Distance the Gods of Africa Regard Me from the Edge of My Suburban
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Distance The Gods of Africa regard me From the edge of my suburban lawn. They have the tall thick legs of tree-trunks, And tiny white faces of the stars. I do not grovel at their sprouting toes, But stand in my Euclidian door And hope the centuries of grass Are far too wide to leap across. – Anthony Delius i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank: my mother who never judges, never preaches, and always supports; Cariana Fouché, my compassionate boss, who did everything in her power to make it possible for me to complete the degree; Prof. Marita Wenzel, who taught me to think independently; Prof. Attie de Lange, who showed me how to structure and “unpack” my argument; Prof. Annette Combrink for editing and formatting the document; the following personnel at the North-West University who went out of their way to assist: Bernice MacKenzie, Erika Rood and Ragel Jafta. ii ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the original white colonisers‟ or settlers‟ position and experience in Africa and South Africa during the transitional period between 1998 and 2011, as represented by English white male protagonists who feature in The Lostness of Alice (1998) by John Conyngham, The Good Doctor (2003) by Damon Galgut, and Lost Ground (2011) by Michiel Heyns. The analysis of the selected novels illustrates that the legacy of colonisation and apartheid still influences the settler descendants‟ perception of self and the other. The analysis focuses specifically on the males‟ experience of space and place in the construction of identity, and the awareness that the expansion of space and place through the transgression of physical and psychological boundaries contributes towards a more balanced personality. After the dissolution of apartheid, contemporary white South African men, as exemplified by the three protagonists, have become aware of their minority status and tend to dissociate themselves from the country as home. As borderline figures, they contend with feelings of marginalisation and isolation. Increasingly conscious of their contradictory non-African identity, the protagonists undertake journeys during which they acquire insight into themselves as well as an altered perception of the other. Although the former settlers‟ experience of alienation and ambivalence about colonisation and apartheid has been depicted in various novels, the significance of this experience relating to white South African male identity has not yet been fully explored in a comparative study of Conyngham‟s, Galgut‟s and Heyns‟s works with reference to the authors‟ place within a postcolonial paradigm, their implementation of the detective narrative frame and the role of intertextuality and irony that can be seen to define the novels and suggest other interpretative possibilities. The novels are critically analysed in terms of the concepts of space and place, the presence, transgression and transcendence of boundaries, and the influence of these paradigms on the characters‟ sense of self and their relationship with others and society at large. The novels‟ narrative frame and strategies in relation to the myths of Africa are also investigated. iii The thesis argues that the apprehension articulated by representatives of European settlers regarding the consequences of colonisation and apartheid has become more prominent during the post-liberation dispensation. The acceptance of responsibility for the past and for others, as well as intense self-appraisal, should enable the three protagonists to achieve a more expansive sense of self and a meaningful existence. Key words/concepts: novels, colonisation, coloniser/colonised, white settlers, South/Africa, apartheid, postcolonialism, Conyngham, Galgut, Heyns, detective novel, intertextuality and irony, space and place, travel and boundaries, social awareness and identity iv OPSOMMING Hierdie studie evalueer die voormalige setlaars se posisie en ervaring in Afrika en Suid-Afrika gedurende die oorgansperiode tussen 1998 en 2011, soos verteenwoordig deur die Engelse wit manlike hoofkarakters wat figureer in The Lostness of Alice (1998) deur John Conyngham, The Good Doctor (2003) deur Damon Galgut, en Lost Ground (2011) deur Michiel Heyns. Die ontleding van die geselekteerde romans illustreer dat die nalatingskap van kolonisasie en apartheid nog steeds die afstammelinge van die setlaars se begrip van self en die ander in die konstruksie van identiteit beïnvloed, en die bewustheid dat die uitbreiding van ruimte en plek deur die oorskryding van fisiese en psigiologiese grense tot „n meer gebalanseerde persoonlikheid bydra. Na die opheffing van apartheid besef hedendaagse blanke Suid-Afrikaanse mans, soos vergestalt deur die drie hoofkarakters, hul minderheidstatus en neig om hulle te dissosieer van die land as tuiste. As randfigure worstel hulle met gevoelens van marginalisering en isolasie. Toenemend bewus van hul teenstrydige identiteit as nie-Afrikane, begin hulle reise onderneem waartydens hulle insig in hulself asook „n verskillende persepsie van die ander verkry. Hoewel die voormalige setlaar se ervaring van vervreemding en ambivalensie oor die kolonisasie van Afrika en apartheid in Suid-Afrika uitgebeeld is in verskeie romans, is die betekenis van hierdie ervaring in verband met wit Suid-Afrikaanse manlike identiteit nog nie ten volle nagevors in „n vergelykende studie van Conyngham, Galgut en Heyns se werke met verwysing na die skrywers se posisie in „n postkolonialistiese paradigma, hulle impementasie van die speurvertellingsraamwerk en die rol van intertekstualiteit en ironie wat die romans definieer en ander interpretatiewe moontlikhede suggereer nie. Die romans is krities ontleed ooreenkomstig die begrippe van ruimte en plek, die teenwoordigheid, oorskryding en oorbrugging van grense, en die invloed van hierdie paradigmas op die karakters se sin van self en hul verhouding met andere en die samelewing in die algemeen. Die romans se narratiewe raamwerke en strategieë met betrekking tot die mites van Afrika word ook ondersoek. v Die proefskrif argumenteer dat die vrees soos uitgespreek deur die woordvoerders van die Europese setlaars oor die gevolge van kolonisering en apartheid meer opvallend geword het gedurende die post-bevrydingsbedeling. Die aanvaarding van verantwoordelikheid vir die verlede en vir andere, asook intense self-evaluering, behoort die drie hoofkarakters in staat te stel om „n meer omvattende sin van die self en „n sinvolle bestaan te verwerf. Sleutelwoorde/konsepte: romans, kolonisering, koloniseerder/gekoloniseerde, blanke setlaars, Suid-/Afrika, apartheid, postkolonialisme, Conyngham, Galgut, Heyns, speurverhaal, intertekstualiteit en ironie, ruimte en plek, reis en grense, sosiale bewustheid en identiteit vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii OPSOMMING ............................................................................................................ v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Literary contextualisation .................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Aims ................................................................................................................................ 17 1.4 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................. 19 THEORETICAL APPROACHES ............................................................................. 19 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Modernism and postmodernism ..................................................................................... 19 2.3 Postcolonialism ............................................................................................................... 25 2.4 Globalisation ................................................................................................................... 29 2.5 Space and place ............................................................................................................. 30 2.6 Travel .............................................................................................................................. 41 2.7 Boundaries ...................................................................................................................... 45 2.8 Difference and the other ................................................................................................. 51 2.9 Identity ............................................................................................................................ 58 2.10 Narrative frame: The detective/mystery novel ...............................................................