AN EXAMINATION OF THE SUITABILITY OF SOME CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICAN FICTION FOR READERS IN THE POST·DEVELOPMENTAL READING STAGE HALF·THESIS SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION OF RHODES UNIVERSITY by LORNA COLE DECEMBER 1991 TABLE OF CONTENTS (ii) Page Acknowledgements (iv) Abstract (v) Introduction (vii) Research Methodology (x) CHAPTER 1: READERS IN THE POST-DEVELOPMENTAL READING STAGE 1.1 A definition. 1 1.2 Characteristic requirements of readers in the post-developmental reading stage:- 5 1.2.1 Length of book 5 1.2.2 Abstract thinking and its implications 7 1.2.3 Searching for a sense of identity 10 1.2.4 Fantasy or reality? 12 1.3 A justification for the publishing of literature written specifically for children in the post-developmental reading stage. 23 1.4 South African literature for readers in the post-developmental reading stage. 29 1.5 Evaluation of the literature: Adults' or childrens' standards? 34 CHAPTER 2: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF SOME INDIGENOUS WORKS OF FANTASY FOR CHILDREN IN THE IMMEDIATE POST-DEVELOPMENTAL READING STAGE: MARGUERITE POLAND'S THE MANTIS AND THE MOON AND ONCE AT KWA FUBESI 2.1 Introduction: Fantasy for the older child. 40 2.2 Marguerite Poland and indigenous oral literature. 44 2.3 The narrator and the "audience". 47 2.4 Settings. 49 2.5 Language and style. 53 2.6 Characters and characterisation. 58 2.7 Plots and themes. 62 2.8 Conclusion. 67 (iii) CHAPTER 3: CONTEMPORARY REALISM IN SOUTH AFRICAN FICTION: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF PIG BY PAUL GERAGHTY AND THE KAY ABOETIES BY ELANA BREGIN Page 3.1 Introduction : Contemporary realism and adolescence. 68 3.2 The value of contemporary realism. 74 3.3 Some issues raised in Pig and The Kayaboeties: 79 3.3.1 Friendship. 83 3.3.2 Peer group pressure. 88 3.3.3 Racialism and the South African adolescent. 92 3.3.4 Relationships. 98 3.3.5 Language. 101 3.4 Realistic fiction in the classroom 104 3.5 Conclusion: The "Happy Ending" and realistic fiction. 105 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS 4.1 The upsurge in the publication of indigenous children's books. 107 4.2 Indigenous books: Too "good" to be popular? 109 4.3 A need for the promotion of the literature. 111 4.4 Meeting the requirements of children in the post-developmental reading stage. 114 4.4.1 Length of the books 114 4.4.2 Abstract thinkin~ 116 4.4.3 A sense of identity 117 4.4.4 Fantasy vs. Reality in South African literature 118 4.5 "Coming of age". 123 References 124 Newspaper reports and magazine articles 130 Annexures 131 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (iv) I should like to acknowledge my sincerest gratitude to Mr Ken Durham, my supervisor, whose continual encouragement, pertinent advice and friendly assistance have been invaluable in enabling me to conduct this study. My thanks are also extended to those members of staff of the Rhodes University Education Department who have shown an interest in this study and who have proffered assistance where relevant. I wish also to express my gratitude to Anne Warring of the National English Literary Museum who has so willingly helped me in gaining prompt access to relevant up-to-date newspaper clippings and magazine articles. My manuscript typist Mrs Heather Lister deserves a special thanks for having borne so patiently with my alterations and amendments. To those children who willingly volunteered to participate in this study, I wish to record my gratitude for your enthusiasm and your interesting views and observations. I should also like to place on record the encouragement of my mother and the support of those friends who have taken care of my children when the necessity has arisen. Finally, I wish to thank my family, my husband Shaughan, my children Catherine, Bridget and Brendan, without whose enduring patience this study could not have been completed. ABSTRACT (v) Adverse criticism regarding the quantity and quality of children's books in South Africa appear in such respected sources as The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature and The Companion to South African English Literature, the authors of which are of the opinion that South African children are dependent solely upon Eurocentric literature for their reading material. In recent years however, local publishers have attempted to redress this imbalance by offering prizes for unpublished works. These prizes have acted as incentives for aspiring writers, many of whom have had novels published specifically for children in the post-developmental reading stage. This study critically examines some of these prizewinning works of fantasy and contemporary realism, in an effort to gauge their literary worth within the context of accepted criteria for judging children's literature. Accolades from adults are not however a guarantee that the prizewinning books will be received with equal acclaim by the children for whom they are written. For this reason, five children in the post-developmental reading stage were asked to pass their opinions and non-literary judgments on the books. Although the critical evaluation of the indigenous works proves them to be eminently worthy of the prizes which they received on publication, the children did not rate them as highly as certain imported works. The works of fantasy by Marguerite Poland rated poorly in terms of their popularity despite the fact that the children said that in a non-circumscribed context, they choose fantasy in preference to contemporary realism. Within the context of the indigenous literature which they read for this study though, they preferred the works of contemporary realism as they were able to identify with particular aspects of the novels. Indigenous literature for children in the post -developmental reading stage is a comparatively new phenomenon which needs to be nurtured if it is to attain any (vi) lasting status. The onus rests upon the teachers of literature and librarians to introduce the literature and make the books more accessible to young readers. Publishers need perhaps to engage the views and opinions of the audience for whom the books are written in an effort to publish books which, without in any way detracting from their literary worth, will deal with subjects favoured by young readers. INTRODUCTION (vii) At the dawn of the Twenty-first century, great changes in South African education will have been wrought. In the present system of education, English First Language pupils are taught in a somewhat insular fashion, studying European and American literature, often to the exclusion of what our indigenous authors have to offer. The reasons for this appear to be multi-faceted and often obscure, but perhaps one of the reasons for its lack of popularity is the fact that much of what has been written has been subjected to sceptical views regarding its intrinsic worth. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (1984 : 491) claims that "the English-speaking population of South Africa imports almost all its children's books, chiefly from Great Britain ... the general quality of (indigenous) books is poor". The Companion to South African English Literature (1985 : 51) states that relatively few books have been written "for the enjoyment of S.A. children, and those that have appeared have served largely to underline the dearth of talent in this field". But the status quo of indigenous publications for English-speaking children has been undergoing changes. In 1974 the Percy Fitzpatrick Award was instituted by the S.A. Institute for Librarianship and Information Science and is awarded for children's literature of outstanding quality. The Young Africa Award from Maskew Miller Longman Publishers, and the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature are presented annually to writers of unpublished novels with an indigenous flavour. Volkskas and the Old Mutual also present annual awards, based on category rotation, for English or Afrikaans literature. These prizes have acted as incentives for aspiring writers, who have reacted by producing a variety of fiction, (particularly for readers in the 12 - 15 year age group), which has assisted in closing the erstwhile gap in the indigenous literature market, and which, as this study hopes to show, compares favourably with much of the contemporary fiction written for this age group in other countries. (viii) Selected works of English South African fiction, namely The Mantis and the Moon and Once at Kwa Fubesi by Marguerite Poland, Pig by Paul Geraghty and The Kayaboeties by Elana Bregin have been chosen as main primary texts for the purposes of this study because of their contrasting subject matter. The former two are works of fantasy and the latter two are works of contemporary realism. All of the books have received local prizes. Marguerite Poland's the Sir Percy Fitzpatrick Award, and Pig and The Kayaboeties the Maskew Miller Longman Award. These four texts have been chosen for analysis as they appear to be fairly representative of the significant number of titles which have been published in recent years. Reference to other South African works of fiction will be made in order to draw comparisons and highlight similarities in subject-matter and themes. By using the standard procedures of literary research, namely the close reading and critical analysis of primary texts, with special emphasis on themes, plots, characterisation and language, and by making constant appropriate reference to accepted authorities on children's literature, this study it is hoped, will serve to illuminate the importance of this burgeoning body of literature to our young readers who are now in the position to augment their reading material, which until recently has been largely Eurocentric. However, the books under scrutiny in this study have been written for children, and as much as they may be lauded by the adult critic, it is the children who ultimately have to read and enjoy them.