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Resources As Part of the Narrative in Biography. a Study of the Extent to Which Letters Contribute to the Narrative in Biography

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Resources As Part of the Narrative in Biography. a Study of the Extent to Which Letters Contribute to the Narrative in Biography Resources as part of the narrative in biography. A study of the extent to which letters contribute to the narrative in biography, with reference to JC Kannemeyer’s biography Leroux: ’n Lewe and Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles. Stephanus Petrus van Aardt A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the rquirements for the degree of PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR (CREATIVE WRITING) In the UNIT FOR CREATIVE WRITING FACULTY OF HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA May 2016 1 © University of Pretoria THESIS SUMMARY Supervisor: Professor H.J. Pieterse Department: Unit for Creative Writing University: University of Pretoria Degree: Philosophiae Doctor (Creative Writing) This study comprises three parts: Firstly, a thesis – written in English1 – on the extent to which letters play a role in establishing a narrative in biography writing. Two works will act as specific references in this study: J.C. Kannemeyer’s work on Etienne Leroux, entitled Leroux: ‘n Lewe and Charles Bukowski By Barry Miles. Secondly, an edited collection of Afrikaans letters written by Etienne Leroux to famous South African artists. Thirdly, an unpublished novel in manuscript under the working title Vier en veertig, agtien. 1 The researcher decided to write the thesis in English in order to obtain international funding or study opportunities. This came in the form of a six week long fellowship at the University of Louisville granted to the researcher by the American Consulate. The fellowship is called the Study of US Institutes (SUSI) for Contemporary American Literarure. In its twenty year existence, the researcher is the first South African to have been awarded this honour. 2 © University of Pretoria SAMEVATTING VAN PROEFSKRIF Promotor: Professor H.J. Pieterse Departement: Eenheid vir Kreatiewe Skryfkuns Universiteit: Universiteit van Pretoria Graad: Philosophiae Doctor (Kreatiewe Skryfkuns) Hierdie studie bestaan uit drie dele: Eerstens, ’n proefskrif – in Engels2 – wat die mate ondersoek wat briewe tot die narratief in ’n lewensverhaal bydra. Daar word spesifiek op twee werke gefokus as deel van ’n vergelykende studie: J.C. Kannemeyer se Leroux: ’n Lewe en Charles Bukowski deur Barry Miles. Tweedens, ‘n versameling geredigeerde briewe in Afrikaans geskryf deur Etienne Leroux aan verskillende prominente Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale skrywers en persoonlikhede. Laastens, ’n ongepubliseerde manuskrip met die voorlopige titel Vier en veertig, agtien. 2 Die navorser het hierdie verhandeling in Engels aangepak met die hoop om buitelandse befondsing of verdere studiemoontlikhede te verkry. Dít het toe gebeur in die vorm van ’n ses weke lange genootskap wat aan die navorser toegeken is deur die Amerikaanse konsulaat. Hierdie genootskap heet die Study of US Institutes (SUSI) for Contemporary American Literarure. Die navorser is die eerste Suid-Afrikaner wat hierdie voorreg verkry het in die twinting jaar bestaan van die genootskap. 3 © University of Pretoria ABSTRACT The primary research question in my study is “[t]o what extent resources such as letters contribute to the narrative in biography?. With reference to JC Kannemeyer’s biography Leroux: ’n Lewe and Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles. The secondary research questions are: What roles do fact and fiction play in the construction of a biography? When can letters be trusted as the truth. Amd therefore as a ‘vehicle’, so to speak, to convey an accurate account? To what extent does an author have the right to manipulate or use official / authentic documents such as letters to complement his / her work of fiction? Seeing as the biographer makes a selection of letters he / she uses in the telling of the life story, does this not mean that the biographer inadvertently becomes a creator of a specific storyline? My research is comprised of three elements: an unpublished manuscript of a novel under the working title Vier en veertig, agtien, an edited collection of letters by Etienne Leroux written to famous writers and artists, and lastly a thesis – written in English – on the extent to which letters play a role in establishing a narrative in biography writing. 4 © University of Pretoria ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my appreciation to the following organisations and persons who made this thesis possible: a) The research for this thesis is based on documents obtained from the Special Collections Unit at the University of Stellenbosch’s JS Gericke Library, the Etienne Leroux collection at the University of the Free State and the Nederlandse Afrikaanse Letterkundemuseum (NALN) in Bloemfontein. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the polices of these institutions. b) Ingrid Winterbach, for making certain private documents available to the researcher who, without this consent, could not have conducted the research necessary for this thesis. c) The Dagbreek Trust and the National Institute for Human and Social Sciences (NIHSS) for financial support d) The following persons are gratefully acknowledged for their assistance during the course of the study: i) Professor Jaap Steyn ii) Anoeschka von Meck iii) Prof Anthea van Jaarsveld iv) Messrs Marina Brink and Lynne Fourie e) Professor H.J. Pieterse, my supervisor, for his guidance, support and friendship. f) My wife, for her love, support and patience, and my mother, for her advice. 5 © University of Pretoria TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Introduction 8 1.2 Theoretical background 8 1.3 Methodology and structure 11 1.4 Proposed chapters structure 12 2 Letters as subgenre in Life Writing 15 2.1 Introduction 15 2.2 Letters as “egodocuments” 16 2.3 Discussion of key terms 17 2.4 Summary 34 3 Comparative study 35 3.1 Introduction 35 3.2 Fact and fiction in a life story 36 3.3 Etienne Leroux and Charles Bukowski: Two outsiders 38 3.4 Leroux: ’n Lewe and Charles Bukowski: A brief comparison 43 3.5 The biographer’s choice 51 3.6 Summary 54 4 Findings 57 4.1 Introduction 57 6 © University of Pretoria 4.2 Letters: South Africa and the international context 57 4.3 Possible future research topics 58 4.4 Letters as part of Etienne Leroux’s ouevre 59 4.5 Correspondence as an integral part of Life Writing narrative 60 4.6 Sources in the practice of Life Writing 64 4.7 Summary 68 5 A collection of edited and contextualised letters of Etienne Leroux. 70 With an introduction and editorial account 5.1 Leroux letters: The background 70 5.2 Introduction and editorial account 72 5.3 Briewe van Etienne Leroux 74 6 Manuscript: Vier en veertig, agtien 235 7 © University of Pretoria Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction In this chapter the researcher sets out to explain the topic that forms the basis of this study. Firstly, some theoretical background will be provided in order to create a context in which the research is done. This includes introducing the primary and secondary research questions. An explanation will then be provided of the methodology and structure to be followed in this study, followed by an allusion to the potential limitations that this research project may face. Finally, an outline of the proposed chapters that will follow in this thesis will be provided. 1.2 Theoretical background Roy Pascal (1985: 26) poses the question: how far does life have any inherent pattern? What is legitimate to rearrange for effect – or even for a quest for higher truth? In this thesis the researcher will use “Life Writing”, defined by Jolly (2001) as something that "encompasses the writing of one's own or another's life”, as the umbrella term for the study of a subject’s life. When a subject’s life is being documented, the writer has to make decisions: what to include and omit, how many details are necessary about certain events, etc. In The Art of Biography, American historian and biographer John A. Garraty warns against the writer being led astray by a too deep and wide an investigation. When one chooses to write about the life of another, it is essential that a specific choice is made in terms of what sources to use and to what effect. “Judgement is very important in deciding where laborious original research is called for and where not (Garraty 1985: 214). It is therefore not possible to document a life without manipulating the facts a bit. Gudmundsdóttir (2003: 4) states that, because the biographer structures his / her subject’s storyline and “orders events to create certain effects”, even the most academic of life stories contain characteristics usually associated with fiction. A life story is not merely a collection of historical or chronological events; it is the goal of the life writer to add colour to these events and 8 © University of Pretoria reveal more about the subject around which these events take place. Life Writing is not synonymous with history writing, although there is a bond. In his book How To Do Biography: A Primer, Nigel Hamilton refers to a degree of distrust one might have in history, “for although historians claimed to give the facts of people’s actions, they do not give credible motives” (Hamilton 2008: 10). This is where letters play an integral part in the portrayal of a life: these personal documents offer not only a view of the chronological events in the subject’s life, it also allows a first-hand look at the subject’s experience and reaction to these events, as well as an inside glimpse of his / her thoughts and ideas. The researcher of this study will focus on letters as a form of Life Writing to establish to what degree this source has an impact on the narrative of a life story – with specific reference to biography. As basis for this study, the researcher will investigate the use of personal letters by J.C. Kannemeyer in Leroux: ’n Lewe, in order to establish to what degree the biographer relied on these documents to portray the life of his subject.
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