In the trap of plaas. Postcolonial rewriting of the South African farm novel Cover Image

W pułapce plaas. Postkolonialne reinterpretacje południowoafrykańskiej powieści farmerskiej
In the trap of plaas. Postcolonial rewriting of the South African farm novel

Author(s): Natalia Schiller
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe
Keywords: farm novel; plaasroman; South African literature; postcolonialism; J.M. Coetzee; Nadine Gordimer; Doris Lessing

Summary/Abstract: The article contains a generic analysis of a traditional South African farm novel (plaasroman) including current reception of this genre within contemporary post-colonial fiction. A classic plaasroman was based on social values such as nationalism, racism and patriarchalism, which constituted a sense of national identity of the Boers, but also became the basis of the institutionalized racial discrimination. For this reason, the main narrative theme of plaasroman has been critically rewritten by the writers who contested colonial authority. These reinterpretations are being discussed based on three examples — Life and Times of Michael K. by J. M. Coetzee, The grass is singing by Doris Lessing and The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer.

  • Issue Year: 57/2014
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43-57
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish