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The Cherry Orchard Transposed to Contemporary South Africa: Space and Identity in Cultural Contexts

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The Cherry Orchard Transposed to Contemporary South Africa: Space and Identity in Cultural Contexts The Cherry Orchard transposed to contemporary South Africa: space and identity in cultural contexts J.A. Kruger 12362298 Dissertation submitted for the degree Master of Arts in English Language and Literature at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Prof. M.J. Wenzel Co-supervisor: Prof. H.M. Viljoen 2009 Abstract The transposition of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard (originally published in Russian in 1904) to contemporary South Africa in Suzman's The Free State (2000) is based on the corresponding social changes within the two contexts. These social changes cause a binary opposition of past and present in the two texts. Within this context memory functions as a space in which the characters recall the past to the present and engenders a dialogue between past and present. Memory is illustrated in the two plays by associations with place as an important aspect of identity formation. Memory and place are fused in the plays by means of Bakhtin's concept of the chronotope which is best observed in the plays in memories of specific places such as the respective orchards, houses and rooms such as the nursery and the ballroom in. The Cherry Orchard and the garden in The Free State. Furthermore, the influence of the past is also evident in the present when ideas of social status, class, race (in the case of The Free State) and behaviour are contrasted and when various characters express their perceptions of personal relationships and ideas about marriage. The influence of the past is also evident when the characters voice their different perceptions and expectations of the past and future. In The Cherry Orchard these cultural differences are evident in the concept of heteroglossia. However, in The Free State, these dialogues are directed by a specific politically liberal view which diminishes the heteroglossia in the text. The juxtaposing of past and present is also illustrated in The Cherry Orchard by various subversive strategies such as comedy of the absurd in order to portray the behaviour of the characters as incongruous. Another subversive strategy is the contrasting of characters and ideas in order to expose pretensions and affectations in speech and actions to parody both the old establishment and the ambitions of former peasants. These conventions are best illustrated by the concept of the carnivalesque that also features as one of Bakhtin's terms to capture incongruous ideas and situations in literature. In The Free State, comedy is unfortunately much diminished and in contrast to Chekhov's ambiguity, only directed against politically conservative characters. The prevalence of these three Bakhtinian concepts in the texts shows how identity formation is to a large extent influenced and defined by occupied space. When social change affects the distribution of land, a character's concept of identity is destabilised. Although Suzman uses this similarity in the two contexts in order to transpose Chekhov's text to contemporary South Africa, she organises the various stances in the text to advocate a specific politically liberal view. Thus, Suzman's transposition leads to an interesting comparison between the Russian and South African contexts as well as between the two texts. However, her text is limited by her political interpretation of Chekhov's text. 1 Keywords: Bakhtin, M.M.; Chekhov, A.P.; Suzman, J.; The Cherry Orchard] The Free State] carnivalesque; chronotope; comedy; drama transposition; heteroglossia; identity; intertextuality; •postcolonial drama; social change; memory; space/place. u Opsomming Die transposisie van Tsjechof se toneelstuk, The Cherry Orchard (vertaal as Die Kersieboord, oorspronklik in Russies gepubliseer in 1904) na kontemporere Suid-Afrika in Suzman se toneelstuk genaamd The Free State (Die Vrystaat, 2000) is gebaseer op die ooreenstemmende sosiale verandering binne die twee kontekste. Hierdie sosiale veranderingeveroorsaak'n binere teenstelling van die verlede en hede in die twee tekste. Geheue funksioneer dan as 'n ruimte waarbinne die karakters die verlede in die hede herroep en vorm 'n dialoog tussen die verlede en hede. In die twee toneelstukke word geheue geTllustreer deur assosiasies met plek as 'n belangrike aspek van identiteitsvorming. Geheue en plek word in die toneelstukke versmelt deur Bakhtin se konsep van die chronotoop wat vergestalt word in herinneringe aan bepaalde plekke soos die onderskeie kersieboorde, huise en vertrekke soos die kinderkamer en die balsaal in The Cherry Orchard, of die tuin in The Free State. Verder blyk die invloed van die verlede op die hede duidelik uit die kontras tussen verskillende opvattings oor sosiale status, klas, ras (in die geval van The Free State), gedrag en die karakters se persepsies oor persooniike verhoudings en die huwelik. Die invloed van die verlede op die hede blyk ook duidelik uit die verskillende persepsies en verwagtinge wat die karakters teenoor die verlede en die toekoms uitspreek. In The Cherry Orchard kom hierdie kulturele verskille duidelik deur die aanwesigheid van heteroglossie na vore. Tog word hierdie dialoe in The Free State deur 'n spesifieke polities liberale standpunt inspireer wat sodoende die heteroglossie in die teks verminder. In The Cherry Orchard word die jukstaposisionering van verlede en hede ook geTllustreer deur verskeie ondermynende strategies, soos byvoorbeeld absurde komedie, wat die gedrag van die karakters as onvanpas uitbeeld. Nog 'n ondermynende strategie is die kontrastering van karakters se opvattings wat die pretensies en gekunsteldheid in hul spraak en handeling blootle en sodoende die vorige bestel, asook die aspirasies van die voormalige landvolk, parodieer. Hierdie gedrag word die beste geTllustreer deur die konsep van karnaval, wat een van Bakhtin se kenmerkende begrippe is om onvanpastheid in letterkunde uit te beeld. In The Free State, is die komedie ongelukkig heelwat verminder en, in teenstelling met Tsjechof se dubbelsinnigheid, word dit slegs gebruikteen polities konserwatiewe karakters. Dus wys die voorkoms van hierdie drie Bakhtiniaanse konsepte in die tekste hoe identiteitsvorming tot 'n groot mate deur bewoonde ruimte be'fnvloed word. Wanneer sosiale verandering die verdeling van grond be'fnvloed, raak'n karakterse begrip van sy identiteitonstabiel. Hoewel Suzman die ooreenkoms tussen die twee kontekste gebruik om Tsjechof se teks na kontemporere Suid-Afrika te transponeer, het sy die verskillende standpunte in die teks gebruik om 'n bepaalde polities liberale mening te bepleit. Dus lei Suzman se transposisie tot "n interessante vergelyking tussen die iii Russiese en Suid-Afrikaanse kontekste sowel as tussen die twee tekste. Tog word haar teks ingeperk deurdat dit 'n politieke interpretasie van Tsjechof se teks is. Sleutelwoorde: Bakhtin, M.M.; Suzman, J.; Tsjechof, A.P.; The Cherry Orchard; The Free State; chronotoop; dramatransposisie; geheue; heteroglossie; identiteit; intertekstualiteit; karnaval; komedie; postkoloniale drama; ruimte/plek; sosiale verandering; IV Acknowledgements Financial support by the NWU is hereby gratefully acknowledged. A word of thanks is due to my supervisor, Prof. Marita Wenzel, for her sympathy, guidance and approachable manner and to my co-supervisor, Prof. Hein Viljoen, for his valuable insights. A special thanks' to Prof. Attie de Lange who was of great help - especially in the preliminary phases of this study, I am also grateful to Willie Cloete, who was responsible for the language editing of this dissertation. I would also like to thank my parents, Gert and Doefie, whose prayers, financial and emotional support carried me through this study. To all my friends: I am extremely grateful for your words of encouragement. Lastly, thank you to my sister, Anneke. Being familiar with the process of postgraduate study, your advice and support proved invaluable. v Table of Contents Abstract i Opsomrning iii Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi 1. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Contextualisation 1 1.2. Social conditions in Russia and South Africa 1 1.3. The Cherry Orchard and The Free State 3 1.4. The theatre and space 8 1.5. Questions and aims 9 1.6. Thesis statement 10 1.7. Methodology 10 1.8. Conclusion 20 2. Chapter 2: Dialogic elements in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard 2.1. Introduction 21 2.2. The conflation of past and present as represented in "space" and "place" 21 2.3. Heteroglossic discourse in The Cherry Orchard 38 2.4. The camivalesque subversion of hierarchy 54 2.5. Conclusion 68 3. Chapter 3: The transposition of dialogic elements in Suzman's The Free State 3.1. Introduction 70 3.2. The chronotopic engagement between past and present in The Free State 71 3.3. Heteroglossic discourse in The Free State 81 3.4. The camivalesque in The Free State: an inversion of hierarchy 102 3.5. Conclusion 116 4. Chapter 4: Assessment of the adaptation 4.1. Introduction 118 4.2. Similarities and divergences 119 4.3. Change 121 4.4. Conclusion 127 5. Chapter 5: Conclusion 129 6. References 132 vi Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Contextualisation This study aims to compare two disparate, yet in certain respects, two similar texts or plays.1 The Cherry Orchard,2 a Russian play written by Anton Chekhov in 1904, anticipates the imminent changes which will occur in Russia with the uprising of the proletariat in 1917, an event that would forever dispense with the old way of life and the traditional distinctions made between the serfs and nobility. In The Free State (2000) Janet Suzman creates a "response" play by creating the same structural composition
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