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DISSERTATION Titel der Dissertation „Postcolonial Departures: Narrative Transformations in Australian and South African Fictions“ Verfasser Mag. phil. Hano Pipic angestrebter akademischer Grad Doktor der Philosophie (Dr. phil.) Wien, 2013 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 792 343 Dissertationsgebiet lt. Studienblatt: English and American Studies Betreuerinnen: o. Univ. Prof. Dr. Margarete Rubik Professor Gillian Whitlock (University of Queensland) Abstract This thesis is a comparative reading of selected contemporary fictions from Australia and South Africa. By drawing on postcolonial theory and trauma theory, this thesis argues that specific genres are transformed in distinctive ways in these two settler literatures to address the continuing presence of the colonial past. It focuses in particular on three genres: the Bildungsroman , the historical novel, and the pastoral to consider how these have been reproduced, adapted and transformed in these literatures in the recent past. This thesis argues that these transformations testify to the ways that recent Australian and South African literary imaginaries respond to the legacies of traumatic histories of colonization and dispossession. In both Australia and South Africa processes of reconciliation and social justice in recent decades have produced intense debates about history, fiction and the ways these disciplines can generate new ways of understanding the traumatic legacies of settler colonialism. By focusing on a selection of close and comparative readings, this thesis identifies a series of common tropes, techniques and preoccupations that draw together these two literatures which are so often read apart in terms of distinctive national histories. The first chapter, “Representation of Trauma in Two Selected Bildungsromane ”, investigates how the genre of the Bildungsroman is rehabilitated and how its traditional boundaries are transgressed to explore the psychic landscapes of childhood trauma. Gail Jones’ Sorry (2008) and Rachel Zadok’s Gem Squash Tokoloshe (2005) are examined as case studies to suggest their departures from European traditions to include the legacies of colonisation. These challenge the traditional passage from adolescence to maturity in the Bildungroman , resulting in narratives where this journey remains incomplete. In the second chapter of the thesis, “Postcolonial Pastoral”, an analysis of how the pastoral engages in distinctively postcolonial forms suggests the flexibility and mutability of generic themes, such as landscape, borders, and memory, and reveals points of contact within the frame of trauma theory. The chapter focuses on David Malouf’s Remembering Babylon (1993) and Lisa Fugard’s Skinner’s Drift (2005). Both postcolonial novels attack the traditional tropes of nostalgic myths and belonging to expose the settlers’ feelings of unsettledness in anti-pastoral scenes marked by traumatic memories and Indigenous dispossession. Recent contemporary Australian and South African historical novels challenge officially sanctioned national histories by engaging with the legacies of the colonial past. The third chapter, “Making Use of History”, focuses on alternative imaginings of histories of settlement in Australia and South Africa that center on the trauma of the past. In this final chapter, Kate Grenville’s The Secret River (2005) and Zoë Wicomb’s David’s Story (2001) are examined to investigate how they engage in revising their nations’ histories to recuperate a violent and silenced past. Both writers inscribe a traumatic memory within their historical texts to seek justice for a dispossessed people. This thesis argues that these fictions contribute to debates about colonialism, trauma and social justice, and that together they make a distinctive intervention into ways of thinking about contemporary postcolonial fiction. Dedication To Maribeth Mobley for igniting the spark To Amy Farrior for never giving up on me To my father Nedim for coming back home Acknowledgements This thesis has been submitted for the degree of "Doktor der Philosophie (Dr. phil.)" at the University of Vienna in the course of an international collaboration with the University of Queensland. I am much obliged for being given this unique opportunity and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all who have participated in this endeavor. I would like to formally thank my supervisors Professor Margarete Rubik and Professor Gillian Whitlock for their support, advice, and their intellectual generosity. I have been very fortunate in meeting these two encouraging academicians and wonderful human beings who have never given up on me. Their rigorous questions never allowed me to forget about the complexities of literature and critical theory. This project would not have come to fruition without them. I would also like to thank Professor Ewald Mengel and Mag. Michela Borzaga as the conversations with them provided me with a foundation in trauma theory and critical thinking. I would like to express my gratitude to the Austrian Centre for International Cooperation and Mobility. Their scholarship has given me the opportunity to pursue the initial stage of my PhD career at the University of Queensland. Also, the friendships gained and the experiences had during my stay have been priceless. Since my endless writing hours have been accompanied by constant musical support I would like to express my gratitude to the following artists who kept me going: Yann Tiersen, Ludovico Einaudi, Marcelo Zarvos, Harry Gregson-Williams, Max Richter, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, Rachel Portman, Antonio Pinto, and Abel Korzeniowski. My parents Alma and Nedim have been a source of endless support and love during my countless writing hours. The debt I owe to them has no limit. Lena, I thank you for being everything I could have wished for. I have written over 80,000 words in this thesis, yet I would have to write another 100,000 more to come close to explain how much your support and patience have meant to me during these trying times for us: Amor vincit omnia. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations used in Thesis ....................................................................................... i INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1 Nation and Narration .............................................................................................................. 2 Postcolonial Departures from Traditions of Genre ............................................................ 13 CHAPTER I: REPRESENTATION OF TRAUMA IN TWO SELECTED BILDUNGSROMANE : GAIL JONES’ SORRY (2008) AND RACHEL ZADOK’S GEM SQUASH TOKOLOSHE (2005) .................................................................................. 18 The Traditions of the Bildungsroman .................................................................................. 18 Postcolonial Bildungsroman .................................................................................................. 23 A Reading of Sorry ................................................................................................................. 31 A Reading of Gem Squash Tokoloshe ................................................................................... 42 Rape in Sorry and Gem Squash Tokoloshe ........................................................................... 57 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER II: POSTCOLONIAL PASTORAL: DAVID MALOUF’S REMEMBERING BABYLON (1993) AND LISA FUGARD’S SKINNER’S DRIFT (2005) ....................................................................................................................................... 66 Pastoral Traditions ................................................................................................................ 66 Postcolonial Pastoral .............................................................................................................. 71 A Reading of Remembering Babylon .................................................................................... 85 A Reading of Skinner’s Drift ............................................................................................... 107 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 128 CHAPTER III: MAKING USE OF HISTORY IN KATE GRENVILLE’S THE SECRET RIVER (2005) AND ZOË WICOMB’S DAVID’S STORY (2001) ................... 130 The Historical Novel – Possibilities and Dynamics ........................................................... 130 Histories Within Postcolonial Fiction................................................................................. 132 A Reading of The Secret River ............................................................................................. 147 A Reading of David’s Story .................................................................................................. 175 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 203 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 205 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 211 APPENDIX ..........................................................................................................................