Post-apartheid South African fiction has been the subject of much heated debate. One
specific aspect of this debate has revolved around the role of history in this fiction. This
is linked to general concerns in the country around ways of understanding history,
especially in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s research into the
past. Tracing the lines of debate which emerged out of the discussions around the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, this research report focuses on the way history is
presented in two novels from the post-apartheid period. These novels are This Day and
Age by Mike Nicol and The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda. Each of the two novels
concerns a specific incident from the past of South Africa, the Bulhoek massacre and the
Xhosa cattle-killing respectively. Through tracing their intertextual relations with
mainstream accounts of the historical events, the research shows how they interrogate
these accounts. Detailed examination of the portrayal of history in each of the novels
leads to conclusions being drawn about the way in which the novels conceive of such
historical ideas as causality, linearity and responsibility. Finally, the research examines
the role of prophecy in the novels, showing how in both of the texts prophecy can be read
as an alternative explanation for events. The research endeavours ultimately to contribute
to the body of critical thought concerning the analysis of post-apartheid South African
fiction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/5867 |
| Date | 04 December 2008 |
| Creators | Saccaggi, Carolina Francesca |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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