Ideology and form in South African autobiographical writing : a study of the autobiographies of five South Africa authors
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Authors
Ngwenya, Thengamehlo Harold
Issue Date
1996-11
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Relying on Lucien Goldmann's theory of genetic structuralism, this study
examines the relationship between ideology (world vision) and the
autobiographical form in South African writing. The five autobiographers selected
for discussion represent different social groups in the South African social
formation. The central argument of this thesis is that there is a relationship
between autobiographical self-portraiture and the collective interests, values and
attitudes of particular social groups in South Africa. Therefore, most South
African autobiographies are more concerned with the articulation of collective
consciousness than with the celebration of individual talents and achievements.
Chapter 1 on Peter Abrahams explores the values underpinning the ideology of
liberal humanism and their influence on the process of self-representation within
the mode of autobiography. The second chapter examines the apparently
contradictory conceptions of self-identity in Bloke Modisane's autobiography.
Chapter three focuses on the conflict between Naboth Mokgatle's ethnic loyalty
to the Bafokeng tribe and his newly acquired radical working class consciousness.
The fourth chapter examines the liberal-Christian ideology in Alan Paton's two
volumes of autobiography. The fifth and final chapter explores counter hegemonic
modes of self-definition in Sindiwe Magona's two-volumed autobiography. In all
the five chapters there is an attempt to link the authors' self-presentation to specific
social classes or groups.
The thesis argues for a literary-sociological approach to the analysis of
autobiography and seeks to challenge the deconstructive theoretical perspectives
on autobiography which, by rejecting the validity of humanist assumptions
regarding human subjectivity, deny any possibility of meaningful socio-political
action.
Description
Citation
Ngwenya, Thengamehlo Harold (1996) Ideology and form in South African autobiographical writing : a study of the autobiographies of five South Africa authors, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17577>