This dissertation sets out to analyze the manner in which the writers of dramatic fiction
deconstruct the mythology and ideology of the private boys' boarding school in their
work. It also seeks to interrogate the sociological and philosophical notions that underpin
this fictional work. The central thrust of this dissertation is to explore the representation
of the private boys' boarding school experience on the South African stage, with
particular reference to writers whose work reflects their personal experiences within such
institutions.
Private boys' boarding schools promote the ideology that they provide a superior
education based on liberal and democratic principles. These institutions supposedly
oversee the development of the individual's mental, physical, spiritual, cultural and social
education. The projected ideology of the private boys' boarding schools has become
entrenched and has manifested itself as a pervasive mythology, which glorifies and
glamourises the social reality of such institutions.
This mythology is challenged and refuted by the appropriation of various sociological,
and philosophical theorists, including: traditional Marxist critiques such as the theories of
Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (1976); structuralist theories such as those proposed
by Louis Althusser (1971) and Antonio Gramsci (1971), whose notions of hegemony
carry much relevance when considering private boys' boarding schools; and finally,
Michel Foucault's (1977) theories of power and power hierarchies (Lotringer, 1989;
Smart, 1985).
Since South Africa's democratization in 1994, a number of fictional works have emerged
that have engaged with the social reality of private boys' boarding schools. Most
notably, two plays, Anthony Akerman's Old Boys (2000) and John van de Ruit's War
Cry (1999), have highlighted issues surrounding private boys' boarding schools in South
Africa. Together with a variety of texts written for different media these works have
formed a critical base that, to some degree, has undermined the supremely positive
resonance of the entrenched private school mythology, and in so doing, challenge the
projected ideology. This dissertation's prime focus is on South African private boys'
boarding schools; however, it also includes texts that articulate the social reality of
private education in England and America. These texts are relevant firstly because the
South African private schools are modeled very closely on the English public school
system and secondly, because their inclusion adds weight and variety to the discussion.
Important areas of study within this dissertation will be the interpretation of the various
thematic concerns raised, and character constructions created by the various writers. This
will be underpinned by the theoretical framework, which analyzes systems of power and
power hierarchies, and the notion of hegemonic masculinity. Finally, the private boys'
boarding school will be examined as a site for hegemonic struggle where power and
privilege are continually contested in a relationship characterized by coercion and
consent. The critical discourse of the fictional texts and its theoretical underpinning will
be placed in opposition to the elitist mythology of the private boys' boarding school and
the ideology that these institutions espouse. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/9050 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Van de Ruit, John. |
| Contributors | Meskin, Tamar. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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