH VKRZVFRPSDVVLRQIRUKLV³SULYDWHWKRXJKWV´ WKDWDUHDERXWKHU DQGLVGLVWXUEHG E\$ODQ¶V DWWHPSWV WR SRNH DERXW LQ WKHP '%< 1RW LQFLGHQWDOO\ SODFHG EHORZ-&¶VUHÀHFWLRQV³2Q&RPSDVVLRQ´$Q\DWHOOVKLP³IUDQNO\´WKDWVKHZDV “never embarrassed by your thoughts, I even helped them along a little … And LI\RXZDQWWRZULWHDQGWHOOPH\RXUWKRXJKWVWKDWLV2.WRR,FDQEHGLVFUHHW´ '%< 1HYHUWKHOHVV-&¶VODVFLYLRXVIDQWDVLHVDERXW$Q\D¶V³GHUULqUH>@VR QHDUWRSHUIHFWDVWREHDQJHOLF´ LQVHUWHGGLUHFWO\EHORZKLVWKRXJKWV³RQWKH RULJLQVRIWKHVWDWH´RQTXHVWLRQVRIFLWL]HQU\DQGVXEMHFWKRRGFHUWDLQO\WKUHDWHQ WRWHVWWKHPRUDOKLJKJURXQGKHWDNHVLQKLVSXEOLFLQWHUYHQWLRQVRUDWOHDVWPDUN a clear division between them. &RVWHOORLQ³7KH3UREOHPRI(YLO´YLVLWVWKHQRYHOLVW:HVWZKRE\LOOOXFN LVDWWHQGLQJWKHVDPHFRQIHUHQFHWRZDUQKLPRIWKHVXEVWDQFHRIKHUWDON QRWDQ\PRUH´HQWHUVFHQHVRIKXPDQGHSUDYLW\DVWKRVHGHSLFWHGE\:HVW (& 6KHOLNHQVVWRU\WHOOLQJWR³DERWWOHZLWKDJHQLHLQLW´WKDWRQFH³UHOHDVHG LQWRWKHZRUOG´UHHNVKDYRFWKDWZRXOGEHGLI¿FXOWWRUHSDLUDQGFRQFOXGHVWKDW “Her position, her revised position, her position in the twilight of life: better, on the ZKROHWKDWWKHJHQLHVWD\LQWKHERWWOH´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG (& &RVWHOOR¶VVHOI UHÀH[LYLW\DQGVKLIWLQJFRQVFLRXVQHVVPDUNWKHWUDLWVRIWKHFULWLFDOPLQGVHWWKDWDUH WKHOLQFKSLQRIWKHLQWHOOHFWXDO³ZKRVHZKROHEHLQJLVVWDNHGRQDFULWLFDOVHQVH´ DQGUHTXLUHVDZLOOLQJQHVVWRVSHDNRXWLQSXEOLF 6DLGRepresentations 7KHGLVMXQFWLRQEHWZHHQ&RVWHOORDQG&RHW]HHRQWKHSUREOHPRIUHSUHVHQWLQJ WKHREVFHQHDQGWKHYLROHQWLQ¿FWLRQKRZHYHULVVWULNLQJO\DSSDUHQW ZHRQO\ KDYHWRWKLQNRI(XJHQH'DZQ¶VSKRWRJUDSKVLQDusklands, the scenes of torture in Waiting for the Barbarians, the mutilation of Friday in Foe, the murder of %KHNLFKLOGUHYROXWLRQDU\LQAge of Iron or the rape of Lucy in Disgrace, to see that Coetzee is a novelist more than familiar with representing acts of inhumanity, even, as in the case of Dusklands and Barbarians, in the most stomach-churningly intimate detail. Violence in Foe and Disgrace may not be represented explicitly: LQWKHFDVHRI)ULGD\¶VSRVVLEOHJHQLWDOPXWLODWLRQ%DUWRQUHÀHFWV³:KDWKDG been hidden from me was revealed. I saw, or, I should say, my eyes were open to ZKDWZDVSUHVHQWWRWKHP´6LPLODUO\VKHUHSRUWVWKDWZKHQ&UXVRKHOG)ULGD\¶V PRXWKRSHQ³WRVKRZPHKHKDGQRWRQJXH´VKH³DYHUWHG´KHUH\HV ) /XULH as focalizer in Disgrace, does not witness Lucy’s rape but hears it through the ZDOOVRIDORFNHGWRLOHWGRRU 5 7KHXQSXEOLVKHGYHUVLRQRI6SHQFHU¶VHVVD\VXEVHTXHQWO\DSSHDUHGLQInterventions DV³-0&RHW]HHDQG&RORQLDO9LROHQFH´ 174 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship Before I explore the problem of genre I should lay my cards on the table and H[SODLQWKHLPSOLHGDVVRFLDWLRQEHWZHHQDQRYHOLVWOLNH&RHW]HHDQGWKHSXEOLF LQWHOOHFWXDOZKRE\GH¿QLWLRQVSHDNVWUXWKWRSRZHU7RWKRVHIDPLOLDUZLWKWKH DXWKRU¶VZRUN&RHW]HHDQGSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOLVPPD\VHHPSHFXOLDUEHGIHOORZV though the former occupies the seemingly paradoxical position of shunning SXEOLFLW\ZKLOVWKHKDVEHHQNQRZQWRPDNHDIHZYHU\SXEOLFVDOOLHVLQWRSXEOLF GHEDWHV$WWZHOOSRLQWVRXWWKDWDOWKRXJKWKHUHDUHRFFDVLRQDO³ODSVHV´LQ&RHW]HH¶V UHVLVWDQFHWREHLQJ³GUDZQLQWRWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH´ ³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ KHLVQRW a public intellectual in the sense that Said means. Firstly, Coetzee is notoriously HOXVLYH DQG ³UHPDLQV LQ D SDUWLFXODU VHQVH WKH OHDVW NQRZQ RI 6RXWK$IULFDQ ZULWHUV´6HFRQGO\&RHW]HHLVDOZD\VVNHSWLFDORIDVVHUWLQJSRVLWLRQV KLVVWRULHV UHVLVW³GHOLYHU>LQJ@DXVDEOHHWKLFDOFRQWHQW´ EXWIRUPHWKLVUHVLVWDQFHVLJQDOV MXVWWKHRSSRVLWH (FKRLQJ&RHW]HH¶VVHQWLPHQWLQ³5HDOLVP´&RVWHOORDVNVKHU LQWHUORFXWRU³DP,REOLJHG>DVDQRYHOLVW@WRFDUU\DPHVVDJH"´>(&@7KLUGO\ WKHUHLVWKHTXHVWLRQRI&RHW]HH¶VRSDFLW\ZKLFKKDVIUXVWUDWHGVRPHUHDGHUVZKR KDYHPLVVHG$WWZHOOLPSOLHVWKH¿FWLRQ¶VQXDQFHVDQG³WKHHQLJPDVRIWKHSXEOLF SHUIRUPDQFH´$WWZHOOZDUQVWKDW³PDN>LQJ@DSXEOLFFDVHRQKLVEHKDOILV«WR ULVNWUDGXFLQJWKHYHU\TXDOLWLHVRIKLVZULWLQJRQHPRVWUHVSHFWVLQFOXGLQJKLV XQFDQQ\FRPELQDWLRQVRISRZHUDQGLQVWDELOLW\LQWHQVLW\DQGHOXVLYHQHVV´ ³/LIH DQG7LPHV´± 7KHXWRSLDQLVPRI6DLG¶VSXEOLFLQWHOOHFWXDOKRZHYHULVQRW lost on Coetzee: “I would deny that the vocation of the intellectual is possible in WKHDEVHQFHRIDFHUWDLQLGHDOLVPDQGFHUWDLQLGHDOVWDQGDUGV´ ³&ULWLF&LWL]HQ´ \HWSDUDGR[LFDOO\&RHW]HH¶VRZQ³SXEOLFLQWHUYHQWLRQV´W\SLFDOO\UDGLFDOO\ disrupt what it means to be one. 2Q WKLV SRLQW 7KHRGRU $GRUQR¶V GLVFXVVLRQ RI DUWLVWLF ³FRPPLWPHQW´ SURYHV HQOLJKWHQLQJ 6XJJHVWLQJ WKDW ³SURSHU´ FRPPLWPHQW ZRUNV DW WKH OHYHO RI ³IXQGDPHQWDO DWWLWXGHV´ KH GLVWLQJXLVKHV EHWZHHQ ³DXWRQRPRXV DUW´ DQG ³FRPPLWWHGDUW´±QRWXQOLNHWKHWZRNLQGVRIFULWLFLVP³WUDQVFHQGHQWDOSRHWLF´ DQG³VRFLRFXOWXUDO´RXWOLQHGE\&RHW]HHLQ³:KDWLVD&ODVVLF"´ 66 :KLOVW $GRUQRODXGV-HDQ3DXO6DUWUH¶VREMHFWLYHLQFRPPLWWHGOLWHUDWXUH³WRDZDNHQWKH IUHH FKRLFH RI WKH DJHQW > @ WKDW PDNHV DXWKHQWLF H[LVWHQFH SRVVLEOH DW DOO´ KH FRQFOXGHVWKDW6DUWUHLVXQDEOHWRFRQMXUHWKHQHFHVVDU\DHVWKHWLFUHVRXUFHVWRPDNH this free choice possible. In Sartre, “What remains is merely the abstract authority RIFKRLFHHQMRLQHGZLWKQRUHJDUGIRUWKHIDFWWKDWWKHYHU\SRVVLELOLW\RIFKRRVLQJ GHSHQGVRQZKDWFDQEHFKRVHQ´ $GRUQR³&RPPLWPHQW´ 2QWKHJURXQGVRI what distinguishes the category of the literary, Adorno laments the reductiveness RI6DUWUH¶VPD[LP³7KHZULWHUGHDOVZLWKPHDQLQJV´ What is Literature? ZKLFK Adorno interprets as content-bound. Every word, Adorno contends, is altered by its transposition to literature, and each word and idea assumes new textures in GLIIHUHQWJHQHULFFRQWH[WV ³&RPPLWPHQW´ )RU$GRUQRDUWLVWKHGLDOHFWLFEHWZHHQPHDQLQJDQGIRUP ³&RPPLWPHQW´ DQGKLVRZQLQFOLQDWLRQWRZDUGVDPRGHUQLVWDHVWKHWLFRYHUUHDOLVP±WRWKH³VKRFN RIWKHXQLQWHOOLJLEOH´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ ±LVHYLGHQWLQKLVDVVHUWLRQWKDWSURSHUO\ FRPPLWWHGDUWZKLFKUHVLGHVDWWKHOHYHORI³IXQGDPHQWDODWWLWXGHV´UDWKHUWKDQ Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 175 ³DPHOLRUDWLYHPHDVXUHVOHJLVODWLYHDFWVRUSUDFWLFDOLQVWLWXWLRQV´LVGLI¿FXOW. If we return to Sartre’s principle of choice, Adorno reminds us, “what gives commitment its aesthetic advantage over tendentiousness also renders the content to which the DUWLVWFRPPLWVKLPVHOILQKHUHQWO\DPELJXRXV´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ +HODPEDVWHV 6DUWUH¶V DUW DV SKLORVRSK\ ZKDW KH FDOOV 6DUWUH¶V ³RZQ SKLORVRSK\´ EHFDXVH WKRXJKWVDUH³QHYHU>@PXFKPRUHWKDQRQHRIWKHPDWHULDOVIRUDUW´ &RHW]HH ZRXOG PRVW OLNHO\ V\PSDWKL]HZLWK$GRUQR¶V QRWLRQ RI FRPPLWPHQWVR LW ZLOO have been with a measure of surprise that many of his readers encountered in the Costello lectures and Diary these out-of-character ventures into the political fray. &RHW]HH VXJJHVWV LQ ³7KH 1RYHO7RGD\´ WKDW H[SHULPHQWDO ¿FWLRQ KDV WKH capacity to operate on a different discursive plane from other modes of discourse: this is the source of its power: the offensiveness of stories lies not in their transgressing particular rules but LQWKHLUIDFXOW\RIPDNLQJDQGFKDQJLQJWKHLURZQUXOHV7KHUHLVDJDPHJRLQJ RQEHWZHHQWKHFRYHUVRIDERRNEXWLWLVQRWDOZD\VWKHJDPH\RXWKLQNLWLV 17± For Coetzee, then, the very form of the experimental novel – its anti-realist strategies and genre acts – can usefully counterpoint received discourses. We hardly need be reminded that History, against which Coetzee directs “The Novel 7RGD\´ LVGLVFXUVLYHDQGKLJKO\SROLWLFL]HGSDUWLFXODUO\LQWKHFRQWH[WRI DSDUWKHLG 6RXWK$IULFD GXULQJ ZKLFK WLPH WKH WDON ZDV GHOLYHUHG 0HGLDWHG E\ WKHVWDWH+LVWRU\LVSDUWRIWKHPDNHXSRIWKHQDWLRQDOFRQVFLRXVQHVVDQGJLYHV credence to the myth of national origins, serving in this case to bolster apartheid ideology. By disrupting the conventions of realism – the pact between novelist DQGUHDGHU±WKHH[SHULPHQWDOQRYHOOD\VEDUHWKHZRUNLQJVRIQDUUDWLYHDQGWKH author-function. What might be the implications of this line of reasoning for the public interventions made by Coetzee’s protagonists in the Costello lectures and Diary"3XWDQRWKHUZD\ZKDWHIIHFWGRHVWKHSURFHVVRI¿FWLRQDOL]LQJKDYHXSRQ WKHYDOLGLW\RI&RHW]HH¶VVRUWLHVLQWRSXEOLFSROLWLFDOGHEDWH" 7KHODWHUZRUNVUHTXLUHXVWRDVNZKRVSHDNV &RHW]HHWKHDXWKRUZKREHFRPHV LPSOLFDWHGLQKLVQDUUDWLYHVDVDNLQGRILQYLVLEOHSUHVHQFHRUWKHFKDUDFWHUVKH SRUWUD\V"$WWKH&RVWHOOROHFWXUHVDV$WWULGJHREVHUYHV&RHW]HHFKRVHWRUHVSRQG WRTXHVWLRQVIURPWKHÀRRULQWKHWKLUGSHUVRQ³,WKLQNWKDWZKDW&RVWHOORZRXOG say iVWKDW«´ J. M. Coetzee ZKLFKPLJKWZHOOEHFRQVWUXHGLQWHOOHFWXDO VLGHVWHSSLQJ7KLVZRXOGEHVXSSRUWHGE\$WWULGJH¶VUHPDUNWKDW³2QHQHJDWLYH response to Elizabeth CostelloKDVEHHQWRFRPSODLQWKDW&RHW]HHXVHV¿FWLRQDO creations to advance arguments … without assuming responsibility for them, and LVWKXVHWKLFDOO\DWIDXOW´ J. M. Coetzee 7KLVLVWKHSRLQWWKDW3HWHU6LQJHU moots in his response to Lives SXEOLVKHGLQWKHVDPHYROXPHDVWKHOHFWXUHV 6LQJHUFRXQWHUVOLNHZLWKOLNHE\¿FWLRQDOL]LQJKLVRZQSRVLWLRQRQWKHOHFWXUHVWR DVNZKHWKHU&RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQDOUHSUHVHQWDWLRQVRIZULWHUVDOORZKLPDVDSULYDWH individual, to withdraw from the public sphere whilst PDNLQJ interventions, 176 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship WKURXJKFKDUDFWHUL]HGSHUVRQDH ³%XWDUHWKH\&RHW]HH¶VDUJXPHQWV"«&RHW]HH¶V GHYLFHHQDEOHVKLPWRGLVWDQFHKLPVHOIIURPWKHP´ /$ &ULWLFVZKRKDYH claimed that Singer misses the point forget that pinning Singer down is complicated E\KLVRZQVHOI¿FWLRQDOL]LQJGHYLFH /LNH 6LQJHU *DUEHU LQ WKH VHFRQG RI WKH IRXU ³UHÀHFWLRQV´ RQ Lives, also UHFRJQL]HVWKHGLVWDQFHHVWDEOLVKHGEHWZHHQVSHDNHUDQGVRFDOOHGPRXWKSLHFHEXW PDNHVKHUFRQFOXVLRQDWWKHSRLQWDWZKLFKWKHDUJXPHQWPDGHKHUHWDNHVRIIE\ DVNLQJ³,QWKHVHWZRHOHJDQWOHFWXUHVZHWKRXJKW-RKQ&RHW]HHZDVWDONLQJDERXW DQLPDOV&RXOGLWEHKRZHYHUWKDWDOODORQJKHZDVUHDOO\DVNLQJµ:KDWLVWKH YDOXHRIOLWHUDWXUH"¶´ /$ +RZHYHU*DUEHULVVRPHZKDWRIIWKHPDUNEHFDXVH DV'RPLQLF+HDGSRLQWVRXW&RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQ±DQGLivesLVD¿FWLRQ±IXQFWLRQV RQ³GLIIHUHQWSODQHVRIVLJQL¿FDWLRQ´VLPXOWDQHRXVO\ ³%HOLHILQ)URJV´ 3XW DQRWKHUZD\WKHVHODWHUQRYHOVDUH³DERXW´WKHWRSLFVWKH\LQWHOOHFWXDOL]HMXVWDV they are about intellectualism itself. What is more, Garber’s analysis isn’t far UHDFKLQJHQRXJK7KHODWHUZRUNVLives, Elizabeth Costello and DiaryTXHVWLRQ QRW RQO\ WKH YDOXH RI OLWHUDWXUH &RHW]HH XWLOL]HV OLWHUDWXUH WR H[SRVH WKH ZHDN SRLQWVRILQWHOOHFWXDOSUDFWLFHFHQWULQJRQTXHVWLRQVRIDXWKRULW\DQGVSHDNLQJRQ others’ behalf. By unsettling ideas of truth and the distance between the voice of author/ lecturer and protagonist, Coetzee maintains the paradoxical position of nonposition WRZKLFKKHPDNHVFODLPLQDoubling the Point±³P\GLI¿FXOW\LVSUHFLVHO\ZLWK WKHSURMHFWRIVWDWLQJSRVLWLRQVWDNLQJSRVLWLRQV´ '3 ±DQGZKLFKKHFOHDUO\ favours in his analysis of the Erasmus of Praise of Folly *2 ,WLVLQWHUHVWLQJ that an author who so doggedly resists being positioned consistently stages a drama of positionality, inviting us, teasingly, to enter his literary game playing in the struggle for meaning that the act of reading engenders. Attridge contends that those who criticize Coetzee on the grounds of evasiveness are assuming wrongly they are dealing with “arguments presented as arguments´ZKHUH$WWULGJHSUHIHUV WR WKLQN RI WKHP DV ³arguings´ VXJJHVWLQJ SURFHVV ³7KH\ DUH WKDW LV HYHQWV VWDJHGZLWKLQWKHHYHQWRIWKHZRUN´DQG³LQYLWHWKHUHDGHU¶VSDUWLFLSDWLRQ´ J. M. Coetzee ± )RU$WWULGJHWKLVLVDQHWKLFDOPRYHERUQRXWE\WKHDUJXPHQW I am forwarding here: Coetzee is less concerned with the truths his characters SURPRWHWKDQZLWKWKHPRGHVRU³SDFWV´E\ZKLFKWKHVHWUXWKVDUHFRQYH\HGLQWKLV way testing the ethico-politics of intellectual practice. ,QWKHVHZRUNV&RHW]HHLQFRUSRUDWHVWKHVFHQHRILQWHOOHFWXDOGHEDWH)LJXUHV OLNe Stern and Norma in Lives are given the opportunity to respond to Costello’s LQWHUYHQWLRQV RQ DQLPDO ULJKWV LQ ZKLFK VKH PDNHV WKH FRPSDULVRQ EHWZHHQ factory-farmed animals and the Holocaust – Stern as a Holocaust survivor and a poet, Norma as a philosopher and the stereotyped daughter-in-law-as-antagonist. In Diary J. C.’s public voice is tempered by the various private ones, including his RZQ $Q\DIRULQVWDQFHZKRFDOOVKHUVHOIKLV³JXDUGLDQDQJHO´ LVXQDIUDLG WR WHOO KLP WKDW WKH LPSOLHG DXWKRULW\ RI KLV ³VWURQJ RSLQLRQV´ ZLOO DOLHQDWH KLVUHDGHU ³7KHUHLVDWRQH«DWRQHWKDWUHDOO\WXUQVSHRSOHRII$NQRZLW all tone. Everything is cut and dried: I am the one with all the answers, here is Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 177 how it is, don’t argue, it won’t get you anywhere´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV '%< $Q\D¶VER\IULHQG$ODQGLVSDUDJHV-&IRUKLVODFNRIDFWLRQDUHTXLUHPHQWRI WKHRUJDQLFLQWHOOHFWXDORIZKLFK*UDPVFLZULWHV,QWKHVHZRUGV$ODQTXHVWLRQV -&¶VLQWHOOHFWXDOLQWHJULW\ ³,DVNP\VHOI,IKHUHDOO\EHOLHYHVLQWKHVHKXPDQ ULJKWVZK\LVQ¶WKHRXWLQWKHUHDOZRUOG¿JKWLQJIRUWKHP"´ '%< 7KURXJK the conduits of Costello and J. C., Coetzee puts ideas on the table, inviting debate rather than imperiously pressing observable truths or offering nullifying GLUHFWLYHV7KLVLVDPRUHREYLRXVLQVWDQFHRIZKDW/DXUD:ULJKWLGHQWL¿HVDV &RHW]HH¶VGLDORJLVP³LQWKH%DNKWLQLDQVHQVH>LQZKLFKKH@UHIXVHVWRFODLPWKH narrative position of the monologic insider, the textual presence that has access to WKHDQVZHUVRUDFFHVVWRFRQWHVWHGQRWLRQVRIWKHWUXWK´ Writing 12 ,WLVWKHYLRODWLRQRIWKHSDFWVRIJHQUHRIWKHVHZRUNVWKDWJLYHVWKH VWDJHG LQWHOOHFWXDOLVP LWV HGJH 7KH LQLWLDO SXEOLFOHFWXUH VHWWLQJ RI WKH ³OHVVRQV´ HVWDEOLVKHVWKHSDFWEHWZHHQOHFWXUHUDQGDXGLHQFH DXWKRULWDWLYHVSHDNHULQVWUXFWV UHFHSWLYH DXGLHQFH WKDW LV VHYHUHO\ WHVWHG E\ WKH NQRZOHGJH WKDW &RHW]HH LV SUHVHQWLQJ¿FWLRQ7KHVXEMHFWPDWWHURI-&¶V³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´ Diary ZKLFK Spencer describes as, “In length, tone and style resemble[ing] nothing so much as the philosophical apercus of Nietzsche or the Minima MoraliaRI$GRUQR´ ³:DU RQ7HUURU´QSDJ DQGZKLFK$ODQFDOOV-&¶V³PRUDOLW\SOD\´ '%< SURIHVV WKHNLQGRIWUXWKIXOQHVVDQGDXWKRULW\WKDWDFFUXHVWRHWKLFRSROLWLFDOFRQYLFWLRQ WKURXJKWKHLUYHU\PRGHRIDGGUHVV±WKHRSLQLRQSLHFH$WVWDNHLVZKHWKHU¿FWLRQ and intellectualism in this context are a happy marriage and, furthermore, whether Coetzee can successfully or indeed productively align his various personae of author, critic, public intellectual and citizen (or private individual with both rights DQGREOLJDWLRQVWRVRFLHW\ Michael Bell, Graham and Wright all point up the manner in which, through the lectures and lessons, Coetzee performs his so-called alter ego and the effect such a performance generates. Bell contends that Costello is a device that allows &RHW]HHWRH[SUHVVRSLQLRQVKHRWKHUZLVHZRXOGSXEOLFO\VKLUN\HWZDUQVWKDW LI &RVWHOOR ZHUH D ³VWUDLJKWIRUZDUG PRXWKSLHFH´ WKHQ WKH UHDGLQJV &RHW]HH PDNHV through &RVWHOOR RI WKH OLNHV RI /DZUHQFH DQG 7HG +XJKHV ZRXOG EH ³GLVLQJHQXRXV´ 6LPLODUO\WKHGLVMXQFWXUHEHWZHHQ&RVWHOORDQG&RHW]HHLV evident, Bell implies, in Costello’s tendency “to override the internal niceties of LURQ\LQDOLWHUDU\ZRUNDQGJRGLUHFWO\IRULWVH[LVWHQWLDOSUHPLVHV´ 6XFK DPDQRHXYUHZRXOGEUHDNZLWK&RHW]HH¶VVNHSWLFLVPRISRVLWLRQDOLW\'LUHFWLQJ us to a comment by Coetzee in Doubling the Point in which he explains that ³7KHUHLVQRHWKLFDOLPSHUDWLYHWKDW,FODLPDFFHVVWR> @(OL]DEHWK>&XUUHQLQAge of Iron] is the one who believes in should´%HOOFRQFOXGHVWKDW³Lives is a closely VWUXFWXUHGH[DPLQDWLRQRIZK\&RHW]HHKLPVHOIFDQQRWUHDGLO\EHOLHYHLQµEHOLHYHV LQ¶´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV '3 %HOO Wright analyzes Coetzee’s genre acts from almost an antithetical perspective WR %HOO E\ FODLPLQJ WKDW &RHW]HH LV SHUIRUPLQJ D IHPLQLVW ³UDQW´ ³FORWKHG LQ WKHDXVSLFHVRID¿FWLRQ´6KHSLFNVXSRQWKHTXHVWLRQRIWKHSDFWRIJHQUHWR which I am referring when she argues that Lives “examines the interaction and 178 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship GLVMXQFWLRQ between two modes of discourse WKH VHHPLQJO\ REMHFWLYH UKHWRULF RIDSKLORVRSKLFDOOHFWXUHDQGWKHVXEMHFWLYHOLYHGH[SHULHQFHRIWKHSROHPLFDO GLDWULEH´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG ³)HPLQLVW9HJHWDULDQ´ *UDKDPDUJXHVWKDWWKH Costello lectures should be read within the context of female voices in Coetzee’s oeuvUHZKLFKDOOVHOIUHÀH[LYHO\TXHVWLRQ³GLVFRXUVHVRIDXWKRULW\DQGRULJLQ´ ³7H[WXDO7UDQVYHVWLVP´ %RWK:ULJKWDQG*UDKDPVXJJHVWWKDWLWLVWKURXJK DIRUPRI³H[FLWDEOHVSHHFK´ -XGLWK%XWOHUTWGLQ:ULJKW³)HPLQLVW9HJHWDULDQ´ RUDOWHUQDWLYHO\³K\VWHULFL]HGQDUUDWLYH´ *UDKDP³7H[WXDO7UDQVYHVWLVP´ ZKLFKFRQWUDYHQHWKHSKDOORFHQWULFHFRQRP\RIDXWKRUVKLSWKDW&RVWHOOR¶V interventions are effectually, that is ethico-politically, made. :KDWKDSSHQVZKHQWKHLGHDRI VHFXODU EHOLHILVPHGLDWHGDVLWLVKHUH WKURXJKWKHSULVPRI¿FWLRQ"%HOOQRWHVWKDWLQWKHFDVHRILives the transposition of pieces that were originally staged as lectures to novel form alters the nature of Coetzee’s intellectual intervention in important ways: “The[ lectures] become SDUW RI D KRUL]RQWDO D[LV RI PXWXDO UHIHUHQFH EHWZHHQ VLPLODU ¿FWLRQV UDWKHU WKDQ YHUWLFDO SHQHWUDWLRQV RI WKH LQWHUIDFH EHWZHHQ ¿FWLRQ DQG WKH ZRUOG RI H[WUD¿FWLRQDO UHVSRQVLELOLWLHV´ ³:KDW LV LW OLNH"´ 7KURXJK D SURFHVV RI UHYLVLRQ WKH SXEOLF LPSDFW RI WKH ³OHVVRQV´ DSSDUHQWO\ LV ZHDNHQHG 7KRXJK Diary is a novel, Coetzee offers tantalizing clues that J. C.’s strong opinions might be Coetzee’s own. &RVWHOOR LQ ³/HVVRQ 7KH 3KLORVRSKHUV DQG WKH$QLPDOV´ WHVWV WKH SDFW RI WKH SXEOLF OHFWXUH DQG WKH SDWLHQFH RI KHU DXGLHQFH ZLWK KHU SROHPLFDO comparison of the treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust with the treatment RIIDFWRU\IDUPHGDQLPDOV7KH ¿FWLRQDO SRHW$EUDKDP6WHUQFDOOVKHUDQDORJ\ ³DWULFNZLWKZRUGVZKLFK,ZLOOQRWDFFHSW´ ³,I-HZVZHUHWUHDWHGOLNHFDWWOHLW GRHVQRWIROORZWKDWFDWWOHDUHWUHDWHGOLNH-HZV´ (& 7KLVVXSSRVHGWULFN ZKLFKGHFHSWLYHO\FRPPHQWVRQ&RHW]HH¶VJHQUHWULFNPD\QRWEHDWULFNDWDOO Costello actually refutes the very concept of a hierarchy of human and non- human animals, basing her animal ethics on natural rights theory rather than utilitarianism.6 As Singer suggests in his response to Lives, a “comparison is not QHFHVVDULO\DQHTXDWLRQ´ /$ 2QDPHWDGLVFXUVLYHOHYHO&RHW]HHWKURXJK &RVWHOORH[SRVHVWKHZHDNSRLQWVRIDQDORJ\LQDPRYHZLWKZKLFKZHDUHQRZ familiar. Moreover, by referring to her own novel The House on Eccles Street DQGFDOOLQJXSRQ.DIND¶VVWRU\RIWKHDSH³5HG3HWHU´WRVXSSRUWKHUFDVHRQRXU commonality with animals, Costello herself transgresses the pact of the public LQWHUYHQWLRQE\LQYRNLQJ¿FWLRQWRGHIHQGDUDWLRQDODUJXPHQW Diary is more than a series of opinion pieces. It presents several distinct yet FRQFXUUHQW³YRLFHV´HDFKJUDSKLFDOO\XQGHUVFRUHGRQWKHSDJH7KHWRSSDUWLV GHYRWHG¿UVWO\LQ3DUW2QHWRWKHDJHLQJQRYHOLVW-&¶VGLDU\RI³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´ DQGLQ3DUW7ZRWRPRUHSHUVRQDOGLDU\HQWULHVIURPWKH³6HFRQG'LDU\´WKDW$Q\D FDOOVKLV³6RIW2SLQLRQV´ '%< 7KHRSLQLRQSLHFHVDUHRIIVHWRQWKHORZHU 6 /DXUD:ULJKW PDNHV VXFK D GLVWLQFWLRQ EHWZHHQ PRGHV RI DQLPDO ULJKWV WKHRULHV ³)HPLQLVW9HJHWDULDQ´ Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 179 SDUWRIWKHSDJHE\WKHSHUVRQDOQDUUDWLYHRI-&DVKH¿UVWHQFRXQWHUV$Q\DZKR LVFRTXHWWLVK\HWXOWLPDWHO\VLQFHUH$Q\D¶VYRLFHVKRUWO\LQWHUMHFWVDVDWKLUGDQG LVVXEVHTXHQWO\MRLQHGE\WKDWRIWKHGLVJUXQWOHGDQGMHDORXV$ODQZKRSORWVWR VLSKRQPRQH\IURP-&¶VEDQNDFFRXQW)LQDOO\WKHYRLFHVRIWKHVHWZRJUDGXDOO\ displace the personal voice of J. C. which recedes into his second diary. Through V\QFUHWL]HGVWUDWHJLHVRIMX[WDSRVLWLRQDQGGHIDPLOLDUL]DWLRQ±ZHDUHREOLJHGWR PRYH EDFNZDUGV DQG IRUZDUGV WKURXJK WKH WH[W LI ZH DUH WR IROORZ WKH VWRULHV VLPXOWDQHRXVO\±SULYDWHDQGSXEOLF¿UVWDUHEURXJKWLQWRVKDUSUHOLHIJUDGXDOO\ to reveal the mediation of political thoughts by private ones embodied in J. C.’s transitional consciousness. Christopher Tayler reads the narrative device in Diary as a “comedy of FRQÀLFWLQJSHUVSHFWLYHVRIKLJKUKHWRULFDQGORZDLPV´LQZKLFK³>-@&¶VSROLWLFDO ZULWLQJV«DUHDFFRPSDQLHGE\KLVDWWDFNRQKLVFUHGHQWLDOVDVDJXUX±DQDWWDFN JURZLQJ RXW RI WKH TXHVWLRQLQJ RI WKH QRYHOLVW¶V DXWKRULW\´ 7D\OHU Q SDJ +LODU\0DQWHOFULWLTXLQJWKHERRN¶Vgraphic effect on the page, corroborates my argument about defamiliarization in her suggestion that the format of DiaryPDNHV LWLPSRVVLEOHWR³FRQFHQWUDWHRQWKHDUJXPHQW´ZKLFK³VKDU>HV@WKHVSDFH´ZLWK DQRWKHU VWRU\ 0DQWHO Q SDJ ,Q DQ DQDO\VLV QRW XQOLNH7D\OHU¶V VKH LQWRQHV ³DERYHWKHOLQH>-&@FRQWLQXHVWRDVVHUWKLPVHOI«%HORZWKHOLQHKHWUHPEOHV´ 0DQWHOQSDJ 6SHQFHUWDNHVDUDWKHUGLIIHUHQWYLHZ WKHFDFRSKRQ\RIYRLFHV in Diary means that “the process of dialogue is here built more openly into the YHU\IRUPRIWKHWH[W´ ³&RORQLDO9LROHQFH´ DWHFKQLTXHWKDWKHGH¿QHVDV ³FRQWUDSXQWDO´ ³PDGHXSRILQWHUZHDYLQJYRLFHSDUWV7KLVPHDQVnot that the thoughts of J. C. are supplanted or discredited in any way but rather that his too SURXGDQGRUDFXODUYRLFHLVTXDOL¿HGE\WKDWRI$Q\DZKRVHRZQIUHTXHQWO\ÀLSSDQW RXWORRNLVPRGL¿HGLQWXUQ´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG 6SHQFHU³&RORQLDO9LROHQFH´ :KLOVWWKHLGHDWKDWWKHWH[WLQFRUSRUDWHVDFRQWUDSXQWDOWHFKQLTXHULQJVWUXHWKH YHU\ ³TXDOL¿FDWLRQ´ RI - &¶V SXEOLFSROLWLFDO YRLFH VXJJHVWV D VXSSODQWLQJ RI VRUWVSDUWLFXODUO\DVWKH³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´DUHVXSHUVHGHGE\WKHVRIWRQHVLQWKH second part. Importantly, Mantel argues, as Anya becomes a stronger presence VKHVWUXJJOHVIRUKHUSODFHLQWKHQDUUDWLYHDVNLQJ³%XWZKDWDERXWPH> Z@KR OLVWHQV WR P\ RSLQLRQV"´ >'%< @ LW EHFRPHV SDLQIXOO\ DSSDUHQW WKDW WKH ³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´RIWKHLQWHOOHFWXDOL]LQJ-&DUHXQGHUPLQHGE\$Q\D¶VJUHDWHU worldliness (experience being the elixir of creative writing Coetzee’s protagonists, LQFOXGLQJ-&IUXLWOHVVO\FKDVH 0DQWHOQSDJ $Q\D¶VYRLFHIRULQVWDQFHFXWV DFURVV-&¶VUHÀHFWLRQV³2QSDHGRSKLOLD´ ³,VDZHQRXJKRIROGPHQDQGOLWWOH JLUOVLQ9LHW1DP´VKHVD\V '%< -&¶VUHÀHFWLRQVRQWKHDJHLQJZULWHU¶V VKLIWIURPGLGDFWLFLVPWRDQDI¿UPDWLRQRIOLIHQRWDEO\FRPHDIWHU$Q\D¶VUHSHDWHG DVVHUWLRQVWKDWSROLWLFDOGLDWULEHVMXVWZRQ¶WVHOO The multiple voices in Diary – what, in a different context, Wright calls &RHW]HH¶VGLDORJLVP±FRQVWLWXWHDPpODQJHRI³GLDULHV´HDFKZLWKLWVUHVSHFWLYH genre pacts. Firstly, we have J. C.’s contributions to Strong Opinions: a volume of opinion pieces from six eminent writers whose brief from the German publisher LV³WKHPRUHFRQWHQWLRXVWKHEHWWHU´DQGZKLFKLVOLNHO\WKHUHIRUHWRFRPSURPLVH 180 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship WKHLQWHOOHFWXDO³WUXWKV´RIWKHZULWLQJ '%< 6HFRQGO\WKHPRUHSHUVRQDO XQSXEOLVKHG6HFRQG'LDU\LVDNLQGRIMRXUQDOZKLFKHYHQLIPRUHIRUPDOWKDQ WKHFRQYHQWLRQDOGLDU\LQFRUSRUDWHVWKH¿UVWSHUVRQSURQRXQXVHGRQO\VSDULQJO\ LQWKH³VWURQJRSLQLRQV´DQGWKDWGHVSLWH-&¶VFODLPVWRWKHFRQWUDU\LVDUHVXOWRI KLVLQWHUDFWLRQZLWK$Q\D-&¶V³VRIWRSLQLRQV´FRLQFLGHZLWKKLVGHFOLQHWRZDUGV GHDWK±D\HDUROGYLFWLPWR3DUNLQVRQ¶VKHDSSDUHQWO\GLHVDWWKHQRYHO¶VFORVH The confessional aura of the second set of entries, denoted by pronoun usage and VXEMHFWPDWWHU±LQJHQHUDODPRYHDZD\IURPWKH³KXUO\EXUO\´RISROLWLFV '%< WRSULYDWHUHÀHFWLRQRQOLYHGH[SHULHQFH±LVJLYHQPRUHFUHGHQFHE\WKLVYHU\ IDFW DV&RHW]HHDUJXHVLQ³&RQIHVVLRQDQG'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´FRQIHVVDQWVRQWKH EULQNRIGHDWKDUHOLNHO\WREHPRUHWUXWKIXOEHFDXVHWKH\KDYHOHVVWRORVHLQWHOOLQJ WKHWUXWK '3 ,ZRXOGDUJXHWKDWWKHQRYHOSUHVHQWVXVZLWKDWKLUGIRUPD notional private diary situated at the bottom of the page containing the expression of day-to-day thoughts and experiences (notional because it is never referred to as VXFKDQGOLNH0UV&XUUHQ¶VOHWWHULWLQFOXGHVUHSRUWHGVSHHFK 7KHLQWHUDFWLRQ RIWKHVHWKUHHPRGHVRI³VSHHFK´FRQVWLWXWHVDVWUDWHJ\RIGHP\VWL¿FDWLRQ7KH VWURQJRSLQLRQVDUHMX[WDSRVHG¿UVWO\ZLWK-&¶VVHFRQGGLDU\HQWULHVZKLFKOLNH &RVWHOOR¶VUHÀHFWLRQVRQWKHOLYHVRIDQLPDOVFHQWUHRQWKHH[SHULHQFHRIEHLQJ DQGVHFRQGO\ZLWKWKHHYHU\GD\UXPLQDWLRQVRIWKHWKLUG³GLDU\´2QWKLVSRLQW &RHW]HH¶V HVVD\ ³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´ LV LQVWUXFWLYH XQGHU RSSUHVVLYH UHJLPHV OLNHDSDUWKHLGDXWRELRJUDSK\FDQXVHIXOO\EHUHFDOLEUDWHGZLWKLQWKHSXEOLFVSKHUH WRGHP\VWLI\DSDUWKHLGLGHRORJ\WKHREMHFWLYHRIZKLFKZDVWR³GHIRUP>@DQG KDUGHQ>@´±GHKXPDQL]H±WKHKHDUW *2 7KH³KHDUWVSHHFK´RIDXWRELRJUDSK\ ZRXOGFKDOOHQJHDSDUWKHLGLQWKH³ODLURIWKHKHDUW´ *2 ,QDiary, through his more private diary entries, therefore, J. C. is feeling his way to a fuller, more V\PSDWKHWLFXQGHUVWDQGLQJRI SROLWLFDO OLIH Coetzee’s public interventions therefore typically defer to the intensely private. In turn, representations of the private illuminate the interests of the public sphere. 0RUHRYHU³SXEOLF´LVSUREOHPDWL]HGE\WKHSULYDWHQDWXUHRIFLWL]HQU\DVZHOODV E\WKHUHTXLUHPHQWVRIIUHHVSHHFK /HFWXULQJRQDQLPDOULJKWVLQLives, Costello is mistrustful of reason – the intellectual faculty – on the grounds that it is the UHDVRQHGLGHDWKDWDQLPDOVODFNUHDVRQWKDWLVLQYRNHGWRMXVWLI\XVKXPDQVHDWLQJ DQLPDOÀHVK/LNHXVVKHDUJXHVDQLPDOVH[SHULHQFHWKH³VHQVDWLRQRIEHLQJ´DQG WKHUHIRUHGHVHUYHRXUKXPDQLW\ /$ &RVWHOORFODLPVWKDWWKHKHDUWLV³WKHVHDW of a faculty, sympathyWKDWDOORZVXVWRVKDUHDWWLPHVWKHEHLQJRIDQRWKHU´ /$ E\VKDULQJH[SHULHQFHRQHPDNHVRQHVHOIDFFRXQWDEOHWRRQH¶VIHOORZDQLPDOV human and non-human, and to society. It is a feeling towards a sense of community rather than a community of correct feeling. She brings the sympathetic faculty to bear upon the discourses of reason that feed public, intellectual debate. Costello SUHVVHVWKHFRQFHSWRIHPERGLPHQWVHWWLQJWKHSURFHVVRIWH[WXDOVLJQL¿FDWLRQLQ UHYHUVHE\FRPSDULQJWKHDQLPDOLPDJHU\LQ5LONHDQG+XJKHV ZKLOVWLQ5LONH ³DQLPDOVVWDQGIRUKXPDQTXDOLWLHV´+XJKHVWKURXJK³SRHWLFLQYHQWLRQ´ Lives LV³IHHOLQJKLVZD\WRZDUGDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIEHLQJLQWKHZRUOGRQHZKLFK Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 181 LVQRWHQWLUHO\IRUHLJQWRXV«7KHSRHPDVNVXVWRLPDJLQHRXUZD\LQWRWKDWZD\ RIPRYLQJWRLQKDELWWKDWERG\´ Lives± If Costello advocates what Attwell calls a “redemptive, ontological FRQVFLRXVQHVV´³DYDORULVDWLRQRIEHLQJLWVHOI´ ³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ -&WXUQV to music: “Music expresses feeling, that is to say, gives shape and habitation to IHHOLQJQRWLQVSDFHEXWLQWLPH´KHLQWRQHV '%< *URXFKLO\EHPRDQLQJ WKH³WKXGGLQJPHFKDQLFDOPXVLFIDYRXUHGE\WKH\RXQJ´WKHROGFXUPXGJHRQ FRQWHQGVWKDWIHHOLQJV³PXVWKDYHDKLVWRU\WRR´ZKLFKOHDGVKLPWRWKHEOHDN FRQFOXVLRQWKDWFHUWDLQ³TXDOLWLHVRIIHHOLQJ>@KDYHQRWVXUYLYHGLQWRWKHWZHQW\ ¿UVWFHQWXU\´ '%< +HSLQSRLQWVWKHHWKLFDOLW\RIPXVLFFODLPLQJWKDWLQ “nineteenth-century art-song … singing meant to convey moral nobility … [t]he YHU\VRXQGWKHVLQJHUSURGXFHG«KDGDUHÀHFWLYHTXDOLW\´ '%< 7KHVHDUHWZRH[DPSOHVRIZKDW$WWZHOOGUDZLQJXSRQ6DLG ZKROLNH-& LVWDONLQJDERXWPXVLF FDOOVLQVWDQFHVRIRWKHU³languages´ RWKHUPRGHVRI ³VRFLDOSUDFWLFH´WKDWFDQQXUWXUHWKHNLQGRIGLVVHQWLQJPLQGVHWWKDWTXHVWLRQV the social order and that is the lifeblood of intellectualism. From such modes of experience, we would learn, in Said’s words, “to grasp and dissent from our IDWHDVFLWL]HQVLQVRFLHW\WRPDNHDQGXQPDNHWRFRQVWUXFWDQGGHFRQVWUXFW the forms of life into which we have been formed and from which mortality GHFUHHVWKDWZHPXVWOHDYH´ TWGLQ$WWZHOO³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ ³7UXWKV´RI WKHNLQG&RVWHOORDQG-&GLVVHPLQDWHYLDWKHV\PSDWKHWLFLPDJLQDWLRQPLJKW UHVRQDWH GLIIHUHQWO\ IURP 6DLG¶V SXEOLF WUXWKVSHDNLQJ DFFRUGLQJ WR$WWZHOO (who is writing about Elizabeth Costello EXWWKH\FKLPHZLWKKLVSULQFLSOHRI ³VHYHUDOODQJXDJHV´ ³/LIHDQG7LPHV´ 9LDKLVDVVRFLDWLRQZLWK$Q\DZKLFKVORZO\ZDUPVWRIULHQGVKLS-&PDNHV DPRYHQRWXQOLNH&RVWHOOR¶VLQ³7KH3UREOHPRI(YLO´ $Q\DIXQFWLRQVDVDNLQG RI V\PSDWKHWLF PHGLXP WKDW OHDGV - & WR PRGHUDWH KLV ³VWURQJ RSLQLRQV´ LQ WKH¿UVWSDUWWR³VRIW´RQHVLQ3DUW7ZRWKH6HFRQG'LDU\PDUNHGE\DVKLIWWR WKHFRQIHVVLRQDO³,´$Q\DUHPLQGVKLPRIKHUSODFHLQWKHGLDULHV ³,UHDOO\GR hope you will publish your soft opinions one day. If you do, remember to send a FRS\WRWKHOLWWOHW\SLVWZKRVKRZHG\RXWKHZD\´ '%< %DVHGRQ$Q\D¶V FRPSDVVLRQIRUKLV³SRVWSK\VLFDO´QHHGV '%< LWLV-&¶VIULHQGVKLSZLWK $Q\DWKDWOHDGVKLPWRUHYLVHKLVVHQVHRIFRQYLFWLRQMXVWDV&RVWHOORUHYLVHGKHUV “What has begun to change since I moved into the orbit of Anya is not my opinions WKHPVHOYHVVRPXFKDVP\RSLQLRQRIP\RSLQLRQV´ KHVD\V&DQKHVWDQG E\WKH³KDUG´RSLQLRQVKHKDVSXEOLVKHG"7KURXJK$Q\D¶VH\HVDVKLVV\PSDWKHWLF PHGLXPKHFDQVHH³KRZDOLHQDQGDQWLTXDWHGWKH\PD\VHHP´ '%< HYHQ though his opinions are “now so strong … that aside from the odd word here and WKHUHWKHUHZDVQRFKDQFHWKDWUHIUDFWLRQWKURXJKKHUJD]HFRXOGDOWHUWKHLUDQJOH´ '%< Anya too experiences a change of heart, confessing as she signs her penultimate PHVVDJHWR-&³$Q\D>DQDGPLUHUWRR@´ '%< 7KHLQWHJULW\RIWKHLQWHOOHFWXDOLVWKHUHIRUHWHVWHGE\WKHTXHVWLRQWRZKDW SRLQWGR,VWDQGP\JURXQG"³/HVVRQ $WWKH*DWH´LQElizabeth Costello stages DQDOOWRROLWHUDU\GHDWKRI&RVWHOOR±D³SXUJDWRU\RIFOLFKpV´±LQDSDURG\RI .DIND¶V ³%HIRUH WKH /DZ´ HPEHGGHG LQ The Trial LQ ZKLFK &RVWHOOR LV FDOOHGXSRQE\WKHNHHSHURIWKHJDWHWRSUHSDUHDVWDWHPHQWRIKHUEHOLHI$VLQ .DINDKHUHDUO\DWWHPSWVDUHUHMHFWHG OLNH&RVWHOOR.QHYHUSDVVHVWKHWHVW KHLV H[HFXWHG³OLNHDGRJ´ +HUHLV&RVWHOOR¶V¿UVWRIIHULQJ ,DPDZULWHUDWUDGHULQ¿FWLRQV … . ,PDLQWDLQEHOLHIVRQO\SURYLVLRQDOO\ ¿[HG beliefs would stand in my way. I change my beliefs as I change my habitation or my clothes, according to my needs. On these grounds – professional, vocational – I request exemption from a rule … that every petitioner at the gate should hold to one or more beliefs RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV (& 1RWXQOLNH&RHW]HH¶VSRVLWLRQRIQRQSRVLWLRQ&RVWHOORVXEVFULEHVWRWKHLGHDWKDW ³8QEHOLHILVDEHOLHI´ (& +HUZRUGVWKDWSUHIDFHWKLV¿UVWDWWHPSWWKDWDVD novelist, “It is not my profession to believe … I do imitations´ HPSKDVLVDGGHG (& KLQWV DW &RHW]HH¶V GHYLFH LQ KLV DFWV RI JHQUH +HUH &RVWHOOR VWDQGV E\WKHSULQFLSOHRIRSHQHQGHGQHVVLQ¿FWLRQ WKDWWKHHWKLFRSROLWLFDOSXUFKDVH RIFUHDWLYHZULWLQJFKDQQHOOHGE\¿[HGEHOLHILVLQGDQJHURIEHLQJVW\PLHG± $GRUQR¶V³ÀDWREMHFWLYLW\´ ³&RPPLWPHQW´ Excuse my language. I am or have been a professional writer … . In my account, for whose many failings I beg your pardon, the life cycle of the frog may sound allegorical, but to the frogs themselves it is no allegory, it is the thing itself, the only thing … . It is because of the indifference of those little frogs to my belief «WKDW,EHOLHYHLQWKHP (& 7KLV KHU ¿QDO VWDWHPHQW LV PLVLQWHUSUHWHG E\ WKH MXGJHV DV DOOHJRU\ ³7KHVH Australian frogs of yours embody the spirit of life, which is what you as a storyteller Coetzee’s Acts of Genre in the Later Works 183 EHOLHYH LQ´ $FTXLHVFLQJ WR WKLV PLVXQGHUVWDQGLQJ DV VKH DOVR DFTXLHVFHV WR WKH3ROLVKZRPDQ¶VDGYLFHWR³6KRZ>WKHMXGJHV@SDVVLRQDQGWKH\ZLOOOHW\RX WKURXJK´ (& FRPSURPLVHV&RVWHOOR¶V XQ EHOLHI6KHUHPDLQVVLOHQW ³VKH reins herself in. She is not here to win an argument, she is here to win a pass, a SDVVDJH´ (& ,QRWKHUZRUGVLQKHULQFDUQDWLRQKHUHDVQRYHOLVWUDWKHUWKDQ public intellectual, she compromises her belief whilst albeit silently holding to her ¿UVWVWDWHPHQWWKDWRIXQEHOLHI7KHVHDUHKHUZULWHUO\SULQFLSOHVZKLFKDUHLQIDFW ZKDW+HDGFDOOV&RHW]HH¶V³HQGXULQJIDLWKLQ¿FWLRQ´IRULWVFDSDFLW\WRIXQFWLRQ DV DQRWKHU XQLYHUVH RI GLVFRXUVH 7KH MXGJHV¶ ZLOIXO PLVUHDGLQJ RI &RVWHOOR¶V statement, as Head points out, brings with it another paradox: the writer cannot escape the imposition of metaphorical levels on his or her expression, and this may produce the nightmarish sense of being misunderstood (as in Costello’s parodically .DINDHVTXHH[SHULHQFH³DWWKHJDWH´ ,QWKLVVHQVHWKHIUXVWUDWLRQRI&RVWHOORLV DZD\IRU&RHW]HHWRH[SORUHDQGH[SUHVVWKHOLPLWVRI¿FWLRQDQGRIWKHZULWHU¶V DXWKRULW\ ³%HOLHI´ -&PDNHVDQDI¿UPDWLRQRIOLIHLQWKH6HFRQG'LDU\LURQLFDOO\DVKHLVHDVHG WRZDUGV GHDWK E\$Q\D +H UHÀHFWV RQ WKH VRIWHQLQJ RI RSLQLRQV LQ WKH DJHLQJ ZULWHU ZKR H[SHULHQFHV D ³JURZLQJ GHWDFKPHQW IURP WKH ZRUOG´ :KLOVW WKH ³V\QGURPH´LVRIWHQDWWULEXWHGWR³DZDQLQJRIFUHDWLYHSRZHU´³IURPWKHLQVLGH WKHVDPHGHYHORSPHQWPD\EHDUDTXLWHGLIIHUHQWLQWHUSUHWDWLRQ DVDOLEHUDWLRQD FOHDULQJRIWKHPLQGWRWDNHRQPRUHLPSRUWDQWWDVNV´+HQRWLFHVDVKLIWLQ7ROVWR\ IURPGLGDFWLFLVPWRWKHTXHVWLRQRI³KRZWROLYH´ '%< ,WLVWKLVTXHVWLRQ which colours the Second Diary to which J. C. is guided by Anya, who promises to see him on his passage to death: “I can’t go with you but what I will do is hold \RXUKDQGDVIDUDVWKHJDWH´ '%< Coetzee’s morbid fascination with the effect of imminent death upon the ZULWHUZKLFKDWKHDUWH[SUHVVHVDQDQ[LHW\DERXWDXWKRULW\LQ¿FWLRQLVDWURSH that resurfaces throughout the oeuvre. In the face of death any inhibitions Mrs. Curren may have harboured in expressing her convictions are easily dispelled. Paul Rayment in Slow Man, apparently surviving his accident, imagines preparing DVWDWHPHQWRIEHOLHI³:KHQKHDUULYHVDWWKHJDWH´ ³:KHQ,ZDVOLYLQJ,GLGQRW XQGHUVWDQGIDWKHUEXWQRZ,XQGHUVWDQGQRZWKDWLWLVWRRODWH DQGEHOLHYHPH father, I repent, I repent me, je me repensDQGELWWHUO\WRR´ RULJLQDOHPSKDVLV 60 7RZKRP5D\PHQWFRQIHVVHVLVOHIWLQGRXEWJLYHQWKDW&RHW]HHFKRRVHV QRWWRFDSLWDOL]H³IDWKHU´&RXOGWKLVEHWKHDXWKRULDOIDWKHU UHSODFLQJWKH'LYLQH ZKRLQWKHJXLVHRI(OL]DEHWK&RVWHOORWXUQVRXWWREHDPRWKHUDIWHUDOO"&RVWHOOR WHOOV5D\PHQWWKDW³\RXFDPHWRPHDV,WROG\RX WKHPDQZLWKWKHEDGOHJ´ 60 ± ¿WWLQJPDWHULDOIRUDERRN ,EHJDQWKLVFKDSWHUZLWK&RHW]HH¶VTXHVWLRQZKDWGRHVHDFKUHYHODWLRQ,PDNH FRVW"%\WKLV&RHW]HHPHDQVZKDWFRVWWRWKHGLVFRXUVHRIJHQUHGRHVWUXWKWHOOLQJ HQWDLO" ,Q WKHVH ODWHU TXDVL¿FWLRQDO ZRUNV &RHW]HH PD\ DSSHDU WR EH PDNLQJ 184 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship public interventions in the familiar format of the public lecture and the opinion piece. Indeed, the similarity in belief and personal traits between Coetzee and his FKDUDFWHUVLQWKHZRUNVGLVFXVVHGKHUHPLJKWVHHPWREHDUWKLVRXW%XWVFUDWFK EHORZWKHVXUIDFHDQGTXLWHDGLIIHUHQWVWRU\HPHUJHV7KHIRUXPRIWKHSXEOLF lecture in Lives and Elizabeth Costello and of the opinion piece in Diary provides an opening for the more private, sympathetic voice to emerge, one less certain of LQWHOOHFWXDOWUXWKV&RVWHOOR¶VVRQ-RKQLQ³5HDOLVP´DVNV³,VQ¶WWKDWZKDWLVPRVW LPSRUWDQWDERXW¿FWLRQ WKDWLWWDNHVXVRXWRIRXUVHOYHVLQWRRWKHUOLYHV"´ (& If Coetzee transgresses the pact of the public intervention through the medium of ¿FWLRQVRWRRGR&RVWHOORDQG-&E\LQYRNLQJWKHV\PSDWKHWLFIDFXOW\DQGLQ &RVWHOOR¶VFDVH¿FWLRQWRR Wright argues that, “by enacting Elizabeth Costello in The Lives of Animals, Coetzee gets a rant and a sentimental voice presented through rational argument´ HPSKDVLV DGGHG ³)HPLQLVW9HJHWDULDQ´ +RZHYHU WKH DUJXPHQW FDQ EH reversed: public intellectualism can be measured by the sentimental voice and by ¿FWLRQ&RHW]HHLVDOZD\VKHHGIXORIWKHSDUDGR[RIDXWKRUVKLSWKDWJHWWLQJRQH¶V voice heard is always at the cost of imposing authority, humorously implied in Costello’s parody of the myth of Genesis when she comforts Rayment in Slow Man: ³,ZLOOWHDFK\RXKRZWRVSHDNIURPWKHKHDUW> R@QHWZRKRXUOHVVRQDGD\VL[GD\V DZHHN RQWKHVHYHQWKGD\ZHFDQUHVW´ 60 &RHW]HHXWLOL]HV¿FWLYHIRUXPV to test the limits of the intellectual’s authority, which as I have shown is itself a worthy intellectual endeavour. This does not mean that Costello or J. C.’s polemics DUHIRUQRXJKW &RHW]HH¶V¿FWLRQLVWRRFRPSOH[WREHUHGXFHGWRVLQJOHSODQHVRI VLJQL¿FDWLRQ RU VWUDLJKWIRUZDUG DOOHJRU\7KURXJK LWV SDUDGR[HV RI SRVWFRORQLDO DXWKRUVKLS&RHW]HH¶VRHXYUHLQ$GRUQR¶VZRUGVVHWVDERXW³DZDNHQ>LQJ@WKHIUHH FKRLFHRIWKHDJHQW´DQGXOWLPDWHO\WKLVLVWKH¿FWLRQ¶VHWKLFRSROLWLFDOFXUUHQF\ :RUNV&LWHd Primary Sources Coetzee, J. M. Age of Iron. 1990. London: Penguin, 1991. —–––. Boyhood: A Memoir. 1997. London: Vintage, 1998. ²±±± ³&ULWLFDQG&LWL]HQ $5HVSRQVH´Pretexts ± —–––. Diary of a Bad Year/RQGRQ +DUYLOO6HFNHU —–––. Disgrace/RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ —–––. Doubling the Point: Essays and Interviews. Ed. David Attwell. Cambridge 0DVVDFKXVHWWV /RQGRQ +DUYDUG83 —–––. Dusklands. London: Vintage, 1998. First published 1974. —–––. Elizabeth Costello/RQGRQ 6HFNHU :DUEXUJ ²±±± ³(OL]DEHWK&RVWHOORDQGWKH3UREOHPRI(YLO´Salmagundi± 48–64. —–––. Foe. 1986. Middlesex: Penguin, 1987. —–––. Giving Offense: Essays on Censorship. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1996. —–––. The Humanities in Africa. Die Geisteswissenschaften in Afrika. Intro. Heinrich Meier. Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 2001. —–––. In the Heart of the Country. 1977. London: Vintage, 1999. —–––. Life & Times of Michael K. 1983. Middlesex: Penguin, 1985. —–––. The Lives of Animals:LWK:HQG\'RQLJHU0DUMRULH*DUEHU3HWHU6LQJHU and Barbara Smuts. Ed. and intro. Amy Gutmann. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1999. —–––. The Master of Petersburg. 1994. London: Minerva, 1995. ²±±± ³7KH1RYHO7RGD\´Upstream ± —–––. Slow Man: A Novel1HZ Secondary Sources Achebe, Chinua. Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays: 1965–1987. Oxford: Heinemann, 1988. 186 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship —–––. Things Fall Apart. 1958. African Writers Series. London: Heinemann, 1986. $GRUQR7KHRGRU³&RPPLWPHQW´New Left Review± ²±±± ³1RWHVRQ.DIND´Franz Kafka. Ed. and intro. Harold Bloom. Modern &ULWLFDO 9LHZV 1HZ Barnard, Rita. “Dream Topographies: J. M. Coetzee and the South African 3DVWRUDO´The Writings of J. M. Coetzee. Ed. Michael Valdez Moses. Spec. issue of South Atlantic Quarterly ± —–––. ³µ,PDJLQLQJWKH8QLPDJLQDEOH¶ -0&RHW]HH+LVWRU\DQG$XWRELRJUDSK\´ Rev. of Doubling the Point: Essays and Interviews by J. M. Coetzee and ed. by David Attwell. Postmodern Culture 2QOLQHSRVWLQJKWWS PXVHMKX HGXMRXUQDOVSRVWPRGHUQBFXOWXUHYUBEDUQDUGKWPO %DUWKHV5RODQG³7KH'HDWKRIWKH$XWKRU´Modern Literary Theory: A Reader, 2nd edn. Ed. Philip Rice and Patricia Waugh. London: Edward Arnold, 1992. 114–18. —–––. Mythologies. 1957. Selected and trans. Annette Lavers. London: Vintage, 2000. %HFNHWW 6DPXHO Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable. 1959. London: John Calder, 1976. %HJDP5LFKDUG³6LOHQFHDQG0XW H LODWLRQ :KLWH:ULWLQJLQ-0&RHW]HH¶V Foe´The Writings of J. M. Coetzee. Ed. Michael Valdez Moses. Spec. issue of South Atlantic Quarterly ± Beinart, William. Twentieth-Century South Africa. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. %HOO 0LFKDHO ³:KDW ,V ,W /LNH WR %H D 1RQUDFLVW" &RVWHOOR DQG &RHW]HH RQ WKH/LYHVRI$QLPDOVDQG0HQ´J. M. Coetzee and the Idea of the Public Intellectual. Ed. Jane Poyner. Athens, Ohio: Ohio UP, 2006. 172–92. %KDEKD+RPL³7KH2WKHU4XHVWLRQ²7KH6WHUHRW\SHDQG&RORQLDO'LVFRXUVH´ Screen ± ²±±± ³3RVWFRORQLDO $XWKRULW\ DQG 3RVWPRGHUQ *XLOW´ Cultural Studies. Ed. /DZUHQFH*URVVEHUJ&DU\1HOVRQDQG3DXOD7UHLFKOHU/RQGRQDQG1HZ —–––. The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist. London: Faber and Faber, 1984. %ULQN$QGUp DQG - 0 &RHW]HH (GV A Land Apart: A South African Reader. Boston and London: Faber and Faber, 1987. %URZQ:HQG\³:RXQGHG$WWDFKPHQWV´Political Theory ± Burgess, Anthony. “The Beast Within: Waiting for the Barbarians´New York 26 April 1982. 88. Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex”1HZ Dovey, Teresa. The Novels of J. M. Coetzee: Lacanian Allegories. Craighall: Ad. 'RQNHU —–––. “Waiting for the Barbarians $OOHJRU\RI$OOHJRULHV´Critical Perspectives on J. M. Coetzee (G *UDKDP +XJJDQ DQG 6WHSKHQ :DWVRQ %DVLQJVWRNH London: Macmillan, 1996. 138–51. Easton, Kai. “Coetzee’s Disgrace %\URQLQ,WDO\DQGWKH(DVWHUQ&DSHF´ Journal of the Commonwealth Literature ± (FNVWHLQ%DUEDUD³,FRQLFLW\,PPHUVLRQDQG2WKHUQHVV 7KH+HJHOLDQµ'LYH¶RI - 0 &RHW]HH DQG$GULHQQH 5LFK´ Mosaic 2QOLQH SRVWLQJ 6HSWHPEHU KWWS OLRQFKDGZ\FNFRXNSXJZDVKOLEZDUZLFNDFXN VHDUFK)XOOWH[WGR"LG 5 GLY/HYHO DUHD DEHOO IRUZDUG FULWUHIB ft. Emants, Marcellus. A Posthumous Confession. Trans. and intro. J. M. Coetzee. /RQGRQ 4XDUWHW Erasmus, Desiderius. Praise of Folly. 1509. Trans. Betty Radice. Intro. A. H. T. Levi. London: Penguin, 1971. Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks 7UDQV&KDUOHV/DP0DUNPDQQ London: Pluto Press, 1986. —–––. The Wretched of the Earth. 1961. Trans. Constance Farrington. Penguin: London, 1990. Farred, Grant. “The Mundanacity of Violence: Living in a State of Disgrace´ J. M. 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London: Bloomsbury, 1999. —–––. “The Idea of Gardening: Life and Times of Michael KE\-0&RHW]HH´ New York Review of Books ± —–––. July’s People. 1981. London: Penguin, 1982. *UDKDP -DPHV ³$EMHFW /DQG 5HWKLQNLQJ WKH &RQQHFWLRQV EHWZHHQ :RPHQ Land and Nation in Doris Lessing’s The Grass is SingingDQG&KHQMHUDL+RYH¶V Bones´8QSXEOLVKHGSDSHU ²±±± ³$Q$EMHFW/DQG"5HPHPEHULQJ:RPHQ'LIIHUHQWO\LQ'RULV/HVVLQJ¶V The Grass is SingingDQG&KHQMHUDL+RYH¶VBones¶´English Studies in Africa. ± *UDKDP/XF\³5HDGLQJWKH8QVSHDNDEOH 5DSHLQDisgrace´Journal of Southern African Studies ± ²±±± ³7H[WXDO 7UDQVYHVWLVP 7KH )HPDOH 9RLFHV RI - 0 &RHW]HH´ J. M. Coetzee and the Idea of the Public Intellectual. Ed. Jane Poyner. Athens, Ohio: Ohio UP, 2006. 217–35. Gramsci, Antonio. Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. Ed. 4XLQWLQ +RDUH DQG *HRIIUH\ 1RZHOO 6PLWK /RQGRQ /DZUHQFH :LVKDUW 1971. Gray, Stephen. Southern African Literature: An Introduction. 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London: Routledge, 1991. ²±±± ³7KH 1REOH 'HVFHQW RI 'XW\´ Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford Readers. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. 39–41. ²±±± ³2QD6XSSRVHG5LJKWWR/LHIURP$OWUXLVWLF0RWLYHV´Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford Readers. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. 280–81. Kingdon, Geeta and John Knight. “Unemployment in South Africa: A 0LFURHFRQRPLF $SSURDFK´ &HQWUH IRU WKH 6WXG\ RI $IULFDQ (FRQRPLHV 2QOLQH SRVWLQJ -DQXDU\ KWWS ZZZFVDHR[DFXNUHVSURJVXVDP default.html. Knox-Shaw, Peter. “Dusklands $0HWDSK\VLFVRI9LROHQFH´Contrast: Southern African Literary Journal ± Kossew, Sue. Pen and Power: A Post-Colonial Reading of J. M. Coetzee and André Brink. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi, 1996. .URJ $QWMLH Country of My Skull. London: Jonathan Cape, 1999. London: Vintage, 1999. Lawrence, D. H. Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1HZ 0DPGDQL0DKPRRG³7KH7UXWK$FFRUGLQJWRWKH75&´The Politics of Memory: Truth, Healing and Social Justice(G,¿$PDGLXPHDQG$EGXOODK$Q1DLP 1HZ ²±±± ³0HPRU\0HWDSKRUDQGWKH7ULXPSKRI1DUUDWLYH´Negotiating the Past: The Making of Memory in South Africa. Ed. Sarah Nuttall and Carli Coetzee. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. —–––. South African Literature and Culture: Rediscovery of the Ordinary. 0DQFKHVWHU 1HZ Plomer, William. Turbott Wolfe. Intro. Laurens van der Post. London: Hogarth Press, 1965. Poyner, Jane. “Truth and Reconciliation in J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace´Scrutiny2 ± The Presidency, Republic of South Africa. “The Order of Mapungubwe in Gold: $ZDUGHGWR -RKQ 0D[ZHOO &RHW]HH´ 2QOLQH SRVWLQJ $SULO KWWS ZZZWKHSUHVLGHQF\JRY]DRUGHUVBOLVWDVS"VKRZ 5DMDQ7LORWWDPDDark Interpreter: The Discourse of Romanticism. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1980. Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. 1966. Ed. Angela Smith. Penguin Modern Classics. London: Penguin, 2000. 5REHUWV 6KHLOD ³µ3RVWFRORQLDOLVP RU WKH +RXVH RI )ULGD\¶²- 0 &RHW]HH¶V Foe´World Literature Written in English ± Rody, Caroline. “The Mad Colonial Daughter’s Revolt: J. M. Coetzee’s In the Heart of the Country´ The Writings of J. M. Coetzee. Ed. Michael Valdez Moses. Spec. issue of South Atlantic Quarterly ± Rosner, Victoria. “Home Fires: Doris Lessing, Colonial Architecture, and the 5HSURGXFWLRQRI0RWKHULQJ´Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 59–89. Patricia Rozema. Dir. 0DQV¿HOG3DUN. Mirimax. 1999. Rudicina, Alexandra F. “Crime and Myth: The Archetypal Pattern of Rebirth in 7KUHH1RYHOVRI'RVWRHYVN\´PMLA ± 6DFKV$OELH³3UHSDULQJ2XUVHOYHVIRU)UHHGRP´Spring is Rebellious. Ed. Ingrid GH.RNDQG.DUHQ3UHVV&DSH7RZQ %XFKX%RRNV ± SAHRC. Inquiry into Racism in the Media: Interim Report. Online posting. http:// www.gov.za/reports/2000/racism/pdf. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. 1993. London: Vintage, 1994. —–––. Orientalism. 1978. Harmondsworth: Peregrine, 1985. ²±±± ³3HUPLVVLRQWR1DUUDWH´Journal of Palestine Studies ± 48. —–––. Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures. London: Vintage, 1994. ²±±± ³7KH7H[WWKH:RUOGWKH&ULWLF´Textual Strategies: Perspectives in Post- Structuralist Criticism (G -RVXp9+DUDUL ,WKDFD 1HZ 6LQJHU3HWHU³8QVSHDNDEOH$FWV The Body in Pain: The Making and the Unmaking of the World,E\(ODLQH6FDUU\´5HYLHZNew York Review 27 February 1986: 27–30. Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. “You Ought to be Ashamed of Yourself (When You 9LRODWHDQ,PSHUIHFW0RUDO2EOLJDWLRQ ´1RUPDWLYLW\Philosophical Issues ± 6OHPRQ 6WHSKHQ ³3RVW&RORQLDO$OOHJRU\ DQG WKH7UDQVIRUPDWLRQ RI +LVWRU\´ Journal of Commonwealth Literature ± Smith, Pauline. The Beadle. London: Cape, 1926. —–––. The Little Karoo. 1925. London: Cape, 1952. ³6RXWK$IULFD +RXVLQJ´(QF\FORSHGLDRIWKH1DWLRQV2QOLQHSRVWLQJ-DQXDU\ 2009. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/South-Africa-HOUSING. html. South African Government Information. “Spotlight on Matriculants’ List of Set %RRNV´ $SULO 2QOLQH SRVWLQJ -XO\ KWWS ZZZLQIRJRY za/speeches/2001/010420945a1006.htm. 6SHQFHU 5REHUW ³- 0 &RHW]HH DQG &RORQLDO 9LROHQFH´ Interventions 10.2 ± —±±± ³-0&RHW]HHDQGWKHµ:DURQ7HUURU¶´8QSXEOLVKHGSDSHU 6SLYDN *D\DWUL &KDNUDYRUW\ ³&DQ WKH 6XEDOWHUQ 6SHDN"´ Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture. Ed. Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg. Urbana and Chicago: U of Illinois P, 1988: 271–313. —–––. A Critique of Postcolonial Reason. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1999. —–––. “Theory in the Margin: Coetzee’s Foe Reading Defoe’s Crusoe/ Roxana´ Consequences of Theory: Selected Papers from the English Institute, 1987–88 14. Ed. Jonathan Arac and Barbara Johnson. Baltimore and London: Johns +RSNLQV83 ± ²±±± ³7KUHH:RPHQ¶V7H[WVDQGD&ULWLTXHRI,PSHULDOLVP´“Race”, Writing and Difference. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1985. 262– 80. 7D\OHU&KULVWRSKHU³-XVW/LNH/LIH Diary of a Bad YearE\-0&RHW]HH´The Guardian6HSW2QOLQHSRVWLQJKWWS ERRNVJXDUGLDQFRXNUHYLHZV JHQHUDO¿FWLRQ KWPO 7LI¿Q+HOHQ³3RVW&RORQLDOLVP3RVW0RGHUQLVPDQGWKH5HKDELOLWDWLRQRI3RVW &RORQLDO +LVWRU\´ The Journal of Commonwealth Literature 167–81. Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “Transforming Society Through 5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ 0\WKRU5HDOLW\"´3XEOLF'LVFXVVLRQ&DSH7RZQ0DUFK 1998. Online posting. www.truth.org.za/papers/recon2.html. —–––. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report. 6 vols. London: Macmillan, 1999. Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Sons. 1862. Trans. Rosemary Edmonds. Romanes /HFWXUH³)DWKHUVDQG&KLOGUHQ´E\,VDLDK%HUOLQ/RQGRQ 3HQJXLQ Works Cited 197 :DWVRQ 6WHSKHQ ³&RORQLDOLVP DQG WKH 1RYHOV RI - 0 &RHW]HH´ Critical Perspectives on J. M. Coetzee. Ed. Graham Huggan and Stephen Watson. %DVLQJVWRNHDQG/RQGRQ 0DFPLOODQ ± —±±± ³6SHDNLQJ -0&RHW]HH´Speak: Critical Arts Journal ± 24. —–––. “The Writer and the Devil: J. M. Coetzee’s The Master of Petersburg´ New Contrast ± Watt, Ian. The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding. 1957. London: Hogarth Press, 1987. Wenzel, Jennifer. “The Pastoral Promise and the Political Imperative: The 3ODDVURPDQ7UDGLWLRQLQDQ(UDRI/DQG5HIRUP´MFS ± West, Paul. The Very Rich Hours of Count von Stauffenberg1HZ Abraham, Peter 34 and reading 9, 10, 42, 59, 122, 135, Achebe, Chinua 45, 97–98 175–76 Achterberg, Gerrit 6, 46–47, 50 Attwell, David 3n3., 4, 6, 8, 10, 17, 19, 21, Adorno, Theodor 10, 78–79, 105, 144, 23, 30, 39, 50, 55, 58, 63, 70n1., 174–75, 182, 184 75, 79, 87, 95, 97, 98, 104, 127 aestheticism 7–8, 42–43, 105, 156, 174–75 and the public intellectual 174, 181 see alsoPRGHUQLVP UHDOLVP and race in Disgrace 1n2., 160 $IULFDQ1DWLRQDO&RQJUHVV $1& 1, 9, 11, Austen, Jane 94 12, 133 authority of author 2, 13, 91, 97–98, 102, $IULNDDQV36, 50, 122 105, 136–37, 139–40, 141, 155, $IULNDQHU5, 17, 21, 23, 35–36 178-79, 183 $IULNDQHU1DWLRQDO3DUW\ 13 11, 75, see also Barthes, Roland 79–80 autobiography 6, 7, 25, 129, 167, 168, 180 see also&URQMp*HRIIUH\ QDWLRQDOLVP plaasroman %DNKWLQ0LNKDLO140, 142, 145, 177 Age of Iron 1n1., 3, 12, 68, 111–27, 134, Banville, John 161 146, 162, 169, 177 Barnard, Rita 6, 35–36, 45–46 agency 43, 48–50, 99, 103–04, 108–09, Barthes, Roland 16, 18–19, 139–40 114–15 see also myth $KPDG$LMD]72, 89 %HFNHWW6DPXHO5, 34–35, 117, 146 Alexander, Neville 93, 151 Beinart, William 11, 79n2., 113, 122 alienation 11, 35, 46, 50, 69–70, 73, 111 Bell, Michael 170n3., 177, 178 see also.DIND)UDQ] Life & Times of Bentham, Jeremy 63 Michael K Benveniste, Émile 5, 42 allegory 21, 57–59, 71, 73–75, 82, 142, Bhabha, Homi 58 182–83 %LNR6WHYH11, 58, 79 see also-DPHVRQ)UHGULF ³EODFNSHULO´40, 159–60 JanMohamed, Abdul R. Blanchot, Maurice 77 animals 66–67, 146, 162–64 body, the 18, 36, 61, 63, 105–07, 126–27 see also Lives of Animals, The %RHKPHU(OOHNH10, 105–06, 160 apartheid 28–29, 59, 75, 79–80, 93, 111, Boer see$IULNDQHU 114, 133–34 %RRNHU3UL]H1, 73, 149 legislation 4, 9, 11, 12, 58, 149 Borges, Jorge Luis 76–77 see alsoFHQVRUVKLS PLVFHJHQDWLRQ Botha, P. W. 29n4. ³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´10, 23–24, 29, 55, %RXUNH5LFKDUG154, 156 180 Boyhood 6, 11, 169 Asmal, Kader 9 Breytenbach, Breyten 5, 143–44 $WWULGJH'HUHN3, 6, 39, 103, 113, 117, “Breyten Breytenbach and the Reader in 131, 132, 133, 136, 152, 154, WKH0LUURU´10, 140-41 170n2., 173 %ULQN$QGUp8, 40, 70n1. 200 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship %URQWs&KDUORWWH49, 94 'LUOLN$ULI54 Brown, Wendy 61 Discourse of the Cape, the 83, 85 Burgess, Anthony 58 Disgrace 6, 8, 9, 12, 36–37, 119, 149–65 Butler, Judith 178 and racism 1, 160 Byron, Lord George Gordon 154–55 and rape 40–41, 105, 158–61, 173 'RVWRHYVN\)\RGRU5, 7, 116, 121n4., 129, canonization 45, 92, 98, 155 136, 140–41, 142, 152 Cartwright, Justin 9 The Possessed 76, 130, 131–34, Cavafy, C. P. 45, 53 138–39 censorship 4, 9–10, 28, 58, 130, 132, double, the 6, 10, 64–65, 141–42 142–44 see also otherness see also DSDUWKHLGOHJLVODWLRQ Giving Doubling the Point 6, 119, 177 Offense ³7DNLQJ2IIHQVH´ on alienation 11, 73 Chapman, Michael 4–5 on apartheid 79–80 Christianity 82, 84, 131, 134, 149n2., 151 on autobiography 7, 25, 129, 168 Claridge, Laura 154, 161 on the body in pain 105, 127 Clingman, Stephen 33–34, 35, 36 on censorship 9, 136 &RHW]HH-0ZRUNVRIsee under titles of on criticism 147 individual works on ethics/politics 3–4, 113, 117 Cohn, Dorrit 80 on language 120 colonialism 15, 25, 26, 39–40 on modernism 202 representation of 6, 18, 22, 23, 30–31, on politics 170 33, 35–36, 45, 49, 55, 58, 67, 83, on positionality 73, 102, 129, 176 92–94, 96–97, 101, 103, 105–06 on realism 139 commitment, literary 4–5, 71–73, 135 on reciprocity 6, 50 see also$GRUQR7KHRGRU *RUGLPHU on violence 112 Nadine Dovey, Teresa 5, 57 complicity 15, 79, 114–15, 143, 144 'XLNHU.6HOOR34 confession 10, 24, 69, 134, 143–44, 145, Dusklands 6, 11, 15–31, 105, 169, 173 151 ³&RQIHVVLRQDQG'RXEOH7KRXJKWV´7, 25, Easton, Kai 155 97, 100, 116–17, 121n4., 131–32, (FNVWHLQ%DUEDUD91n1., 104 152–54, 180 Elizabeth Costello 2, 13, 105, 167, 169–70, Conrad, Joseph 45, 66, 67 175, 182–83, 184 ³&ULWLFDQG&LWL]HQ $5HVSRQVH´174 Emants, Marcellus 117 &URQMp*HRIIUH\10, 23–24, 29 Encyclopedia of the Nations 162n8. see also apartheid Enlightenment, the 10, 22, 30, 63, 82, 83, 92, 150, 160 Dangor, Achmat 40, 149–50 ³(UDVPXV 0DGQHVVDQG5LYDOU\´10, 63- Defoe, Daniel 5 64, 65 Robinson Crusoe 70, 82–83, 91, ethico-politics 173 92–97, 103, 107 see alsoHWKLFV SROLWLFV Roxana 91, 95 ethics 3, 9, 10, 26, 30–31, 42, 58, 98, 113, 'HUULGD-DFTXHV5, 64, 76, 151 117–18, 150–51, 173–74, 181 Diary of a Bad Year 1n1., 2–3, 13, 120, 137, 167–84 Fanon, Frantz 5 Directorate of Publications 4, 58 Black Skin, White Masks 11–12, 37, see also censorship 38–39, 40, 54–55 Index 201 The Wretched of the Earth 25, 104, Graham, Lucy 40, 41, 160, 170, 177–78 130, 147 Gramsci, Antonio 53, 71, 134–35, 168–69 see also neo-colonialism see also intellectualism Farred, Grant 160 Gray, Stephen 157 Felman, Shoshana 34, 38n1., 42, 46, 51–52 Grossvogel, David I. 74–76, 77, 78 feminism 36–38, 48–49, 95, 161, 172, Gubar, Susan 177–78 see Gilbert, Sandra see also,ULJDUD\/XFH *LOEHUW6DQGUD JXLOW FRORQLDO 25–26 Ferguson, James 158 see also shame Flaubert, Gustave 30, 136 Foe 1n1., 6, 8, 12, 37, 91–109, 133, 169, +DFNLQJ,DQ170 173 Head, Bessie 34 forced removals, policy of 11 Head, Dominic 10, 15, 26, 31, 39, 44, 58, see also apartheid legislation 73, 89, 107, 111, 114–15, 141, Foucault, Michel 5, 16, 173 145–46, 176, 183 Discipline and Punish 63 Hegelian dialectic 21, 64, 68 Madness and Civilization 10, 33, 53, history, discourse of 8, 16–17, 18, 58 54, 59–60, 62, 63–64, 67 Holiday, Anthony 151 Freud, Sigmund 5, 19, 28, 34, 36, 37–38, Hughes, Ted 177, 180–81 68, 163 Hulme, Peter 12, 92, 96–97, 103 see also Oedipus myth ³,GOHQHVVLQ6RXWK$IULFD´22–23, 83 Gallagher, Susan Van Zanten 8, 23n3., 35, see also White Writing 44, 58 imperialism 19, 26, 45, 49, 58, 94 Garnett, Constance 131 In the Heart of the Country 1n1., 2, 4, 6, genre 2–3, 5–6, 16–17, 45–46, 76, 96–97, 11, 33–52, 103–04, 122, 169 107, 167–68, 169, 170–71, 175, intellectualism 174 177–78 see also*UDPVFL$QWRQLR 2UZHOO see alsoDXWRELRJUDSK\ SDUDEOH *HRUJH 6DLG(GZDUG: SDVWRUDO plaasroman Robinson interregnum 53, 113, 134–35 Crusoe see also Gramsci, Antonio Gilbert, Sandra intertextuality 92–93, 96–97, 101, 131 and Gubar, Susan 49 ³,QWRWKH'DUN&KDPEHU´7, 64 *LOPDQ&KDUORWWH3HUNLQV49 Irigaray, Luce 5, 38, 51 Girard, René 10 see also feminism Giving Offense 10, 11, 28, 59–60, 136–37, 140 -DNREVRQ5RPDQ42, 46 see also censorship Jolly, Rosemary Jane 17, 21 Glenn, Ian 36, 42 Jameson, Fredric 82, 130–31 Gordimer, Nadine 5, 67 on postmodernism 27–28 Burger’s Daughter 9, 115 RQ³QDWLRQDODOOHJRU\´71–72, 89 The Conservationist 6 JanMohamed, Abdul R. 58, 67 The Essential Gesture 4, 53, 71, 85, 111, 129, 139 .DIND)UDQ]5, 7, 70n1., 73, 78 The House Gun 149 ³%HIRUHWKH/DZ´76, 182–83 ³7KH,GHDRI*DUGHQLQJ´70–71, 114 ³7KH%XUURZ´76 July’s People 9 The Castle 75 Graham, James 157–58 ³$+XQJHU$UWLVW´84n3., 87 202 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship ³7KH+XQJHU6WULNH´86 Marais, Michael 136, 138, 155, 156 ³,QWKH3HQDO&RORQ\´66, 67n2., 76 Marx, John 92 ³0\'HVWLQDWLRQ´86 Master of Petersburg, The 1n1., 12, 76, Parables and Paradoxes 12, 74–76 121, 129–47, 162 The Trial 74, 75, 76–77, 78, 182 0EHNL7KDER40 see also “Time, Tense and Aspect in see also African National Congress .DIND¶Vµ7KH%XUURZ¶ ´ $1& Kandiyoti, Deniz 18 Memmi, Albert 102 Kant, Immanuel 118 Merivale, Patricia 70n1., 87 Karodia, Farida 40 PHWD¿FWLRQ7, 8, 144 .OHUN):GH12 Michael, John 3n3. Knox-Shaw, Peter 30 Millin, Sarah Gertrude 34 Kossew, Sue 8, 108 miscegenation 29, 33, 36 Krige, Uys 84 see also apartheid legislation .URJ$QWMLH149n2., 151 modernism 4–5, 10, 42, 72, 75, 174–75 Moses, Michael Valdez 83–84, 85 La Guma, Alex 59n1., 73 Mulisch, Harry 125 /DFDQ-DFTXHV5, 27 myth 16–17, 19, 22, 23n3., 35–36, 58, 84, ODQGTXHVWLRQWKH35, 114–15, 158 96–97 see also plaasroman see also$IULNDQHU %DUWKHV5RODQG Lawrence, D. H. 5, 7, 132, 172, 177 Oedipus myth Lazarus, Neil 10, 72 Leatherbarrow, W. J. 131, 139 nationalism Lévi-Strauss, Claude 5 $IULNDQHU23, 35, 79 Levinas, Emmanuel 5, 162 and women 18 Li, Victor 93n2. 1GHEHOH1MDEXOR64, 5, 150, 151–52 liberalism 55, 61 neo-colonialism 135 South African 29, 67, 79, 157 under Fanon, Frantz see also The in Tsarist Russia 133–34, 139 Wretched of the Earth Life & Times of Michael K 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, Nicholas II 133 69–90, 114, 136 Nietzsche, Friedrich 61, 69 The Lives of Animals 36–37, 163–64, 170, Nihilism 131, 132, 133, 138–39 175–76, 177–78, 180–81, 184 Nixon, Rob 135 see also animals 1NRVL/HZLV4, 40, 94 Lowry, Elizabeth 40–41 Nobel Prize 1, 167 /XNiFV*HRUJ4, 71, 72 Noble Savage, the 85 ³1RYHO7RGD\7KH´7, 8, 9, 16–17, 72, 74, McDonald, Peter D. 1 n2., 58 130, 175 madness 11–12, 27–28, 34, 134 see also³$SDUWKHLG7KLQNLQJ´ Oedipus myth 27, 77 &OLQJPDQ6WHSKHQ ³(UDVPXV see also Freud, Sigmund 0DGQHVVDQG5LYDOU\´ )HOPDQ Offord, D. C. 133, 139 6KRVKDQD )RXFDXOW0LFKHO Orwell, George 120 Gilbert, Sandra see also intellectualism Mamdani, Mahmood 150–51, 163 otherness 12, 21–22, 26, 33, 38, 42, 46–47, Man, Paul de 154, 161 49, 51, 58, 61, 67–68, 75, 102–03, Mannoni, O. 37, 40, 54–55 105–06, 113, 145–46, 154, 161–62, Mantel, Hilary 179 164 Index 203 see alsoVXEDOWHUQLW\ GRXEOHWKH Rosner, Victoria 36 5RXVVHDX-HDQ-DFTXHV5, 7, 69, 83–84, parable 74–75, 130, 138 152, 154, 167 see alsoJHQUH .DIND)UDQ] Rozema, Patricia 94n3. paradox 60, 61, 73–74, 80, 105, 106, 183 Rudicina, Alexandra F. 134 Parry, Benita 45, 92, 151 ³6SHHFKDQG6LOHQFH´5, 78, 101–02 Sachs, Albie 4, 9 pastoral 50, 83 Said, Edward W. 13, 168–69, 181 see also plaasroman White Writing Culture and Imperialism 45, 49, 94 Pechey, Graham 5, 97, 135, 141, 144, 155, Orientalism 55 165 Representations of the Intellectual 3, 3HQQHU'LFN39 13, 64, 111–12, 119, 126, 173, 174 performativity 47, 177–78 ³7KH7H[WWKH:RUOGWKH&ULWLF´91 Pinter, Harold 167 see also intellectualism plaasroman 35–36, 157–58 Samuelson, Meg 40 see alsoSDVWRUDO White Writing Sartre, Jean-Paul 5, 25, 26, 46, 174–75 Plomer, William 34 Scarry, Elaine 106–07, 126 politics 3–5, 58, 70–72, 79, 120, 121, 134, Schreiner, Olive 5–6, 34, 157 139, 150–51, 158, 173 Serote, Mongane Wally 34, 59n1., 73 and J. M. Coetzee 7, 9, 102, 113, 136, 6KDNHVSHDUH:LOOLDP48n2., 100 170 shame 26 and identity 61 see also guilt see alsoHWKLFRSROLWLFV FRPPLWPHQW Sharpeville Massacre 11 literary Singer, Peter 164, 175–76, 178 postcolonialism 9, 26, 72, 92, 97–98 Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter 26 postmodernism 10, 97–98 Slow Man 1n1., 126–27, 169, 183 see also Jameson, Fredric Smith, Pauline 5–6, 86 South African Human Rights Commission race 79, 93, 158 6$+5& 1 see also³EODFNSHULO´ Disgrace Soweto uprisings 11, 58, 113 Fanon, Frantz Spencer, Robert 55, 173, 177, 179 5DMDQ7LORWWDPD156n5. 6SLYDN*D\DWUL&KDNUDYRUW\ UDSH IDQWDV\RI 39–41, 53–54 ³&DQWKH6XEDOWHUQ6SHDN"´101–02 see also ³EODFNSHULO´ Disgrace In the ³7KHRU\LQWKH0DUJLQ´101, 103, 104, Heart of the Country 108 reading 24, 30–31, 75–77, 78, 94, 126, ³7KUHH:RPHQ¶V7H[WV´49 139–40, 171 States of Emergency, South African 12, see also$WWULGJH'HUHN %DUWKHV 75, 114 Roland Strauss, Leo 139 realism 4, 72, 96–97, 157, 174–75 subalternity 71–72 Retief, Piet 35 see alsoRWKHUQHVVWKH 6SLYDN*D\DWUL Rhys, Jean 49 sympathetic imagination 181 Richards, Jo-Anne 40 see also Romanticism 5LONH5DLQHU0DULD180 Roberts, Sheila 102 ³7DLQWRIWKH3RUQRJUDSKLF7KH´7, 172 Rody, Caroline 34, 35, 39, 42, 50 see also Lawrence, D. H. Romanticism 154–56, 161 ³7DNLQJ2IIHQVH´26, 30–31, 142 see also sympathetic imagination Tayler, Christopher 179 204 J. M. Coetzee and the Paradox of Postcolonial Authorship 7LI¿Q+HOHQ97–98 Watson, Stephen 5, 36, 129, 134 ³7LPH7HQVHDQG$VSHFWLQ.DIND¶Vµ7KH Wenzel, Jennifer 158 %XUURZ¶ ´79–80 West, Paul 172–73 see also.DIND)UDQ] ³:KDWLVD&ODVVLF"´126, 171n4. Todorov, Tzvetan 101 White Writing 2, 5–6, 19, 22n2., 23, 84, Tolstoy, Leo 7, 116, 152, 153 136, 156–57 torture 7, 63 see alsoSDVWRUDO plaasroman see also³,QWRWKH'DUN&KDPEHU´ :KRUI%HQMDPLQ120 ³ZDURQWHUURU´ :LWGRHNH113, 114n1. ³WRWDORQVODXJKW´28–29 Wollstonecraft, Mary 95 ³7UXWKLQ$XWRELRJUDSK\´69, 167–68, 171 Wood, Marcus 104–05, 108 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Wordsworth, William 84, 154–56 75& 13, 134, 149–52, 153–54, see also5RPDQWLFLVP V\PSDWKHWLF 160, 163 imagination see also Tutu, Reverend Desmond Wright, Laura 36–37, 61, 88, 177–78, 184 Turgenev, Ivan 129, 133, 139 :\N&KULVWRSKHUYDQ59 Tutu, Reverend Desmond 13, 150, 151, 153–54