The aim of the study is to determine to what extent that which is distinctive of the Afrikaner nation ("volkseie") is embodied in Afrikaans literature for children. (Children's literature is understood to include literature for toddlers, children and teenagers.) A related question is whether the distinctively national in children’s literature serves a purpose and what special value it has for the child. Four aspects of the distinctively national are isolated, namely the native soil, material culture (for example domestic objects and occupations, medicine and transport), non-material culture (for example religion, folk-lore, language and children's games) and the national character. As the study concerns itself more particularly with the historical aspect of the distinctively national, some space is devoted to an outline of the origins and developmental history of the Afrikaner nation and that which, in its various manifestations, is distinctive of the Afrikaner. The God-given cultural mandate (Gen. 1: 28) is taken as point of departure and it is presupposed that the right to existence of different nations is founded on Scripture. An attempt is made to determine the extent to which the distinctively national, as manifested in the native soil, material and non-material culture and the national character, is present in certain works. For this purpose, three of the most notable authors of Afrikaans children's books, namely Freda Linde, Alba Bouwer and Hester Heese, have been studied in depth. Reference is also made to the works of certain other authors, namely Pieter W. Grobbelaar, Rona Rupert, Dora Tudor, W.O. Kuhne and P.H. Nortje. The study revealed that the distinctively national is present to a marked degree in the works of the important authors of Afrikaans children's literature. It contributes significantly to the atmosphere and milieu and in some works it forms an inherent part of the story. The distinctively national figures prominently in, particularly, the award-winning works of the authors studied. The embodiment of the distinctively national in children's literature may be of considerable value; it may help to shape the character of the Afrikaner child who faces the task of orientating himself in a hurried, and often confusing society. / MBibl, PU vir CHO, 1985
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/10245 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Coetzee, Francoise |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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