Die verhouding tussen trauma en magiese realisme in Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) deur Christoffel Coetzee

Abstract

ENGLISH: The relationship between trauma and magical realism in Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz by Christoffel Coetzee.

This article investigates the relationship between trauma and magical realism in the Afrikaans novel Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) by Christoffel Coetzee. A lot of research has been conducted regarding the Afrikaans variant of magical realism on the one hand and trauma theory on the other. However, the relationship between these two aspects in Afrikaans literary texts has not been researched in greater depth – despite the fact that magical-realist texts often depict and involve traumatic moments from history.

In the theoretical section of the article the concept of trauma – which is a wide notion – is investigated in order to create a functional framework for an analysis of the depiction of trauma in Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz. To achieve this, an overview is provided of the development of trauma theory, from its early use in psychoanalysis and psychology, in which it was suggested that traumatic experience can harm the body both physically and psychologically. Here brief reference is made to the work of Sigmund Freud and how his “talking cure” was created as an attempt to help those who had suffered traumatic experiences to come to terms with the event (Roth 2012:81). The American Psychiatric Association (2013:274) includes the following concepts in the definition of trauma: “exposure to war”, “threatened or actual physical assault”, “threatened or actual sexual violence”, “being kidnapped [or] taken hostage”, “terrorist attack, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war, natural or human-made disasters, and severe motor vehicle accidents”. The aforementioned definitional elements are used in the context of this study in order to further define that which is considered to be a traumatic experience. It is determined that a traumatic event can be any event that “defies reason and a sense of order, cripples our ability to maintain a stable sense of reality, challenges our categories of understanding and consequently the model of the world by which we unconsciously operate” (Granofsky 1995:8). For an experience or event to qualify as traumatic it must have a disruptive effect on one’s everyday interaction with one’s environment, through which the victim will often re-experience said event.

The use of the trauma concept in literary studies is then explored. Berger (1997:571–2) notes that the prevalence of traumatic experience in literature has much to do with the great events of the 20th century, such as wars, which have shaped the ways in which society views the world. Within this context, the literary work is viewed as a testing ground wherein various traumas can be relived and re-enacted upon various subjects and scenarios. Through the adaptation of concepts from psychoanalysis and psychology, it is possible to analyse the cultural product (here the literary text) to form a panoramic view of a specific culture’s conceptions of trauma. Through the literary depiction of individual and collective traumas from the past, readers can attempt to better understand the traumatic patterns that are characteristic of a specific culture. In this way, trauma itself may be better understood.

According to Van der Merwe and Gobodo-Madikizela (2008:1), to live is to inherently create a narrative. Narratives have an implicit ordering function, because events are selected by the creator of the narrative and presented in a specific way to attach meaning to events. Similar to Granofsky (1995) and Hermans (2010), Van der Merwe and Gobodo-Madikizela (2008:6) state that a traumatic experience or event can often lead to the disruption of the created narrative order. Furthermore, individual narratives are situated within “patterns of existing discourses”, and so lives can be depicted as meaningful and orderly narratives that fall into a greater collective narrative (Van der Merwe en Gobodo-Madikizela 2008:2).

Eventually, the narration of traumatic experience can be seen as a process of healing (Caruth 1995:vii) – an attempt to bring order to the chaotic world in which we exist through a form of narrative therapy. However, trauma narratives do not necessarily imply a healing process, as literature focuses specifically on the fact that sometimes there is no order to be found.

To further illuminate the issues surrounding the notion of literature as therapy, a brief overview is presented of major studies on trauma in Afrikaans literature. The different –and often opposing – positions of Van Coller (1997, 2005, 2006) and John (2000, 2006, 2008, 2010) are considered. Van Coller attaches some importance to the notion of literature as healing/therapy, while John views this position as “colonisation” of literary studies by psychology. It is concluded that when working with trauma narratives, there is a tenuous balance between the therapeutic value and aims of the text on the one hand, and the aesthetic aspects of the text on the other hand.

With reference to Van den Berg (2011) the problematic notion of the trauma of the perpetrators is also considered. It is noted that the depiction of the misdeeds of the perpetrators and the trauma this causes for the perpetrators must not be viewed in such a way as to sympathise with the position of the perpetrator, but rather to come to a better understanding of trauma (Metz 201:1037).

In the second part of the theoretical overview, brief attention is given to Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz as a text with strong magical-realist elements. The discussion also highlights the relationship between the events often depicted in such texts and the depiction of trauma in literature. This study does not aim to typify Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz as a magical-realist text per se, but merely to highlight the magical-realist characteristics that exist in the novel, as these will be utilised in the analysis of the text.

A literary-historical synopsis of the relatively recent wave of interest in the South African War is undertaken, as it is a core focus of much post-apartheid Afrikaans literature. Along with an overview of the socio-political reasons for the noted interest in the South African War, it is indicated how the events depicted in the novel can be read as an allegory of many issues faced by South Africa after 1990. The reasons for the renewed interest in the South African War can be summarised as follows: the centenary of the war; the Afrikaners’ loss of political power after the first democratic elections in 1994; the Afrikaners’ very public confrontation with collective misdeeds of the past that came to light during the testimonies given at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings; and the prominence of violence and trauma throughout the history of South Africa.

Hereafter, an analysis of Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz is presented in which the relationships between the literary depiction of trauma and magical realism is explored. The analysis focuses on the epic elements of setting, narrator/focaliser and character. Through the analysis of the setting of the novel it is determined that the Brandwaterkom functions as a microcosm of Southern Africa during the South African War. Within this microcosm a number of traumas are depicted and explored, including mortality, accountability and responsibility (for misdeeds), as well as the infliction and experience of severe violence.

Through an analysis of the narrative of the character Frans, the character’s own exploration of his responsibility for the misdeeds of Mentz’s Wraakkommando is explored. This is viewed in relation to his experience of traumatic incidents. It is clear that Frans’s traumatic experiences have caused a disruption in his personal narrative, which he has not yet been able accept. Through the depiction of the extreme violence Frans participates in, the romantic historiography of the South African War is undermined, while parallels are also drawn with the current high levels of crime in South Africa. In doing this, there is a clear attempt to understand violence itself, while also perhaps attempting to understand current issues in South African society.

In the analysis of Ounooi’s narrative the focus is placed on the trauma of Ounooi’s brush with mortality in her experience of the death her sister, Anne, and Anne’s lover, Charlie White. Furthermore, the way in which Ounooi uses the idea of the physical wound to explain the lasting effects of trauma is also discussed.

Lastly, the characterisation of Mannetjies Mentz is explained through a comparison of Mentz as he is described in the different narratives of Frans and Ounooi. The allegorical nature of Mentz is discussed, and it is concluded that his position as the everyman holds wider implications for his wounding, scars, and complicity in a cycle of violence (in which he is both perpetrator and victim). Through his multiple magical characteristics, the characterisation of General Mentz becomes a more nuanced depiction of both collective and individual trauma. In the last part of the analysis, the idea of Mentz, Voss, and Niemann as a trinity of evil is used to further support the idea of Mentz as a nuanced depiction of human nature.

In conclusion, it is found that Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz, with its magical-realist elements, is very effective not only as a text that seeks to understand not only the South African War and its traumas, but also as a text which involves the trauma of present-day South Africa on an allegorical level.

Hierdie artikel ondersoek die verband tussen trauma en magiese realisme in die roman Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) deur Christoffel Coetzee. Heelwat navorsing is al onderneem oor die Afrikaanse variant van magiese realisme enersyds en traumateorie andersyds, maar die verband tussen hierdie twee aspekte in Afrikaanse literêre tekste is nog nie indringend ondersoek nie, ten spyte daarvan dat magies-realistiese tekste dikwels gemoeid is met traumatiese momente uit die geskiedenis. Eerstens word die begrip trauma – wat ’n baie wye begrip is – ondersoek om ’n funksionele raamwerk vir ’n ondersoek na die uitbeelding van trauma in Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz daar te stel. Tweedens word aandag geskenk aan die literêr-historiese konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog, aangesien dit ’n kernfokus vorm van postapartheid Afrikaanse letterkunde en ook magies-realistiese romans van die afgelope vyftien jaar. Derdens word ondersoek ingestel na die verbande tussen die literêre beelding van trauma en magiese realisme deur ’n ontleding van Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz. In die ontleding word gefokus op die epiese elemente van ruimte, verteller/fokalisator en karakter. Daar word bevind dat Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz deur sy magies-realistiese kenmerke uiters effektief is nie net as ’n teks oor die trauma van die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog nie, maar ook as ’n teks wat op allegoriese vlak die trauma van hedendaagse Suid-Afrika betrek.

AFRIKAANS: Hierdie artikel ondersoek die verband tussen trauma en magiese realisme in die roman Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) deur Christoffel Coetzee. Heelwat navorsing is al onderneem oor die Afrikaanse variant van magiese realisme enersyds en traumateorie andersyds, maar die verband tussen hierdie twee aspekte in Afrikaanse literêre tekste is nog nie indringend ondersoek nie, ten spyte daarvan dat magies-realistiese tekste dikwels gemoeid is met traumatiese momente uit die geskiedenis. Eerstens word die begrip trauma – wat ’n baie wye begrip is – ondersoek om ’n funksionele raamwerk vir ’n ondersoek na die uitbeelding van trauma in Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz daar te stel. Tweedens word aandag geskenk aan die literêr-historiese konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog, aangesien dit ’n kernfokus vorm van postapartheid Afrikaanse letterkunde en ook magies-realistiese romans van die afgelope vyftien jaar. Derdens word ondersoek ingestel na die verbande tussen die literêre beelding van trauma en magiese realisme deur ’n ontleding van Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz. In die ontleding word gefokus op die epiese elemente van ruimte, verteller/fokalisator en karakter. Daar word bevind dat Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz deur sy magies-realistiese kenmerke uiters effektief is nie net as ’n teks oor die trauma van die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog nie, maar ook as ’n teks wat op allegoriese vlak die trauma van hedendaagse Suid-Afrika betrek.