Coming to Terms with the Past - Reconciling Gender Issues

Female Protagonists in Male Authored South African Fiction

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Coming to Terms with the Past - Reconciling Gender Issues by Kirstine Steno, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kirstine Steno ISBN: 9783656037187
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: October 26, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Kirstine Steno
ISBN: 9783656037187
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: October 26, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Literature - Africa, grade: BA, University of Copenhagen (Institute of English, Germanic and Romance Studies), course: South African Literature/Postcolonial Studies, language: English, abstract: In the latter part of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century it has become more and more common for men to write feminine literature. Although this seems like a contradiction, Monica Bungaro points out that 'in principle, men can be feminists,' but as she continues 'they cannot be women.' (Bungaro, 2005: 48) Representing the oppressed Other is always precarious, particularly when you are a member of the oppressing class. Consequently, even the male feminist inherently carries the burden of being an oppressor of women and his representations will necessarily be scrutinized to a larger extend than similar works written by women. In this paper, I will venture an analysis of such male authored representations of the feminine as I explore two male authors' construction of female characters and their 'imagined perspective of the opposite sex.' (Morgan, 1994: 1) For this paper I have chosen to work with the novels Imaginings of Sand by André Brink and Achmat Dangor's Bitter Fruit . These authors represent two different demographics, Whites and Coloreds respectively. Not only do they have different skin colors, they each take departure in two different eras of post-apartheid South Africa. After decades of apartheid rule, the country's first democratic election took place on April 27th 1994. To most South Africans, this day represented the beginning of the new South Africa; the Rainbow Nation that was to unite all races under one democratic government. The euphoria of this truly significant event left its mark on contemporaries such as André Brink who had witnessed the liberation struggle and criticized the apartheid regime for years. The first novel he released after 1994, Imaginings of Sand, is thus marked by the enthusiasm that denominated the time. Brink himself describes the year of publishing as '... a time when the newness has not quite worn off but the euphoria of freedom has begun to give way to a more realistic assessment of where we have come from, where we are now, and where we may be heading for.' (Brink, 1996: 1) [...]

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Literature - Africa, grade: BA, University of Copenhagen (Institute of English, Germanic and Romance Studies), course: South African Literature/Postcolonial Studies, language: English, abstract: In the latter part of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century it has become more and more common for men to write feminine literature. Although this seems like a contradiction, Monica Bungaro points out that 'in principle, men can be feminists,' but as she continues 'they cannot be women.' (Bungaro, 2005: 48) Representing the oppressed Other is always precarious, particularly when you are a member of the oppressing class. Consequently, even the male feminist inherently carries the burden of being an oppressor of women and his representations will necessarily be scrutinized to a larger extend than similar works written by women. In this paper, I will venture an analysis of such male authored representations of the feminine as I explore two male authors' construction of female characters and their 'imagined perspective of the opposite sex.' (Morgan, 1994: 1) For this paper I have chosen to work with the novels Imaginings of Sand by André Brink and Achmat Dangor's Bitter Fruit . These authors represent two different demographics, Whites and Coloreds respectively. Not only do they have different skin colors, they each take departure in two different eras of post-apartheid South Africa. After decades of apartheid rule, the country's first democratic election took place on April 27th 1994. To most South Africans, this day represented the beginning of the new South Africa; the Rainbow Nation that was to unite all races under one democratic government. The euphoria of this truly significant event left its mark on contemporaries such as André Brink who had witnessed the liberation struggle and criticized the apartheid regime for years. The first novel he released after 1994, Imaginings of Sand, is thus marked by the enthusiasm that denominated the time. Brink himself describes the year of publishing as '... a time when the newness has not quite worn off but the euphoria of freedom has begun to give way to a more realistic assessment of where we have come from, where we are now, and where we may be heading for.' (Brink, 1996: 1) [...]

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Die Versuchungen Jesu by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Das Währungssystem von Bretton Woods 1944 bis 1971 by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Pu?kins 'Eugen Onegin'. Die Entwicklung des Protagonisten weg vom Byronschen Helden by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Staat und Bürger by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Rotationsenergie starrer Körper - Protokoll zum Versuch by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Diskussion um eine 'Neue Regionale Geographie' by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Carmen 2, 3, 5 und 7 von Catullus. Die sexuelle Deutung der 'passer'- und Kuss-Gedichte by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Milieuspezifische Anerkennungsmuster und ihre Auswirkungen auf den Akteur im Sozialraum aus der Sicht Pierre Bourdieus by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Balanced Scorecards in Banken by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Das Hörbuch und seine Verwendung im Literaturunterricht der Grundschule by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Die Rolle der Prätorianer beim Sturz Neros unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Präfekten Gaius Nymphidius Sabinis und Gaius Ofonius Tigellinus by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Der fantastische Abenteuerroman. Exemplarische Analyse anhand des Kinderbuches 'Ronja Räubertochter' von Astrid Lindgren by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Auswahl von Stichproben. Verschiedene Methoden und ihre Vor- und Nachteile by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Der NATO-Beitritt von Norwegen, Dänemark und Island by Kirstine Steno
Cover of the book Multi-Channel-Handel in der Textilbranche by Kirstine Steno
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy