Trauma, narrative and ethics in J.M. Coetzee’s selected fiction

Abstract

The traumatic encounter in J.M. Coetzee’s representation of colonialism is shown to facilitate the ethical evolvement of his protagonists. However, in order for characters to attain ethical salvation, it is necessary that they come into proximity with the Other. In narratives that deconstruct colonial discourses, Coetzee attempts to expose the workings of myth both in the enactment and sustenance of the colonial project to show that myth is coextensive with violence in colonialism and that violence is a concomitant of colonialism. In anti-realist narratives that represent human and animal Other, it is shown that the citation of an alleged quietism in Coetzee’s narratives fails to take into account his scrupulous ethical stance against suffering and oppression and that he contests authority by foregrounding alterity. Hence his refusal to publicly express his political views is problematised.Consequently, his hospitality settings suggest a postcolonial ethics based on interrogating language.

Dit is bewys dat die traumatiesekonfrontasie in J.M. Coetzee se kolonialisme die etiese ontknoping van syprotagonistegefasiliteer het. Vir karakters om egteretiese redding te verkry, is dit nodig dat hulle nader aan die Ander beweeg. In narratiewe waar koloniale diskoersegedekonstrueerword, poog Coetzee om die werking van mites in beide die uitleef en onderhoud van die koloniale projek bloot te lê en sodoende te wys dat die omvang van die mite in kolonialisme, gelyk is aan geweld en dat geweld ’n byverskynsel van kolonialisme is. Anti-realis narratiewe wat die Ander van mens en dier verteenwoordig, toon dat die aanhaal van ’n beweerde quiëtisme in Coetzee se narratiewenie daarin slaag om sy gewetensvolle etiese standpunt teen lyding en verdrukking in aanmerking te neem nie en dat hygesagbeveg deur andersheid voorop te stel. Derhalwewordsyweiering om sy politieke menings openbaar te maak, as probleem gesien. Gevolglik suggereer sygasvryheidraamwerk ’n post-kolonialeetiek wat op die interrogasie van taal gebaseer is.

Ukuhlangana okudabukisayo ekumeleleni kuka-J.M. Coetzee kobukoloni kuboniswa ukusiza ukuthuthuka kwesimilo sabalingiswa bakhe. Kodwa-ke, ukuze abalingiswa bathole insindiso yesimilo, kuyadingeka ukuthi basondelane Nomunye. Ezindabeni ezisusa ukwakhiwa kwezinkulumo zamakholoni, u-Coetzee uzama ukudalula ukusebenza kwenganekwane kokubili ekusungulweni nasekusekelweni kwephrojekthi yamakholoni ukukhombisa ukuthi inganekwane ihlangene nodlame ku-colonialism nokuthi udlame luhambisana nobukoloniyali. Ezindabeni ezimelene namaqiniso amele umuntu nesilwane Okunye, kuboniswa ukuthi ukucashunwa kwezinsolo zokuthi cwaka ezilandweni zika-Coetzee kwehluleka ukubheka isimo sakhe sokuziphatha esiqinile ngokumelene nokuhlupheka nengcindezelo kanye nokuthi uphikisana negunya ngokwenza ushintsho olungaphambili. Ngakho-ke ukwenqaba kwakhe ukuveza imibono yakhe yezombusazwe kuyinkinga.Ngakho-ke, izilungiselelo zakhe zokungenisa izihambi ziphakamisa izimiso ze-postcolonial ezisekelwe olimini lokuphenya.