In hierdie studio word die verhouding v nagegaan tussen D J Opperman se lcmi«teorie, sy literdre teorie, kritiek on verspraktyk. Die kunsteorie word ondersoek volgens vier aspekte wat ons in sy kritiese ©n teoreties© geskrifte dn in sy poSsie aantrof, naamlik (i) kuns as boosf (ii) vereenselwiging* (iii) bestendiging, (iv) die vreemde dool. Dele Van Opperman se opstel "Kuns is boos!" toon ooreens komste met sy gedigte, bv. met die "Brandaan"-sonne11e,

Intreerede--Universiteit van die Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / Bibliography: p. 24.

Intreerede--Universiteit van die Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / Bibliography: p. 24.

This study is an investigation regarding the nature of the fantasy as a literary form, with special reference to children's literature. In Chapter 1 some recent theories on fantasy are examined in order to establish a theoretical basis for the study. A model is proposed in which the fantasy element is seen as the defining quality of the fantasy tale. This element consists of the depicting of events that are by nature "outside" of reality. In Chapter 2 the theory discussed in Chapter 1 is applied to three literary works traditionally regarded as fantasies. They are: the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; Huppel en sy maats by W.O. Kuhne and Ken jy die Kierangbos? by Freda Linde. Although these works do not all conform to the theories discussed in Chapter 1, it can be concluded that the fantasy element is central in each one and that they can therefore be defined as fantasies. In Chapter 3 the role of symbolism in the fantasy is considered. It is found that although symbolism is often used in this literary category, it is not a distinguishing quality of the fantasy. In Chapter 4 the specified works are examined as literature for children, with the aim of determining the relation between the fantasy and children's literature. It is concluded that the nature of the fantasy as a literary form makes it especially suitable for children because of the child's perception of reality. Chapter 5 consists of a summary of the findings in the previous three chapters. In conclusion the model proposed in Chapter 1 is re-examined. Fantasy is seen as a comprehensive literary category wi th sub-categories providing for the variety of literary works classified as fantasies according to the definition proposed.

In Afrikaans literature, the farm concept has a history of entanglement with ideals that are racist and nationalist. The early plaasroman (farm novel in Afrikaans) subgenre was a product of the 1920s and the 1930s, a period when Afrikaner nationalism was incipient. Later farm novelists brought new energy to the plaasroman during the second half of the twentieth century. In the modern plaasroman subgenre, challenges to racist-nationalist ideals are exhibited, along with ideals of the early plaasroman. The following study is an attempt to gauge whether, and the extent to which, three modern plaasromans are an expression of border thinking. These novels are Etienne Leroux's Seven Days at the Silbersteins, Etienne van Heerden's Ancestral Voices and Nadine Gordimer's The Conservationist. The paradigm of border thinking is chosen due to the similarities between its objectives, on the one hand, and the critical stance of the modern plaasroman, on the other hand. Both border thinking and the modern plaasroman can be described as a response to racial injustice and inequality. For this reason, it would seem that a study of modern plaasromans is well-suited as a context for the application of border thinking. Given that previous studies addressed challenges by modern plaasromans to racist and nationalist ideals, moreover, a study that deploys border thinking (focusing on racial injustice) is considered to be a valuable critical contribution. In order to determine whether these three novels are expressions of border thinking, this study first formulates three templates of ‘literary border thinking' (border thinking that is expressed in literature). Criteria that are derived from these templates are then used to determine whether, and the extent to which, these novels represent literary border thinking.

No description available.

Bibliography: pages 327-337. / The hypothesis of this thesis is that the prose text is a means of communication, a linguistic utterance (message) produced by a person, the speaker or narrator, and addressed to another person (the reader or narratee). In such a text the utterance has meaning in a given context, this context is created by the speaker or narrator and the reader reconstructs this context by the interpretation of the speaker's reference to person, place and time the deictic elements. This thesis has tried to determine in which way the deictic context in prose is given structure in the text. By reconstructing and interpreting the deictic context in eight shorter Afrikaans prose texts and a novel we determined that this deictic context is a given structure in the text and released from the text by the reader's interpretation of the narrator's references to the speaker, persons, the spatiotemporal context and activities. The reader determines this deictic context by: a) identifying the egocentric speaker; b) identifying and localizing references to the spatiotemporal context; c) identifying all references to person and d) the interpretation of implications in the linguistic utterance. The reader's interpretation of this deictic context leads to an interpretation of the implicated message of the text, thus completing the communication process of the literary text. It has become evident that while reading prose it is of the utmost importance to make a difference be tween narrator and focalizer to determine the egocentric speaker; that references to persons and the spatiotemporal context are to be interpreted from the viewpoint of the egocentric speaker and that implications in the text can be devided into three categories: implications in the preliminary text (title, motto, etc.), deictic implications and standard linguistic implications. The defining and restructuring of this deictic context in prose texts is valuable in that it is a method for the critical reading of prose; leads to an interpretation of the text; accentuates the integration of text elements; gives lead to a metatextual reading of the text; is a method to differentiate between genres; establishes the communication process between text and reader and is of importance when evaluating the text.

This study investigates the representation of the business world in the oeuvre of Willem Elsschot. Firstly Elsschot as businessman levels criticism at a capitalistic economic system of which he himself was part. An ambivalence, namely humanitarianism versus profit, emerge through the sober style in which Elsschot's writes. Style was very important to Elsschot. Secondly, Elsschot illuminates the ideological tension between capitalism and socialism present in his oeuvre. Thirdly Elsschot provides the reader with insight into his fiction by incorporating in a realistic manner the historical, economic and social background of the society of his time. His representation of the business world implies social commentary on the civilian life of which he was part and from which he never really escaped. He seeks through his portrayal of capitalism a more moral society where the weak would no longer be seen as objects through whose usefulness more profit could be gained for capitalism. In this way he tacitly supports socialistic notions without ever actually practising or choosing socialist party politics. Fourthly, the autobiographical aspect of Elsschot's representation of the business world deserves mention. Although the characters in his oeuvre refer back to historical figures, and he draws from his own experience to create the business world about which he writes, it would be dangerous to assume that his writing is merely a realistic representation of Elsschot's own life. Fifthly, Elsschot examines the church as an instrument in the hands of capitalism. His representation of the church serves as criticism against the Roman Catholic Church which dominated many facets of Belgian society. Elsschot considers it as hypocracy when the church and the business world are seen to behave similarly. Elsschot uses different techniques to describe the business world. Style, being the first one captures Elsschot's choice of words, his overaccentuation and his use of language. Characterization is the second technique that requires consideration. Elsschot's characters act in pairs, an outward representation of the duality, humanitarianism is profit making, ("droom versus werklikheid") that is present in his characters. Even Elsschot as successful businessman himself, Alfons de Ridder, experiences this conflict and writes under the pseudonym Willem Elsschot. The last technique that contributes to the description of the business world is the evocation of unusual worlds with which to compare the real business world. The juxtaposition of everyday occurrences with biblical events for example strengthens the irony and humour in his style. Finally, this study determines Elsschot's motivation in representing the business world in the way that he does; to what extent he is influenced by the history, the ideologies and the society of his time and to what extent he was influenced by the conventions of his time. Although Elsschot has been dead for 38 years, the vitality and realism in his oeuvre are still strong and he still has many readers.

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Thesis (MA)-- Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The creative component of the thesis deals with Coba, the disillusioned and traumatised wife of a young academic who returns from the Netherlands to her home town, Wellington, where she is confronted with the diary of her grandmother and letters from the local museum. The letters and diary then become an introduction to encounters with different women from the past of her hometown. Recorded in the diary of her grandmother is, amongst other fragments from the past, the remarkable story of the marginalised Martha Solomon(s), a coloured woman of slave descent with little schooling at a mission school in Bovlei, district of Wellington. Through a dramatic sequence of events Martha benefits through her involvement and marriage to a remitted English gentleman, enabling her to eventually donate land for the erection of a schoolbuilding in Wynberg, later known as Battswood College. Writing down and recreating the story of Martha Solomon(s) and her (Martha's) encounter with contemporary women from different social levels, has a salutary effect on Coba. Her home surroundings also contribute to this healing effect. She gains insight and through this manages to cross certain psychological barriers, her "Limit Mountains" - the name of the mountains surrounding Wellington which becomes the main metaphor sustained throughout the story. To date the story of Martha Solomon(s) has remained unexplored in the history of Wellington, and can be regarded as a "little narrative." Parallel to the history of Martha Solomon(s), runs the mainstream history of Wellington of the 1870's, a period in which the first Christian School for Girls was founded by Dr Andrew Murray, Abbie Ferguson and Anna Bliss. To date (2000) the ironic parallel between Abbie Ferguson's dynamic initiatives and Martha's later initiatives in Wynberg to relieve the educational needs of her people, has not been fully explored. By fictionalising and foregrounding the little narrative of Martha Solomon(s), new perspectives on mainstream history are brought to the fore and historic ironies highlighted. The inclusion of letters, fragments from diaries and photo material as part of the text creates a defictionalising illusion. The historic component of the thesis gives, as far as possible, a chronological account of the different versions of the story of Martha and its sources; also of historic events which are fictionalised in Limietberge. Inthe component concerning literary theory an account is given of the meaning of historic trivia in this particular investigation. There is a brief allusion to New Historicism, a view on history which points out the complicated relationship between history and fiction, and the subjectivity of all records of historical events. Certain postmodern techniques are given account of in an otherwise conventional story with a linear sequence of events. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die skeppende komponent van die tesis handeloor Coba, die ontnugterde en getraumatiseerde vrou van 'njong akademikus wat uit Nederland terugkeer na haar tuisdorp, Wellington, waar sy deur die navorsing van haar moeder met die dagboek van haar ouma en ou briewe uit die plaaslike museum gekonfronteer word. Dié briewe en dagboek word die aanknopingspunte vir haar ontmoeting met enkele vrouefigure uit die verlede van haar tuisdorp. Ingeskrewe in die dagboek van haar ouma, is onder andere die merkwaardige verhaal van die gemarginaliseerde Martha Solomons, 'n bruin vrou van slaweherkoms en met geringe skoling aan 'n sendingskool in die Bovlei, distrik Wellington. Die historiese figuur Martha Solomon(s) word deur 'n dramatiese verwikkeling dermate bevoordeel deur haar verbintenis met 'n Engelse edelman wat deur sy familie verwerp is, dat sy in staat is om grond te skenk vir 'n skool wat later ontwikkel in die Battswood Kollege, Wynberg. Die neerskryf en herskepping van dié verhaal van Martha Solomon( s) en van laasgenoemde se ontmoeting met ander vroue uit verskillende sosiale sfere van die tyd, werk mettertyd genesend op Coba in. Hiertoe dra ook die salwende invloed by van haar tuisomgewing. Sy kom tot insig en deurbreek daarmee sekere psigologiese versperrings, haar "Limietberge" - die naam van die berge rondom Wellington wat deurgaans as metafoor gebruik word. Die verhaal van Martha Solomon( s)/Grey het tot dusver min aandag in die geskiedenisoptekening van Wellington gekry, en kan as "kleingeskiedenis"gesien word. Parallel met die kleingeskiedenis van Martha Solomon( s), loop die Victoriaanse hoofstroom-geskiedenis van Wellington van die sewentigerjare van die negentiende eeu; 'n tydperk waarin daar met die eerste Christelike hoërskool vir dogters onder aanvoering van dr.Andrew Murray en die Amerikaners Abbie Ferguson en Anna Bliss begin is. Ingebou in die ondersoek maar nog onontgin, is die ironiese parallelle tussen Abbie se dinamiese inisiatiewe met die uitbou van die Seminarium, en Martha se latere inisiatiewe by die onderwysnood onder haar mense. Deur die kleingeskiedenis van Martha Solomon(s) te fiksionaliseer,word nuwe lig op die hoofstroom geplaas, en historiese ironieë uitgewys. Deur die plasing van briewe, :fragmenteuit dagboeke en fotomateriaal as integrale deel van die teks, word de:fiksionalisering bewerkstellig. Die historiese komponent van die tesis gee sover moontlik chronologies verslag van alle weergawes van die Martha-verhaaJ en sy bronne, asook van historiese gebeure uit die Wellingtongeskiedenis wat in Limietberge gefiksionaliseer is. In die literêr-teoretiese komponent word verslag gegee van die betekenis van die kleingeskiedenis- optekening van die ondersoek, en van die Nuwe Historisisme - 'n siening omtrent geskiedenis wat onder andere die ingewikkelde verhouding tussen geskiedenis en fiksie, asook die subjektiewe aard van geskiedenis-optekening uitwys. Sekere postmoderne tegnieke word in dié afdeling ook uitgewys en verantwoord.