disgrace-chou kimberly

8/13/2019 Disgrace-Chou Kimberly

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This place being South Africa:Reading race, sex and power in J.M. oet!ee"s #isgrace

b$

%i&berl$ hou

A thesis presented for the '.A. degreewith (onors in

The #epart&ent of )nglish

*ni+ersit$ of Michigan

Spring --


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/ %i&berl$ hou 01 March --


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2or fellow readers who ha+e pic3ed up this deepl$ pro+ocati+e no+el and found the&sel+es at its

close with &ore 4uestions than answers5and for those who ha+e $et to 6oin the con+ersation.


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Ac3nowledge&ents

7 a& indebted to &$ ad+isor, Jennifer 8en!el, for her guidance, patience and forthright

criticis&. Than3 $ou for challenging &e to challenge &$self, and for sharing great appreciation for

the wor3 of J.M. oet!ee and, &ost i&portantl$, a lo+e of South Africa.

Than3 $ou to ath$ Sano3 and Andrea 9e&gul$s, for unwa+ering support throughout the

thesiswriting process.

Than3 $ou to the -- )nglish honors thesis cohort for creating a space of encourage&ent

and co&&iseration.

Than3 $ou to the peers and professors at the *ni+ersit$ of ape Town who influenced

earl$ de+elop&ent of this pro6ect. A special than3 $ou to ;bs 'oo3s in ;bser+ator$, ape Town.

Than3 $ou to &$ fa&il$ and friends, who ha+e, at this point, li3el$ heard &ore about the

ethics of reading and the politics of place than the$ had e+er wished. Sincere than3s to M.M., 2.R.,

).M. and J.


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Abstract

8hate+er discourse J.M. oet!ee intended to arouse with #isgrace, his 0 no+el thataddresses changing social d$na&ics in postapartheid South Africa, the con+ersation it has inspired

since its publication has been do&inated b$ readers" suspicions. 7ssues of race, and &ore

specificall$, accusations of racist writing, ha+e dictated discussion of #isgrace. onsidering theno+el"s pre&ise, a degree of negati+it$ in its reception was unsurprising: the narrati+e follows a

white South African professor"s escapeto his daughter"s far&, after a co&plicated affair with astudent= the far& is soon attac3ed and robbed b$ three blac3 &en, and the daughter raped. Asfather and daughter piece together their strained relationship and indi+idual li+es, the$ &ust

reconcile their positions in the new South Africa, too.

This pro6ect exa&ines the reception of #isgrace5b$ readers in South Africa and abroad5

and its influence in literar$ and public discussion of the no+el. 7n this context, 7 will argue for whatoet!ee ai&s to do >open up discourse +ia narrati+e? and how he does it >con+e$ing distorted

hu&an relations through experi&entation with structure and for&?. '$ drawing on his other

no+els, 7 will explain how #isgrace fits into oet!ee"s oeu+re and continues exploration of

raciali!ed and sexuali!ed power d$na&ics in societ$. #isgrace"s the&es of ine4ualit$ and hu&anstruggle are not new to his wor3. 'ut with #isgrace, oet!ee reopens and agitates societal wounds

5and refuses to pro+ide a resolution5at a ti&e when official and public culture urgedreconciliation and opti&is&. The no+el"s reception in+ites further exploration of what #isgrace

re+eals about oet!ee"s wor3, South African literature, and societ$.

The introduction pro+ides bac3ground on &odern South African histor$ and on oet!ee asan author. 7n ter&s of fa&iliari!ing the reader with South African issues, 7 focus on proble&s born

of go+ern&entenforced racial stratification and the lingering effects after apartheid.

hapter one explores wh$ #isgrace has pro+o3ed such +olatile readings, the +alidit$ of

selecti+e readings, and the need to read oet!ee"s wor3 diachronicall$, or o+er the period of hiscareer.7 will draw on essa$s b$ critics including #a+id Attwell, @ouise 'ethlehe&, Albie Sachsand oet!ee hi&self on South African literature in order to explain how certain readings reflect

conceptions of the literature"s relationship with realit$ and how #isgrace challenges those ideas. 7will offer an o+er+iew of oet!ee"s wor3 and &a6or the&es, and criticis&s of his wor35

specificall$ 4uestions related to the idea of culture as a weapon of struggle and authorial

responsibilit$ during an age of oppression. This bac3ground helps us consider the especiall$co&plex interpretations of #isgrace b$ South African readers.

hapter two exa&ines how oet!ee"s &anipulation of narrati+e con+e$s the shifting social

d$na&ics in his no+els. 8hile #isgrace does not bear the deliberate literar$ de+ices that populate

earlier wor3s such as 7n the (eart of the ountr$ and 8aiting for the 'arbarians, the influences of&etadiagesis and unorthodox narrati+e constructions can be seen in the no+el. #isgrace"s li&ited

point of +iew and its characters" re+isions of e+ents illu&inate the no+el"s underl$ing co&&entar$

on hu&an conflict and changing notions of power and identit$ in societ$.2inall$, 7 argue that #isgrace continues oet!ee"s con+ersation with the reader on

ine4ualit$ in hu&an relations, highlighting the new raciali!ed frustrations that ha+e e&erged after

apartheid. 7 will also address the author"s wor3 since #isgrace, and how he has continued to buc3the con+entions of literature: b$ presenting no+els as collections of lessons or essa$s,

frag&enting narrati+e +ia experi&entation with page space and wa$s of stor$telling, and

increasingl$ &uddling the boundaries of the authortext relationship.


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Short Titles

AOI: Coetzee, J.M. Age of Iron. 1990. London: Martin Secer ! "ar#$rg. %e& 'or: (eng$in,199).

*isgrace: Coetzee, J.M. *isgrace. 1999. London: Martin Secer ! "ar#$rg. %e& 'or: (eng$in,1999.

*(: Coetzee, J.M. *o$#ling the (oint: +ssas and Inter-ie&s. +d. *a-id Att&ell. Ca#ridge:/ar-ard ni-ersit (ress, 199.

+2: Attridge, *ere. J.M. Coetzee and the +thics of 2eading: Literat$re in the +-ent. Chicago:

ni-ersit of Chicago (ress, 003.

/OC: Coetzee, J.M. In the /eart of the Co$ntr. 1944. London: Martin Secer ! "ar#$rg. %e&

'or: (eng$in, 19)4.

5Jer$sale (rize6: Coetzee, J.M. 5Jer$sale (rize Acce7tance S7eech 819)4.6 Jer$sale

International oo ;air. Jer$sale. 19)4. ($#lished in *o$#ling the (oint: +ssas and Inter-ie&s.+d. *a-id Att&ell. Ca#ridge: /ar-ard ni-ersit (ress, 199.

52ace in *isgrace6: Att&ell, *a-id. 52ace in *isgrace.6 S7ec. iss$e of Inter-entions 3.< 800:


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5B &hat ha77ened to e is a 7$rel 7ri-ate atter. In another tie, another 7lace it ight#e held to #e a 7$#lic atter. $t in this 7lace, at this tie, it is not. It is #$siness, ine alone.6

5This 7lace #eing &hat6

5This 7lace #eing So$th Africa.6

DL$c and *a-id L$rie, *isgrace, J.M. Coetzee

ii


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Introd$ction

. . .

+-en if its characters &ere caref$ll de-oid of racial arers, or its setting transferred

o$tside So$th Africa, J.M. Coetzee?s *isgrace&o$ld #e an eE7losi-e no-el.1*isgrace o7ens as

*a-id L$rie, a di-orced Ca7e To&n 7rofessor, sees ne& #al to 5the 7ro#le of seE6 in his

iddle=age 8*isgrace 1. /e engages in &hat he sees as an affair &ith a st$dent, Melanie Isaacs, a

dalliance that ends &ith the loss of his Fo# and an esca7e to his da$ghter?s far in the r$ral +astern

Ca7e. Soon after *a-id?s arri-al, the far is #r$tall attacedDthree en ro# the 7ro7ert, assa$lt

*a-id and gang=ra7e his da$ghter, L$c. ;ro this e-ent, the no-el ad-ances as the characters deal

&ith the afterath: L$c disco-ers she is 7regnant and chooses to ee7 the #a#G *a-id $st

ree-al$ate his relationshi7s and his 7lace in societ. "ith *isgrace, Coetzee 7aints a #lea 7ortrait

of h$an relationshi7sD&hether deterined # #lood or # choiceDand the cr$elties of &hich

h$an #eings are ca7a#le.

$t &hat f$rther co7licates the no-el is the &a race 7las into the stor, es7eciall

considering the c$lt$ral and historical s7ace into 8and o$t of &hich the no-el eerged. The L$ries

are &hite, the attacers #lac, and it can #e inferred that Melanie Isaacs is colo$red. The setting in

1T&o of Coetzee?s earliest no-els, Life and Ties of Michael Hand "aiting for the ar#arians

hel7ed esta#lish hi as an a$thor dealing &ith iss$es of 7o&er in societ and the conse$ences ofh$an action. Tho$gh set in an iagined So$th African near=f$t$re, enflaed # ci-il &ar,

Coetzee?s Life and Ties of Michael H 87$#lished in 19)


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&hich these characters o7erate is 7ost=a7artheid So$th Africa, circa 1994, in coso7olitan Ca7e

To&n and the +astern Ca7e co$ntrside. ($#lished in 1999, *isgrace and its &hite So$th African

a$thor et an a$dience failiar &ith class=inf$sed racial tension, far attacs, land dis7$tes,


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categorization of different races infiltrated all reaches of life: it deterined &here 7eo7le co$ld

&or, &here the co$ld #$ hoes, to &hich 7laces the co$ld tra-el and &henDin short, 5all

7hases of social life6 8Coetzee, 5Jer$sale (rize6 94. %egotiations to disantle the old sste

and for a non=racial deocrac #egan in 1990G a7artheid ended, officiall, in 1993, the ear of

So$th Africa?s first national elections &ith $ni-ersal s$ffrage. This &as onl the #eginning of the

long national 7rocess of reco-er, and central to ho& this 7rocess 7laed o$t in the 7$#lic s7here

&as the Tr$th and 2econciliation Coission 8T2C. Created # the coalition go-ernent led #

the %ationalist (art and the African %ational Congress, the T2C staged 7$#lic hearings &here

#oth -ictis and 7er7etrators of inF$stice d$ring a7artheid co$ld ae their stories heard. The

T2C sessions &ere #roadcast nationall #et&een 199@ and 199).

*isgrace &as &ritten and set in these 7roising #$t tense fe& ears iediatel after

a7artheidG it &as 7$#lished a ear after the T2C concl$ded, a tie &hen the no-el?s thees of

confession and a#sol$tion &o$ld ha-e h$ng es7eciall hea- in the air. ;or readers a&are ofDand,

for So$th Africans, li-ing inDthis atos7here,Coetzee?s acno&ledgeent of iediate histor

can #e detected in the s$#tlest details:the gra-e, deli#eratel $lti=racial #oard that disci7lines

*a-id L$rie for seE$al harassent in *isgrace can #e read as all$si-e to that other, -er 7$#lic

coittee. Hno&ing this #acgro$nd, as So$th African readers &o$ld ha-e then, allo&s non=

So$th African readers to $nderstand &h a no-el alread 7ro-ocati-e in its $se of #lac=on=&hite

ra7e and choice of an older, &hite 7rotagonist &ith arg$a#l old=fashioned #eliefs &o$ld #e as

incendiar as it &as.Coetzee?s no-els are fao$sl diffic$lt to read #eca$se of the a$thor?s

$nflinching ee to&ard reocc$rring eleents of tort$re and ine$alit and, often, the sense of cool

detachent in his 7rose. 8In his re-ie& of *isgrace, critic Jaes "ood s7eas of ho& Coetzee?s

no-els 5feed on eEcl$sionG the are intelligentl star-ed6 83. In this res7ect, *isgrace is 7erha7s

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the ost challenging no-el in Coetzee?s oe$-re: the deands it aes on its readers to foc$s on

interracial conflict is far fro coforta#le, es7eciall at a tie &hen official and 7o7$lar c$lt$re

enco$rages reco-er fro So$th Africa?s racialized 7ast. creating a no-el that reo7ens still=

$nhealed &o$nds of race relations and ref$ses to 7ro-ide resol$tion, Coetzee &as not offering to

this sensiti-e en-ironent a no-el that co$ld #e easil lo-ed . $t the 7oint of this no-el is not to

resol-e or offer ans&ers for the societ on &hich it editates. Is it e-en 7ossi#le to set a tiefrae

for reco-er, after ears of o77ression Instead, *isgrace agitates old conflicts in a ne& setting.

Considering this #acgro$nd, it sees nat$ral, then, that readers li-ing &ithin the recent histor of

So$th Africa &o$ld a77roach literat$re in-ol-ing the 7ress$rized intersections of race, seE and

7o&er &ith ca$tion, if not o$tright s$s7icion.

"ith this 7roFect, I &ant to first eE7lore the rece7tion of *isgrace in So$th Africa and

a#road, and the factors that contri#$ted to the ared -olatilit of its readings. Again, the iss$e of

race has doinated 7$#lic disc$ssion of the no-el, #$t I arg$e that it is not F$st So$th Africa?s

tro$#led, racialized histor 8first $nder colonialis and segregation, then a7artheid, and no& the

lingering effects of those old sstes that infl$ences ho& one &o$ld read *isgrace. In the s7ace

of first cha7ter, I &ill foc$s on &hat has eerged as the highest=7rofile reading of *isgraceD

that of the African %ational Congress 8A%C,@in a s$#ission to the So$th African /$an 2ights

Coission?s 000 hearing on racis in the ediaDand then do$#le #ac to eEaine ho&

odern socio=7olitical histor and literar c$lt$re ha-e infl$enced this reading. So$th African

@TheA%C has doinated national and ost regional 7olitics since the first deocratic elections in

So$th Africa &ith $ni-ersal s$ffrage, in 1993. C$rrentl, it reains the 7art in 7o&er, #$t recentintra=7art conflictDres$lting in a 004 rift #et&een s$77orters of then=7resident Tha#o M#ei

and de7$t 7resident Jaco# N$a, M#ei?s 00) resignation, the 7redicted 009 election of the

contro-ersial N$a 8c$rrent A%C 7art leader to the 7residenc, and the ost recent #rea=a&aforation of the Congress of (eo7le?s +$alit 8CO(+ 7art, aong other changesDa s7ell

aFor shae=$7 in So$th Africa?s doinant 7art sste in the coing ears.


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&riters and c$lt$ral critics de-elo7ed distinct, tho$gh contested ideas of literar 7rod$ction d$ring

a7artheid, the doinant oti-ation of &hich &as to 5tell the tr$th6 of the 7eriodG this agenda of

literar coitent &as iss$ed and follo&ed 7erha7s ost forcef$ll # #lac &riters 85Strong as

/$nger6 ethlehe


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In the second cha7ter, I &ill eEaine ho& Coetzee has so$ght to 7ro-oe disc$ssion in his

eE7erientation &ith narrati-e in 7ast no-els, and ho& *isgrace contin$es this 7$rs$it of disco$rse

&ith its deanding narrati-e choices. I dra& on t&o earlier no-els, "aiting for the ar#arians and

In the /eart of the Co$ntr, to ill$strate ho& Coetzee has re7resented shifting dnaics of 7o&er,

and ho& the eE7eriental narrati-e for of these no-els con-es laers of social and 7olitical

ine$alit. S7ecificall, I analze Coetzee?s reccling of iager and lang$age in $lti7le &ors,

his $se of liited 7oints of -ie&, and the de-ice I call 5false correcti-es,6 or the ietic re&riting

of 7assages that 7$r7osel distorts narrati-e relia#ilit. In no-els &here disr$7tions of 7o&er in a

relationshi7 are f$rther co7licated # iss$es of race and seE, Coetzee ani7$lates the sha7e and

str$ct$re of the narrati-e to aEiize the effect of these shifts in #alance. Instances of this strateg

in the three no-els I ha-e entioned in-ol-e the e-ent of 5ra7e6 8as forced, $n&anted seE$al

action, s$ch as in L$c?s case #$t also the co7licated iss$e of 5not=ra7e6 8s$ch as the hard=to=

define relationshi7 #et&een *a-id and Melanie, a seE$al affair acno&ledged as not &holl

$ndesired #$t not f$ll consens$al either. M eE7loration of Coetzee?s deli#erate eE7erientation

&ith narrati-e &ill also afford s7ace to disc$ss the de7ictions of seE and seE$alit in these &ors.

$estions s$rro$nding 5ra7e6 and $estiona#le seE$al relations that are 5not=ra7e6 in *isgrace are

aong those s7ared # the no-el that I #elie-e deser-e ore attention in 7$#lic disc$ssion. Soe

of these iss$es ha-e #een raised in later disc$ssion of *isgrace, &ith &ider consideration of the

s$ggested lin #et&een *a-id and L$c?s ra7ists, and L$c and Melanie, in essas and Fo$rnal

articles, for eEa7le.9

In regards to ra7e as an e-ent or action and the haz #o$nds of 5not=ra7e,6 at the tie

*isgrace &as 7$#lished, edia attention had ade iss$es of seE$al -iolence in So$th Africa

9;or eEa7les, see (oetics Toda . 8001 or Inter-entions 3.< 800:


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*isgrace s7ecificall in the direction of ho& narrati-e o7ens $7 disco$rseDand 7art of that is ho&

Coetzee s7ecificall lea-es the &oen?s stories $ntold, at least fro their res7ecti-e 7oints of

-ie&. This liitation in the narrati-e ais to 7ro-oe f$rther $estions of seE, ra7e and $eerness

8in the case of L$c, &ho *a-id thins to #e a les#ian tied to the no-el.

;inall, this thesis &ill concl$de # reading *isgrace in the greater conteEt of Coetzee?s

#od of fictionDas a &or reflecting the no-els that cae #efore it, #$t also re7resenting a #rea

#efore a aFor directional shift in &riting. In A7artheid and eond: So$th African "riters and the

(olitics of (lace, critic 2ita arnard h7othesizes that *isgrace ars 5Coetzee?s fare&ell to the

genre 87astoral that a#sor#ed so $ch of his critical attention and creati-e energ in the first half

of his career6 830. $t instead of a fare&ell to the colonial or 7ost=colonial 7astoral, or e-en a

fare&ell to So$th Africa 8tho$gh Coetzee has et to ret$rn, in his &riting of fiction, to his #irth

co$ntr as a s$#Fect or setting,1I arg$e that *isgrace ars the 7oint of Coetzee?s de7art$re fro

&or that adheres ore closel to con-entional no-el constr$ction. In his literar o$t7$t after

*isgrace, Coetzee ret$rns to ore eEaggerated eE7erientation &ith str$ct$re, es7eciall in the

no-els +liza#eth Costello87$#lished in 00


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+liza#eth Costelloand *iar of a ad 'earare str$ct$red as lect$res and essas &ritten #

the 7rotagonists. In tr$th, Coetzee 7resented a n$#er of the lessons=c$=cha7ters of the forer as

lect$res #efore the 7$#lication of the no-el, and the latter is f$rther s7lit into three 7arts, in three

7ers7ecti-es se7arated into sections on each 7age. These eE7erients echo Coetzee?s a-ant=garde

7la on str$ct$re &ith earlier &ors lie In the /eart of theCo$ntrand *$slands. $t #esides

the 7resentation of these #oos, &hat is also different no& is that the a77ear to oralizeDthat is,

the characters of these no-els, the tit$lar Mrs. Costello and J.C. often o7ine on ethical atters in

the lect$res and essas the 7rod$ce. 8The collection of essas to &hich J.C. is contri#$ting, in

*iar of a ad 'ear, is in fact called Strong O7inions. The characters and their #eliefs, then, are

7resented in a &a closer to the other &or Coetzee 7$#lished at the tieDas Coetzee the literar

critic, 00?s Inner "orings, a collection of essas on -ario$s &riters. The siilarit in for

#et&een Coetzee?s &or in fiction and non=fiction 7ro7ts consideration of a 7artic$lar $andar

a#o$t Coetzee as a no-elist: his ani7$lation of the a$thor=character relationshi7, and 7ossi#le

conflation of the a$thor &ith his characters.

"ith Coetzee, thro$gho$t his &or, there is an alternate #l$rring and reinforcing of the

7ercei-ed cordon sanitaire#et&een the 5a$thor6 and his 5teEt,6 or the ideas of the a$thor and the

ideas of the characters. The $estion of &hether the a$thor?s tho$ghts are anifesting thesel-es

in those of the characters arises es7eciall &ith characters lie *a-id L$rie &ho act$all rese#le

Coetzee in ters of 7hsicalQ7ersonal siilarities 8&hite, iddle=aged ale and life circ$stances

8$ni-ersit 7rofessor, ling$ist. In his ost recent no-el, not onl does J.C. share the a$thor?s

initials, the character is re-ealed to #e a ne& resident of A$straliaG J.C. has also &ritten a n$#er

of 7rize=&inning no-els, incl$ding one called "aiting for the ar#arians, and one scene in the

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no-el s$ggests a 7la$e fro the S&edish Acade hangs on his office &all.137on closer

eEaination, the characters of Mrs. Costello and J.C. and their res7ecti-e tho$ghts are caricat$res,

if anthing, of a strong, o7inionated &riterG at ost, the are caricat$res of different sides of

Coetzee the a$thor. I arg$e that &ith +liza#eth Costelloand *iar of a ad 'ear, Coetzee

increases 7ossi#ilities of conflating a$thor &ith character in order to f$rther enforce distance

#et&een the t&oDit is a different &a of esta#lishing the 5constr$ctedness and craftedness6 and

the so-ereign 7o&er of the a$thor.1Coetzee the an is no&n for his incredi#le el$si-eness and

ref$sal to grant inter-ie&s.1@This a$ra of ster inad-ertentl in-ites readers to read f$rther

#et&een the lines of the aterial that Coetzee does7ro-ide&hich raises the ris of o-er=

inter7retation. There are liitations to this de#ate, not the least of &hich is that tr$l, onl one

7erson 8Coetzee hiself can 7ro-ide the ans&ers. $t &hat I find ore re&arding is to eEaine

#oth &hat these eE7erientations &ith narrati-e in-ite and &hat the ai to do. In sit$ating

*isgrace as a oent of transition #et&een Coetzee?s earlier no-els and these later &ors,

foc$s is not F$st &hat *isgrace does as a no-el, #$t also &hat Coetzee?s &or has done, in the

ears #efore and after *isgrace. Thro$gho$t his career, if not necessaril al&as 7leasing the

reader, Coetzee has ore i7ortantl engaged and 7ro-oed the reader.

13Coetzee?s "aiting for the ar#arians &as 7$#lished in 19)0. /e &on the %o#el (rize inLiterat$re in 00eEchange?: it is, nine ties o$t of ten B, an eEchange &ith a co7lete stranger, et a stranger

7eritted # the con-entions of the genre to cross the #o$ndaries of &hat is 7ro7er in con-ersation#et&een strangers. I don?t regard self as a 7$#lic fig$re, a fig$re in the 7$#lic doain. I dislie

the -iolation of 7ro7riet, to sa nothing of the -iolation of 7ri-ate s7ace, that occ$rs in the t7ical

inter-ie&6 8*( @.

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$t &hat Coetzee has chosen to do &ith his &riting has rarel fit the eE7ectations of other

&riters and critics &oring in So$th Africa. *$ring a7artheid, &hen So$th African literar c$lt$re

ost strongl $rged &riters to #e o-ertl 7olitical in their &or, Coetzee &as often criticized #

a$thor=colleag$es lie fello& %o#el la$reate %adine ordier for a seeing lac of literar

coitent to &riting eE7licitl against o77ression 8at least co7ared to other &riters. "hile I

arg$e that Coetzee?s &or is indeed infored # So$th Africa, and his no-els ore s$#tl address

So$th African iss$es, the ore straightfor&ard oralizing his critics ha-e ased for has finall

eerged in his recent &or as he has #ecoe not onl a So$th African a$thor, in the ees of his

international readershi7, #$t also 8or e-en ore so a glo#al a$thor. At the sae tie, again testing

the relationshi7 #et&een a$thor and teEt, these a77arentl oralistic essas and lect$res are filtered

thro$gh characters that #oth do and do not rese#le CoetzeeDsho&ing that the a$thor, in his

contin$ed o$t7$t, still ref$ses to eet anone?s deands #$t his o&n.

.

I st$died a#road in So$th Africa in the &inter of F$nior ear, electing co$rses at the

ni-ersit of Ca7e To&n, in an +nglish de7artent &here, once I anno$nced intention to

7$rs$e a thesis on *isgrace, I $icl sensed that an others had alread &ritten, &ere &riting, or

&ere thining a#o$t &riting their theses on Coetzee. In ters of c$lt$ral rele-ance, histor and

lineage, it certainl aes sense. Coetzee is, &itho$t $estion, the ost fao$s a$thor to coe

fro So$th Africa. The ni-ersit of Ca7e To&n is Coetzee?s ala ater, &here he st$died for

#achelors degrees in +nglish and atheatics and later ta$ght for se-eral ears, and the +nglish

de7artent reains a h$# of great tho$ght on the a$thor and his &or.

ac in Michigan, ost 7eo7le I had s7oen to a#o$t still=ne#$lo$s thesis 7lans &ere

not as failiar &ith *isgrace or Coetzee. $t at CT, and certainl in an +nglish de7artent &ith

1


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Coetzee s7ecialists lie Carrol Clarson, the idea of &riting on *isgrace, $ch less race and

*isgrace, &as rather #oiler7late. ;$rther research and re7eated readings of the no-el fo$nd

doinant interests shifting to&ard ho& *isgrace fits into the a$thor?s #od of &or, and the

theatic and narrati-e eleents 7resent in earlier no-els that can #e fo$nd in *isgrace. If 7$#lic

disc$ssion of the no-el is to o-e a&a fro the o-er&heling foc$s on race, attention 7aid to the

no-el in literar disco$rse &ill f$rther o7en $7 different iss$es for contention. In soe &a, I ho7e

this 7roFect, sall inter-ention, &ill contri#$te to the effort.

1


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To #est $nderstand &h the no-el has ins7ired s$ch -aried critical readings, it is necessar

to consider *isgrace in $lti7le s7heres of con-ersationDs7aces &hose #o$ndaries, s$ch as that

#et&een the literar and 7$#lic s7heres, are diffic$lt to disting$ish in the first 7lace. Arg$a#l, in

So$th Africa, the disc$ssion of literar 7rod$ction is intrinsicall ent&ined &ith disc$ssion of

literat$re?s role in the 7$#lic s7hereG I &ill address this de#ate later in the cha7ter. Thro$gho$t this

section, I ai to eE7lore the es7eciall co7leE readings that eerge fro 7oints &here critical

readers engage in the con-ersation a#o$t *isgrace fro $lti7le angles. ;or eEa7le,So$th

African a$thor Chris -an ", &ho gre& $7 in a colo$red to&nshi7, gro$nded the no-el?s social

failings in its literar ones: 5I #elie-e *isgrace &as a racist #oo,6 he said. 5The &hite characters

are fleshed o$t, the #lac e-ildoers are not6 8*onadio. an " is not alone in his sentients.

Coetzee?s de7ictions of #lac So$th Africans in *isgrace ha-e ins7ired soe of the harshest

criticis, and conse$entl the role and significance of race in *isgrace doinated earl 7$#lic

de#ate. +-en no& it reains soe&hat i7ossi#leDand $n&iseDnot to acno&ledge race in

ongoing con-ersations a#o$t the no-el. In his essa 52ace in *isgrace,6 7$#lished in a 00

edition of the Fo$rnal Inter-entions dedicated to the no-el, *a-id Att&ell #eoans the need to

consider the tangled inter7retations of the a$thor?s $se of race, d$e to the 5o#-io$s re-$lsion for

racialized disco$rse, and es7eciall for racialized 7olitics, &hich is intrinsic to ost of Coetzee?s

oe$-re, incl$ding *isgrace6 8


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Din this thesis, s7ecificallho& Coetzee ani7$lates narrati-e to 7ro-oe disco$rseDand other

iss$es the no-el raises, &e $st first address the direction that 7$#lic de#ate has taen.

. . .

The A%C s7otlight

(erha7s the one actor that has ost 7rofo$ndl sha7ed 7$#lic disc$ssion a#o$t *isgraceD

7ro-iding, at the -er least, the highest=7rofile reading of the no-elDis the African %ational

Congress 8A%C.0An oral s$#ission to a 000 So$th African /$an 2ights Coission

8SA/2C hearing on racis in the edia, 7resented in the nae of the A%C, cited 7assages fro

the no-el to ill$strate still=7resent racist attit$des. 5In the no-el,6 sas the re7ort, &hich &as read

into the record # then=Minister of ($#lic +nter7rise Jeff 2ade#e, 5J.M. Coetzee re7resents as

#r$tall as he can, the &hite 7eo7le?s 7erce7tion of the 7ost=a7artheid #lac an6 8A%C. 5J.M.

Coetzee aes the 7oint that, fi-e ears after o$r li#eration, &hite So$th African societ contin$es

to #elie-e in a 7artic$lar stereot7e of the African6 8A%C. In order to $nderstand ho& racis still

7ereates edia co-erage, the s$#ission contin$es, 5&e $st start fro this #asic 7ointDthat

an 7ractitioners of Fo$rnalis in o$r co$ntr B carr this stereot7e in their heads at all

ties6 8A%C.

In citing *isgrace, the A%C 7oints o$t siilarities #et&een the no-el and re7resentations

of #lac So$th Africans in the edia. The s$#ission recognizes a high=7rofile, internationall

recognized no-el and $ses it as a draatic, if soe&hat cl$s, introd$ction to the #od of the

0*a-id Att&ell addresses &hich e#ers of the A%C, eEactl, &ere res7onsi#le for the

s$#ission in 52ace in *isgrace 8


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s$#ission: eEa7les of contin$ed 5$nashaedl racist Fo$rnalis6 in So$th African ne&s7a7ers

and # foreign corres7ondents in So$th Africa. $t #eca$se of its rhetoric and &ord choice, the

transcri#ed teEt of the s$#ission lea-es a#ig$o$s &hether the $oted 7assages fro *isgrace

are intended to ill$inate the ind of 7ersistent racist tho$ght -isi#le in edia, or are intended to

ae an eEa7le of the no-el, itself, as a racist &or. The s$#ission s$ggests #oth, to a degree:

At soe 7oints it can #e read as 7raising Coetzee for his a#ilit to de7ict 7re-ailing, 7ro#leatic

social attit$desG the A%C?s congrat$lations to its 5son of the soil6 for the 00< %o#el (rize also

contri#$tes to the idea of o-erall s$77ort of the a$thor.1$t &hate-er the original intention of the

SA/2C stateent, an ha-e read it as a den$nciation of the no-elDand this ass$ed danation

has i7acted 8negati-el, as critics s$ch as (eter *. Mac*onald &o$ld arg$e contin$ed

disc$ssion of *isgrace as &ell as Coetzee?s ore recent &or.Later in this cha7ter, I &ill ret$rn

to the A%C?s treatent of the no-el. $t first, I &ant to eEaine 7ossi#le factors that ha-e f$eled

readings lie the A%C?s and those of other So$th African critics.

. . .

Literar c$lt$re d$ring a7artheid and #eond

On Coetzee?s 7ost=a7artheid -ision, fello& %o#el la$reate %adine ordier had fe& ind

&ords, e-en ears after the no-el?s 7$#lication. 5In the no-elDisgracethere is not one #lac

7erson &ho is a real h$an #eing,6 she said in an inter-ie& in 00@, in Johannes#$rg. 5If

*isgrace isK the onl tr$th he co$ld find in the 7ost=a7artheid So$th Africa, I regretted this -er

$ch for hi6 8*onadio. On a s$7erficial le-el, #eca$se of the nat$re of the criti$es -oiced #

12achel *onadio aes reference to this in her essa 5O$t of So$th Africa,6 7$#lished in 004, inThe %e& 'or Ties: 5%o sooner had the A.%.C. congrat$lated this >son of the soil? than an

o77osition 7art the *eocratic AllianceK said the A.%.C. o&ed Coetzee an a7olog for its earlier

den$nciation of *isgrace. The A.%.C. stood # its criticis.6

See (eter *. Mc*onald?s essa 5*isgrace +ffects,6 also in the 00 s7ecial iss$e of

Inter-entions, on the effect of 5s$s7icio$s readings6 on the legac of the no-el.

1)


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fello& So$th African a$thors, it is 7ossi#le to istaenl iagine a di-ide #et&een the

etro7olitan and So$th African rece7tions of the no-el. $t there is not so #asic a di-ision.

Instead, &hat I arg$e is that for readers in So$th AfricaD&hether &riters and critics thesel-es, or

notD*isgrace 7resents an es7eciall challenging read, #eca$se these readers ha-e eE7erienced the

recent histor that infors the no-el. This #acgro$nd creates 7otential for richer, ore co7leE

readings, #$t also raises the chance of negati-e reactions to the no-el. 8Certainl, one can arg$e

that a 57ortrait6 of So$th Africa is still different than an eEact 5lieness.6 %o atter, &hat Coetzee

7resents on the no-el?s 7ages does not eEactl cast the ne& So$th Africa in the ost flattering

light. The tie in &hich *isgrace &as 7$#lished &as a delicate one to #e &riting a#o$t iss$es &ith

interracial $ndertones #eca$se of 7olitics #$t also #eca$se of the eE7ectations of literar 7rod$ction

in the 7re-io$s decades.

"ritten and 7$#lished in the ears iediatel after the end of a7artheid and the transition

to a non=racial deocrac, *isgrace entered an en-ironent foc$sed on o-ing for&ard. The

enco$rageent to acno&ledge the &rongs of the 7ast and la iss$es o$t in the o7en, et o-e on,

#ecae instit$tionalized in facilitati-e 7rocesses, ost 7roinentl in the ne& go-ernent?s Tr$th

and 2econciliation Coittee hearings 8T2C. +ssentiall, the T2C #ecae a re=createdDand

&idel #roadcast, -ia tele-ision and radioD7$#lic s7here. Confessions of s$ffering or ha-ing

ade others s$ffer d$ring a7artheid &ere s$#Fect to g$idelines onl inas$ch as the T2C ased

7artici7ants to tell the &hole tr$thG eE7ression of contrition on the 7art of the g$ilt &as not

re$ired. In a &a, as a s7eciall constr$cted s7ace for con-ersation, the T2C too $7 the antle

that So$th African literat$re had carried for so long d$ring a7artheid: the coitent to telling the

tr$th.

19


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5In the ears 7receding the transition to deocrac B the re-elator thr$st of So$th

African literat$re &as often glossed as an agenda of >literar coitent,? ost forcef$ll

7erha7s # #lac &riters,6 &rites Lo$ise ethlehe in her 001 essa 5A (riar %eed as Strong

as /$nger6 8


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it, in fact, literat$re "itho$t f$rther iagination, this ind of &riting lacs the necessar

literariness to beliterat$reG an atte7ts to #$ild $7on or #rea free fro &hat %osi calls 5read=

ade 7lots6 are $ashed, and the a$thor s$#its to &hat ethlehe calls 5the rhetoric of

$rgenc6 8


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$t the 7rotocols of &riting d$ring a7artheidDand its liitationsDcan translate to reading

as &ell. S7ecificall in reading *isgrace, I &ant to consider the reader in So$th Africa. A cr$cial

7ers7ecti-e to consider in *isgrace?s differing rece7tions is the 7artic$lar circ$stance of a So$th

African 7ersonD&hether his or her 7rofession in-ol-es literat$re and literar criticis or notD

reading this no-el that is sit$ated in a 7artic$lar 8and 7artic$larl tense So$th African s7ace.

Certainl, Coetzee dra&s on iss$es and eotions coon to the h$an eE7erience in *isgrace:

the fear of losing one?s a#ilities, for eEa7le, or $estions of one?s 7lace in societ. $t #eca$se

he sets the stor in the tie and 7lace of 7ost=a7artheid So$th Africa, and in-ol-es the characters

&ith all of their 7ossi#le racial, seE$al and gender conflicts in the no-el?s -er s7ecific

7er$tations, Coetzee creates a teEt that res$lts in a different, ore co7licated reading # the

So$th African reader.I do not ean to s$ggest that the So$th African reader is the 5ideal6 reader,

or that there is a single, s7ecific So$th African reader. Instead, I s$ggest that the no-el can #e ore

f$ll $nderstood # a reader that has li-ed in the en-ironent that infors the a$thor and his &or,

for #etter or &orse.In that sense, I feel that the no-el is aredl 5So$th African,6 tho$gh it does

not necessaril fit the characteristics or the oti-es of &hat e#ers of the So$th African literar

co$nit 8incl$ding Coetzee &o$ld ter 5So$th African literat$re,6 or at least the eE7ectations

of So$th African literar c$lt$re that e-ol-ed d$ring a7artheid.@

;$rther adding to the de#ate is Coetzee?s -ie& on So$th African literat$re. In the das

&hen a7artheid &as in its death throes, Coetzee arg$ed that, to an eEtent, So$th African &riters

si7l co$ld not esca7e theinfl$ence of So$th Africa. This idea adds another laer of co7leEit

@Tho$gh I disc$ss ideas of So$th African literat$re shared # Mc*onald in 5*isgrace+ffects,6 I&ant to ae clear that definitions of 5So$th African no-el6 and 5So$th African literat$re6 are

not $ite the sae as his.5*isgrace +ffects6 7$ts it this &a: *isgraceis not 5&holl contained #

its So$th Africanness, since it circ$lates, lie an conte7orar no-els in +nglish,si$ltaneo$sl &ithin riad 7$#lic s7heres B It a B #e a stor set in So$th Africa and

&ritten # a So$th African, #$t it is not ipso facto a >So$th African no-el? 6 8


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as to &h So$th African &riters &o$ld &rite the realit of So$th Africa into &ors of fiction. In his

19)4 acce7tance s7eech for the Jer$sale (rize, Coetzee s7oe of a -ast literat$re shacled # the

#r$tal tr$th of &hat &as ha77ening o$tside its 7ages. Literat$re cannot o7erate in a -ac$$, #$t it

&as as if So$th African literat$re &as acted $7on # a agnetic force. Its teEts co$ld not esca7e

realit, es7eciall in regards to h$an interaction, #eca$se the -er nat$re of li-ing in a societ

&here soe 7eo7le are ore e$al than others distorts So$th Africans? $nderstanding of the range

of h$an interactions. 5The defored and st$nted relations #et&een h$an #eings that &ere

created $nder colonialis and eEacer#ated $nder &hat is loosel called a7artheid ha-e their

7schic re7resentation in a defored and st$nted inner life,6 Coetzee said 89). Th$s, in the o$t7$t

of So$th African &riters, 5all eE7ressions of that inner life B s$ffer fro the sae st$ntedness and

deforit,6 res$lting in a literat$re 7reocc$7ied # &hat Coetzee calls 5torsions of 7o&er6:

interactions #ased on ine$alit, s$ch as contestation and doination 89).

Coetzee deli-ered his Jer$sale (rize s7eech at a tie &hen a7artheid &as nearing its end,

#$t &hen it &as still i7ossi#le to no& &hat &o$ld tae its 7lace. In this s7eech, Coetzee adits

that he, too, as a &riter, is affected # the $gliness of h$an relations in So$th Africa. eond the

lac of iagination in the 7oliticall 7$r7osed literat$re that %osi s7eas of, disregarded #efore it

has a chance to enter the teEt, Coetzee s$ggests an inabilityto iagine o$tside the &orld So$th

African &riters inha#ited. 5The crudity of life in So$th Africa,6 Coetzee sas, 5B aesK it as

irresisti#le as it is $nlo-a#le6 899. The &ord 5irresisti#le6 8its root resist, and the ina#ilit to do

so at once enco7asses those &riters &ho felt co7elled to &rite a#o$t So$th Africa as &ell as

those &ho fo$nd its thees of ine$alit in-ading e-en &or set o$tside of So$th Africa. In his

inter7retation of &h a$thors &rote as the did at the tie, Coetzee?s fatalistic o7tion also

transcends choice: To choose to &rite a#o$t a7artheid=era iss$es and e-ents in So$th Africa is one


33/90

thingG #$t e-en for &riters &ho do not recognize the rhetoric of $rgenc in their &or, the #r$tal

tr$th of e-erda life, es7eciall in ters of ho& h$an #eings treat other h$an #eings, &ill

$na-oida#l sli7 into their &riting.

The line I chose for this cha7ter?s e7igra7h coes fro a scene in Coetzee?s no-el Age of

Iron &here Mrs. C$rren s$r-es the de-astated to&nshi7 aro$nd her. To her co7anion, she

acno&ledges the sheer inade$ac of lang$age in ties of $nfathoa#le circ$stance: 5 >To

s7ea of this?DI &a-ed a hand o-er the #$sh, the soe, the filth littering the 7athD>o$ &o$ld

need the tong$e of a god? 6 899. +-en for Mrs. C$rren, &hose forer life as a classics 7rofessor

&as rooted in Latin 8itself the ger of so $ch odern lang$ageR &ords cannot con-e a

to&nshi7 in flaes. Tr$l, I &o$ld arg$e, &ords eet their liits in de7icting the cr$elties of

&hich h$an #eings are ca7a#le. I &o$ld go so far as to -ent$re that Mrs. C$rren?s adission can

#e read as Coetzee?s sl s$ggestion that 7erha7s &riters are $ltiatel inca7a#le of ca7t$ring the

$gl tr$th of a7artheid that the feel so co7elled to doc$ent, a 5tr$th too #r$tal for art to

hold6 85Jer$sale (rize6 99Dand this i7lication of So$th African literar 7rod$cers incl$des

Coetzee hiself. "hat is &riting #$t an eEercise of Sa$el ecett?s fao$s line to 5Tr again.

;ail again. ;ail #etter64This 7redicaent is 7artic$larl tr$e for &riting that sees to con-e

circ$stances to a reader &ho has ne-er eE7erienced 8or e-er &ill eE7erience, firsthand &hat the

a$thor &ants to address. Lang$age, # definition and constr$ction, is a seiological sste. "ith

s7oen and &ritten &ords &e atte7t to re7resent the &orld in &hich &e li-eG to editate on this

realit re$ires another le-el of signification, and f$rther distance fro the real act or e-ent. )*oes

4Sas the s7eaer in ecett?s "orst&ard /o, a 7rose 7iece &ritten in 19)


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*isgrace, fi-e ears after the end of a7artheid, ill$strate a ne& attit$de to&ard &riting a#o$t So$th

Africa /as Coetzee hiself transcended the 5tr$th # the #$cetf$l6 he o$rned in Jer$sale

I &ant to arg$e that the no-el reflects a coing shift in the a$thor?s &riting 8in s$#Fect

atter, in genre, in stle at a tie of national transition after decades of o77ression in societ. It

also coes at a tie of So$th African literat$re?s transition fro a different 8#$t in its o&n &a

o77ressi-e sense of o#ligation in &riting. $t in regards to reading *isgrace at the tie it &as

7$#lished, the 7ast infl$ences on literar 7rod$ction in So$th Africa still lingered. It is diffic$lt to

shift o$t of doinant 7rotocols of &riting and readingG one co$ld attri#$te it to a ind of creati-e

inertia, a77lica#le to the 7ractice of literar 7rod$ction and cons$7tion. This is es7eciall tr$e in

a historicall and contin$all historicized s7ace, one *onadio descri#es as 5a co$ntr &here e-er

inch of 7hsical and oral gro$nd is contested.6 To read *isgrace &ith a ne& indset is ore

diffic$lt still #eca$se of the deands that the no-el aes on its readers.

"ith its s$#Fect atter and s7arse, $nflinching 7rose, *isgrace is an $nsettling no-el for

anone to read, $ch less a reader for &ho far attacs and ra7e a77ear reg$larl in the

ne&s7a7ers. %egati-e reaction to the no-el # So$th African literar critics and other readers &as

not and sho$ld not ha-e #een all that $neE7ected. eE7loring social 7ro#les at a tie &hen

ost other 7$#lic fig$res &ere e7hasizing the deocratic 7otential of So$th Africa after the end

of a7artheidDand choosing a orall $estiona#le older &hite ale as his 7rotagonistDCoetzee

7ositioned his no-el in a challenging 7lace in the 7ost=a7artheid s7here. 5J.M. Coetzee has al&as

#een discoforting to read, #$t increasingl the indeE of his significance has coe to #e the

resistance he aro$ses, if not the re7ression he re-eals, in an of his readers,6 &rites Michael

ell.9As I arg$ed earlier, the incredi#le attention generated # *isgraceDso $ch of it #eca$se

9;ro the essa 5"hat Is It Lie to e a %onracist Costello and Coetzee on the Li-es of

Anials and Men6 in J.M. Coetzee and the Idea of the ($#lic Intellect$al.


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of readers? iEed, -olatile rece7tion of the no-elDco$ld onl ha-e hel7ed raise Coetzee?s 7rofile

leading $7 to consideration of the a$thor for the 00< %o#el (rize.

"ith *isgrace, on the s$rface, Coetzee offers a no-el &ith a ain character #orn of the old

caste, still gras7ing the -al$es and #eliefs of that deogra7hicG he s7ins the no-el?s aFor

dileas o$t of the 5colonialne plus ultra6 #lac=on=&hite 5ra7e fantas6 8Stranger Shores 9G

and, finall, ref$ses to end &ith a neat, straightfor&ard oral for the reader after the 7ains of

getting thro$gh these aforeentioned 7ro-ocations. In creating thisco7osition for *isgrace,

Coetzee &as not $nleashing a no-el that co$ld #e easil lo-ed, es7eciall # readers tired of F$st

these things. The transforation of So$th Africa fro an o77ressi-e state to a 7roising non=racial

deocrac, or &hat then=Anglican Arch#isho7 of Ca7e To&n *esond T$t$ declared 5a rain#o&

nation,6 &as still fairl ne& at the tie *isgrace &as &ritten and 7$#lished. I do not #elie-e there

is an o#ligation for an a$thor to oralize in fiction or 7ro-ide readers &ith ans&ers to each

$estion raised # the narrati-e.


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Coetzee?s a7artheid=era &or is Cli-e arnett?s essa, 5Constr$ctions of A7artheid in the

International 2ece7tion of the %o-els of J.M. Coetzee,6 in &hich he disc$sses the role &hite So$th

African &riters 7laed in literat$re of the tie. 5Literat$re ac$ired a 7ec$liar i7ortance in

sha7ing international $nderstandings of the nat$re of a7artheid,6 arnett sas 8)). arnett

reasons that the &or of &hite So$th African a$thors filled the s7ace #et&een So$th Africa and the

international co$nit, &hile ee7ing So$th Africa at a distanceDa ind of 5&hite a$thor?s

#$rden,6 if o$ &ill, of #eing selecti-el re7resentati-e as an elite cond$ctor of +nglish=lang$age

literat$re for international 8re: "estern readers, #$t ne-er tr$l re7resentati-e of the 8non=&hite

aForit of 7eo7le in the co$ntr that infors the a$thor?s &or 8)).


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Africa?s first %o#el la$reate and an o$ts7oen critic of a7artheid, ordier deals &ith iss$es of the

s$#altern and re7resentational 7olitics in her &or. ordier has also #een one of Coetzee?s 7eers

&ho has long criticized hi and his &riting for not #eing o-ertl 7olitical eno$gh.


38/90

ordier?s reaction to Life and Ties of Michael His certainl &arer than her reaction to

Disgrace. $t &hat one taes a&a fro the re-ie& is ordier?s #ig $estion: &h does Coetzee

&rite a#o$t e-erthing 5#$t6 "o$ld Life and Ties of Michael H#e a ore 5co7lete6 no-el, in

the ees of ordier and lie=inded critics, if the title character?s 7arting tho$ght &as not the

2oantic idea of drining fro an eE7loded &ell &ith a si7le teas7oon and string


39/90


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re-ie&, is for literar re7resentation of acti-e str$ggle against o77ression # those o77ressed. $t

it is 7ossi#le to see ho& Coetzee?s no-els and essas are and ha-e al&as #een infored # So$th

Africa: his &as and intentions of f$rthering disco$rse on So$th African iss$es anifest in &hat he

does &ith his s$#Fects. Coetzee #est ill$strates the shifting dnaics of 7o&er #et&een 7eo7le

stratified # race, gender and 7hsical differences in his eE7erientation &ith con-entional no-el

for and str$ct$re. In ters of all$sion to the histor and ties of a7artheid So$th Africa,

Coetzee?s references do eEistDthe are si7l hidden #eneath the s$rface. ;or eEa7le, In Life

and Ties of Michael H, Coetzee 7ro-ides fe& 7hsical descri7tions of the characters, $ch less

racial arersG and the no-el is set in an alternati-e near=f$t$re, of a So$th Africa cons$ed #

ci-il &ar. $t 7arallels to the real &orld that infor the no-el lie thinl -eiled: At one 7oint,

Michael H?s friend refers to the notion that far and #$siness o&ners &ant &orers fro the ca7

to sterio$sl a77ear, do all of the &or for 5#lood chea7,6 and 5#e gone in the orning lea-ing

e-erthing nice and clean6 8Life and Ties of Michael H ).To So$th African readers in the

earl= thro$gh id=19)0sD&hen the #oo &as &ritten and 7$#lishedDthe all$sion to the

a7artheid=esta#lished o7erations of asters and serfs &o$ld ha-e #een too clear to ignore. nder

a7artheid, #lacs did not o&n the land, et their la#or effecti-el 7aid for &hite=o&ned fars.

lac la#or &as &hat ens$red the fields &ere so&ed and rea7ed, hoes cleaned and streets s&e7t.

Co7ared to his earlier no-els, *isgracea77ears to #e one of the ore straightfor&ard

&ors of Coetzee?s oe$-re, in ters of references, i7licit or eE7licit, to the real &orld &ith &hich

it is concerned. "ith *isgrace set in a real tie 8the late 1990s, 7ost=a7artheid and real 7lace

8Ca7e To&n and near rahasto&n in the r$ral +astern Ca7e, it is easier to istaenl, or

7$r7osef$ll, read this literar editation as direct coentar. Is the no-el a &indo& on &hat

Coetzee reall #elie-es a#o$t the ne& So$th AfricaDand # eEtension, 7erha7s other &hite So$th


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African a$thors S$cc$#ing to this te7tation is &hat 7rod$ces readings &here ass$7tions of

the a$thor?s racis o-er&hel all other 7oints of con-ersation. $t it is also 7ossi#le to fall into

the tra7 of reading the no-el allegoricall, e-en tho$gh *isgrace does not ha-e the o#-io$s

s#ols and constr$ctions of a no-el lie "aiting for the ar#arians. In fact, #eca$se of ho& close

to the 5real6 the characters, 7laces and e-ents of *isgrace a77ear to #e, there are gra-er

conse$ences in reading this no-el as allegor. To re7hrase earlier $estion a#o$t Coetzee and

So$th African a$thors, does &hat *a-id L$rie thins 8a#o$t #lac So$th Africans, a#o$t ra7e,

a#o$t roantic relationshi7s translate to &hat &hite So$th Africans thin in the real &orld

Consideration of s$ch a $estion is &here the sheer o$trageo$sness of *a-id?s tho$ghts 7ro-es

$sef$l in act$all defending the no-el: *a-id?s #eliefs and the clais he aes thro$gho$t the

no-el sho& hi to #e a caricat$re of a 7erson.

Certainl there are &hite So$th Africans &ho share sentients siilar to those of the

character. $t I &o$ld arg$e that 7art of &hat aes *a-id clearl a fictional character is the

n$#er of $nsa-or #eliefs Coetzee assigns to hi. In an earl atte7t to sed$ce Melanie, *a-id

tells her, 5B a &oan?s #ea$t does not #elong to her alone6 81@G later on, after his da$ghter?s

ra7e, he thins, 52a7ing a les#ian &orse than ra7ing a -irgin: ore of a #lo&6 810. aing

*a-id #eond 7ro-ocati-e in his thining, on one hand, #$t contradicting this 7art of his 7ersona

&ith *a-id?s concern for his da$ghter and the dogs he hel7s care for at the clinic, Coetzee can $se

the character of *a-id L$rie for &hat he is: a character and a -ehicle for na-igating this 7ost=

a7artheid stor a#o$t societal change. Arg$ing for an a$thor?s intent is a diffic$lt endea-or.

%onetheless, gi-en the coitent to iss$es of ine$alit and h$an s$ffering e-inced in

Coetzee?s earlier &or, to thin that the a$thor has s$ddenl F$7ed to &riting characters &ho are

si7l racist or seEist, or #roadl re7resentati-e of an entire gro$7 of 7eo7le, &o$ld #e o$trageo$s


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in its o&n &a. 2eading diachronicall, thenDor o-er the s7an of Coetzee?s oe$-re and not F$st a

single &orDcan contri#$te to a dee7er $nderstanding of &hat the a$thor does &ith *isgrace and

ho& the no-el act$all contin$es his con-ersation &ith the reader a#o$t h$an relationshi7s and

interaction.

An a$thor?s intent a #e one thing, #$t ho& readers inter7ret it, es7eciall &hen one is

reading in a socio=historical s7ace as diffic$lt to na-igate as 7ost=a7artheid So$th Africa, is &holl

another. As ;redric Jaeson h7othesizes in 5Metacoentar,6 5in odern ties &hat cries o$t

for inter7retation is not the art of other c$lt$res so $ch as it is o$r o&n6 811G &hen &e read,

often &hat &e 7roFect fro o$r in=ost de7ths res$lts in inter7retations that reflect $s, the reader

of the teEt, ore than its a$thor.


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Congress?s s$#ission to the So$th African /$an 2ights Coission?s 8SA/2C hearing on

racis in the ediaDand the s$#ission has also #ecoe no&n for the ass$7tions other

readers ha-e ade a#o$t it. +-en if the African %ational Congress is not s$ggesting that *isgrace

is soe sort of s$#Fecti-e Fo$rnalis, in its $se of the no-el in a s$#ission to the SA/2C

hearing, the s$#ission?s lang$age aes it es7eciall diffic$lt to disengage the t&o fields of

&riting. Introd$cing colonial eneral /ertzog?s ideas on Afrianer nationalis, and his idea of the

#lac African as a 7riiti-e, ioral child, the A%C stateent clais this stereot7e is f$rther

5re7orted on6 # Coetzee. After saing that the no-el s$ggests &hite So$th Africans eigrate to

a-oid territorial conflict lie &hat *a-id and L$c L$rie find thesel-es in, the s$#ission sas,

5Accordingl, the alleged &hite >#rain drain? $st #e re7orted reg$larl and gi-en the necessar

7roinenceR6 8A%C. ;$rtherore, the a#ig$it of the lang$age and the str$ct$re of the re7ort

gi-es an o-erall iEed i7ression: On the s$#Fect of racis in the edia, the s$#ission aes

clear that it still -er $ch eEistsG #$t it a77roaches *isgrace &ith lang$age that can #e read as

soe&hat 7raising Coetzee?s a#ilit to 5re7resent6 and 5ae aK 7oint6 of eEisting racis in

societ, &hile its incl$sion of the eEa7les fro *isgrace and its $se of the no-el in the SA/2C

hearing at all s$ggests that the A%C #elie-es the no-el to #e a racist #oo. (eter Mc*onald, in his

essa 5*isgrace +ffects,6 f$rther s$ggests that the s$#ission i7lies that the A%C #elie-es

Coetzee hiself, and not F$st his no-el, to #e racist 8Mc*onald


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of readingDins7ired # the s$s7icions raised # the no-el?s s$#Fect atter, the reading is

7erfored as if &ith a filter, to tra7 eEa7les that co$ld #e read as s$s7ect of racis. The A%C?s

treatent of *isgrace, sas *a-id Att&ell in 52ace in *isgrace,6 co$ld #e 5an o$tright acc$sation,

an i7lied acc$sation, or an $n&arranted inference # soe readers #ased on inconcl$si-e

e-idence in the A%C?s teEt6 8


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a co$ntr &hose ne& go-ernent had deno$nced one of his ost i7ortant no-els as racist6

*onadio 7ro-ides t&o 7ossi#le eE7lanations here, #oth negati-e. At this 7oint, the A%C

s$#ission?s ost significant contri#$tion to ongoing disc$ssions of *isgrace is the notion that it

is a condenation of the no-el. Soe&hat ironicall, $ch lie &hat has ha77ened &ith *isgrace,

the A%C?s treatent of the no-el is another case &here &hat a teEt intends to do #ecoes

o-ershado&ed # the incredi#le attention 7aid to &hat readers #elie-e the teEt s$ggests.

. . .

Location, location, location

So ho& does *isgrace fit into the greater a7 of So$th African literat$re In its o&n &a, I

#elie-e that *isgraceis a no-el a#o$t ordinar 7eo7le in eEtraordinar circ$stances. Coetzee

crafts the stor and its details to #e es7eciall challenging to read. %Fa#$lo %de#ele?s 5The

2edisco-er of the Ordinar6 is $sef$l in $nderstanding ho& the no-el?s literariness atches $7 to

%osi?s and Sachs?s $rging of greater 7ers$asion and iagination in So$th African &riting. In

So$th African literat$re, the ordinar dail li-es of 7eo7le sho$ld #e the direct foc$s of 7olitical

interest, arg$es %de#ele in his essa, 5for the str$ggle in-ol-es 7eo7le not a#stractions6 84.

%de#ele?s challenge in this essa, &ritten in the 19)0s and 7$#lished in his 1993 #oo of the sae

title, is for So$th African literat$re, its 7rod$cers as &ell as its readers:

If it is a ne& societ &e see to #ring a#o$t in So$th Africa then that ne&ness

&ill #e #ased on a direct concern &ith the &a 7eo7le act$all li-e. That eans a

range of co7leE ethical iss$es in-ol-ing an=an, an=&oan, &oan=

&oan, an=nat$re, an=societ relationshi7s. These inds of concerns are

destined to find their &a into o$r literat$re, aing it ore co7leE and richer.

84


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7o&er6 8


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se6 81


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Cha7ter II:

%arrati-e and *isco$rse in the %o-els of J.M. Coetzee

. . .

On &riting

In the 7re-io$s cha7ter, I s$ggested a fo$ndational 7ro#le in So$th African &riters?

7reocc$7ation &ith literar tr$th=telling d$ring a7artheid, one #ased on the nat$re of lang$age.

eca$se lang$age, at its ost #asic, is a sste &here the sallest $nits 8letters and &ords are

s#ols to #egin &ith, e-en the #est atte7ts coitted to tr$l ca7t$ring 5realit6 in literat$re

fall short. 52ealis6 is onl re7resentati-e of 5the real.6


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s$ccessf$ll a &or achie-es its ais. To de-elo7 this idea and the &a in &hich Coetzee?s &or

s$#scri#es to and also 7$lls a&a fro his notion that So$th African literat$re is one tra77ed #

the #r$tal tr$th of realit 85Jer$sale (rize6 9)), I &ant to read *isgrace alongside t&o of his

earlier no-els, In the /eart of the Co$ntrand "aiting for the ar#arians.

Coetzee?s liitation of 7oints of -ie& in *isgrace allo&s the reader ore=or=less $nfettered

access to *a-id L$rie?s tho$ghts, #$t elides the stories of Melanie and L$c, aong other

characters. Coetzee?s choice of a free, indirect narrati-e stle challenges the reader to tra-erse the

narrati-e -ia the #eliefs and actions of the no-el?s 7rotagonist. This constr$ction is also a ore

diffic$lt &a to con-e the i#alance of 7o&er created in h$an interactions a7lified # seE or

raceG if Coetzee is indeed holding $7 a irror to societ, the gaze lingers on a fig$re &ho is at once

7rofo$ndl $ns7athetic 8as an older, slightl racist, arg$a#l seEist and hoo7ho#ic &hite

So$th African and deanding e7ath 8as a father $na#le to connect &ith his da$ghter, and as

soeone rel$ctantl, #$t finall acce7ting changes in his 7ersonal life and in greater societ that he

a or a not $nderstand. The ani7$lation of narrati-e to e7hasize eotions or 7artic$lar

7ers7ecti-es is not ne& in Coetzee?s no-elsDand the &a *isgrace?s narrati-e is str$ct$red and

$nfolds is rather con-entional &hen co7ared to Coetzee?s earlier no-els. In In the /eart of the

Co$ntr and "aiting for the ar#arians, the st$nted, defored h$an relationshi7s that eerge

are reflected in the str$ct$re of the no-els thesel-es: in the no-els? fragented stortelling,

oents of #lanness in a narrator?s re7ortage, and -eiled references to the real &orld.

nderstanding Coetzee?s 7las on narrati-e in his earlier no-els allo&s $s a ne& de7th &ith &hich

to read the diagetic &as in &hich he con-es $ne$al h$an interactions in *isgrace.

. . .

+E7erientation and the art of fiction

31


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In the /eart of the Co$ntrand "aiting for the ar#ariansintrod$ce notions of otherness,seE and seE$alit that rea77ear inDisgrace. $t, 7erha7s e-en ore significant in -ie&ing

*isgrace as a t$rning 7oint in Coetzee?s oe$-re, the t&o earlier no-els also deonstrate ho& the

a$thor?s ani7$lation of str$ct$re and narrati-e for con-es the shifting e$ations of race, seE

and 7o&er that constit$te his s$#Fect atterG the infl$ence of Coetzee?s career=s7anning

eE7erientation &ith these de-ices can #e felt in *isgrace. To analze the effect of a$thorial

choices on the &a each no-el tells its stories, I &ant to eEaine Coetzee?s $se of re7etition and

literar echoes, &hat I &ill call 5false correcti-es,6 liited 7oints of -ie& and other odifications

of traditional stor=telling. In doing so, I also &ant to create s7ace to disc$ss the iss$es these

de-ices frae, &ith s7ecific foc$s on the co7licated seE$al li-es of Coetzee?s characters.

"ith their fract$red narrati-es, *$slandsand In the /eart of the Co$ntrDhis first t&o

no-elsDintrod$ced Coetzee as a &riter &ho challenges con-entional str$ct$re and for.30Coetzee

#reas the narrati-e of In the /eart of the Co$ntr into n$#ered Fo$rnal entries, each -aring in

length, 7resented as the reg$lar re7ortage of a o$ng &oan li-ing on an isolated far in the

So$th African Haroo sei=desert. In one entr, a single line, 7rotagonist and narrator Magda

rears, 5/o& can I #e del$ded &hen I thin so clearl6 81@G else&here she characterizes

herself as 5a craz old $een6 81


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and #eca$se of the esta#lished narrati-e $nrelia#ilit, &hat res$lts is f$rther conf$sion of &hat

e-ents ha-e act$all ha77ened and &hat ha-e notDnothing has #een corrected at all.31S$ch an

eEa7le occ$rs o-er the co$rse of se-en entries in In the /eart of the Co$ntr: in the scene set

forth, Magda and /endri arg$e, she sta#s hi &ith a for, and then he assa$lts and ra7es her.

Magda retells the series of e-ents &ith s7ecific actions o-erla77ing, introd$cing a n$#er of iss$es

8seE$al action f$eled # hatred, racialized interactions #et&een characters, interracial and incest

ta#oos that in-ite f$rther eE7loration in the no-el and Coetzee?s &or.

In the first -ersion of the 7assage 8entr 0 Magda taes the for and 5l$ngesK at

/endriK. The tines scra7e his sho$lder, 7ro#a#l not e-en 7iercing the sin6 #efore he thro&s her

to the floor and ics herG Magda &ee7s &ith shae, nees in the air 5lieK ho& a #itch $st

loo,6 &ith the ass$7tion that /endri intends to seE$all -iolate her as &ell 8/OC103. The

second tie, Magda again onl scra7es /endri &ith the for and he forces hiself $7on her, as

she 7leads, 5%ot here, not on the floor, 7lease, 7leaseR6 810. At the #eginning of entr 04,

/endri thro&s Magda against the &all and the for again falls to the floor and she #egs again,

5(lease not lie this on the floorR6G here the foc$s is on &hat Magda sas as the ass$ed -iolation

ha77ens, so##ing 5"h do o$ hate e so,6 a $estion that &ill 7ro-e central to her $ltiate

fr$stration &ith /endri. "ith her cr, Magda o7ens $7 con-ersation on hatred?s role in seE$al

interaction, s7ecificall forced interco$rse. Coetzee &ea-es this disc$rsi-e thread into *isgrace, in

*a-id and L$c?s con-ersations after the far=attac and gang=ra7e. I &ill ret$rn to consider this

oti-ation later on in this cha7ter, in closer analsis of the L$ries? con-ersations.

31This de-ice first a77ears in *$slands, in the 5do$#le deaths6 of Jan Hla&er, the an=ser-ant

attending ad-ent$rer Jaco#$s Coetzee, the narrator of 5The %arrati-e of Jaco#$s Coetzee6 8thesecond half of *$slands. In t&o se7arate 7aragra7hs, the a$thor &rites t&o scenes of Hla&er?s

death, creating a narrati-e 7aradoE. In the first, Hla&er is s&e7t a&a &hile crossing a ri-erG in the

second, #oth Hla&er and Jaco#$s Coetzee cross safel.

3


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As a res$lt of the narrati-e?s do$#ling #ac and re&riting of the scene in In the /eart of the

Co$ntr, Attridge sas, 5/endri?s ra7e of Magda is descri#ed t&ice, or rather, t&o ra7es are

descri#ed, since there are significant differences #et&een the t&o e-ents6 8+2 @. The s7irit of

*$slands? narrati-e 7aradoE res$rfaces here, #$t eEtended in length and head iager, and

narrated not # an onlooer #$t the -icti of this different for of 5death6: a #l$dgeoning of

Magda?s &ill, the terination of her -irginit. ;ollo&ing Magda?s address of /endri in entr 04,

the neEt three entries de7ict different -ariations of the first ra7e sceneDeither /endri has

ac$iesced to Magda?s 7leas of 5not on the floor6 or it is a different, s$#se$ent 5$n$s$al

afternoon in Magda?sK life6 8/OC10@. After the act is finished in this -ersion, Magda ret$rns to

the for: 5;ingers gri7 the s7ine of a for, the tines flash o$t, 7l$nging thro$gh the 7atched shirt,

7lo$ghing thro$gh the sin. lood flo&s. T&o ars gra77le, the for falls6 8/OC10). ;inall, at

least in her iagination, Magda #ecoes the one 7l$nging thro$gh the other?s #od and rending

#loodDre-ersing roles fro the 7re-io$s 7aragra7h, in a &a.

eca$se the false correcti-es of the /endri=Magda ra7e constr$ct the sense of $lti7le

instances of ra7e, e-en tho$gh there is #$t one ra7e that occ$rs in the 7assage , the reader #ecoes

a&are of the sheer i7ossi#ilit of these narrati-e anoalies occ$rring in se$ence, Attridge sas.

+ach ne& entr a77ears to 5correct6 the entr that cae directl #efore it, #$t #eca$se the do$#le=

#ac in tie and re&rite the sae scene, &ith little for&ard o-eent chronologicall, the

correcti-es are illogical. arranging the different -ersions of the e-ent as s$#se$ent entries,

Coetzee creates the effect of a con-ol$tion of &ords on the 7age as &ell as in the reader?s ind.

The i7ossi#ilit of this 7assage of a &hole #eing tr$eforci#l shifts the reader?s attention to 5the

constr$ctedness of the e-ents and the craftedness of the descri7tions, as &ell as of the a$thor?s

so-ereign 7o&er to do &hate-er he 7leases &ith the narrati-e6 8+2@. It is a oent &hen the

33


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a$thor reinforces his sta7 on the no-el. *oing so ill$strates the roles this ind of conscio$s

5constr$ctedness6 and 5craftedness6 7la in Coetzee?s &riting, in ters of con-eing the stor or

stories that ae $7 the no-el.3"hat I &ant to dra& fro reading the false correcti-es of In the

/eart of the Co$ntr, to s$77leent disc$ssion of ho& Coetzee con-es ine$alit in seE$al

relations in *isgrace, is the -er craftedness of the de-ice. The craftedness aes clear that

Coetzee is 7laing in the &orld of fiction. The &as in &hich he constr$cts $ne$al relationshi7s

in *isgrace, -ia other eE7erientations &ith the narrati-e, does not a77ear nearl as deli#erate.

%onetheless, F$st as &e cannot tell tr$th fro fiction &ith Magda?s Fo$rnal, there are also 7ieces

that &e cannot ass$e as all tr$e in *isgraceG this incl$des *a-id?s reiagining of L$c?s ra7e,

and # eEtension, *a-id?s tho$ghts 8and #eliefs as a &hole. 'et, I &o$ld arg$e, soe readers do

an&aDand these ass$7tions in reading the teEt can easil sli7 into ass$7tions a#o$t &hat the

teEt sas a#o$t race=oti-ated far attacs, ra7e or 7ost=a7artheid So$th Africa.

Altho$gh it is $ltiatel $7 to the reader to inter7ret a teEt, a reading $st #egin &ith &hat

the a$thor 7ro-ides.In the case of In the /eart of the Co$ntr, Coetzee densel 7acs the no-el?s

1


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distanced fro L$c?s eE7erience and the reader is reo-ed f$rther still, as the reader is ade to

rel on *a-id.

efore shifting this 7art of the con-ersation to *isgrace and "aiting for the ar#arians, I

&o$ld lie to ae final note on the false correcti-es of In the /eart of the Co$ntr. I see the

MagdaQ/endri scene series as a ore localized, literal 7la on ecett?s coand of 5Tr again.

;ail again. ;ail #etter.6 This ideasees rather fitting #eca$se of Coetzee?s #acgro$nd as a

ecett scholar. In regards to his earlier &or, Coetzee?s doctoral dissertation &as a stlistic

analsis of ecett?s 7rose, and the s7ecter of dense, ecett=stle onolog$es can #e seen in

Magda?s Fo$rnal. The ietic entries of the scene a77ear as Magda?s re7eated atte7ts to tell her

stor, tho$gh the -er nat$re of their constr$ction 8o-erla77ing, contradictor, chronologicall

s$s7ect eans that the 7assage ends &ith no clear ans&er as to &hat ha77ened. Another &a to

loo at the ecett infl$ence is thro$gh Coetzee?s o&n &or on ecett: In an essa 7resented at a

s7osi$ aring the 100thanni-ersar of the draatist?s #irth, Coetzee 7ainted a scene t7ical

of ecett?s 7las 8one character, s7arse setting, illogical tas in order to $n7ac ne& significance

fro a#s$rdit. Coetzee s7oeof the oent in ecett?s &riting not of el$cidation, as a reader

tring to 7$zzle o$t the eaning of a ecett 7iece ight eE7ect, #$t one cognizant of 7$re

$nno&ing: 5This 8ecett?s is not a eaningless $ni-erse, that is, it is not a $ni-erse &itho$t

r$les,6 Coetzee sas. 5$t getting to $nderstand the r$les of the $ni-erse co$nts for nothing, in the

end. The $ni-erse is interested not in &hat o$ can $nderstand but at what point you cease to

understand6 84, e7hasis added.3


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of the sit$ation and the no-el as a &hole #ecoes co7roised. The disco$rse this narrati-e o7ens

$7, then, #ecoes a literar disc$ssion, a#o$t &hat ani7$lation of str$ct$re does to stor=telling.

. . .

Thro$gh a glass, darl

;or the reader of *isgrace, granted onl &hat *a-id sees, hears and thins, the cr$E of the

no-el?s greater narrati-eDL$c?s ra7eDha77ens as if off=stage. handica77ing *a-id d$ring

the far attac and gang=ra7e, Coetzee lea-es the reader as $ch in the dar as *a-idDif not

ore than hiDin regards to &hat act$all ha77ens to L$c d$ring the tie *a-id is loced in the

#athroo. The narrator aes *a-id the reader?s ees and earsG not seeing and not hearing, left

&ith onl the iagination, *a-id and # eEtension the reader $st entall constr$ct &hat the

did not &itness. Since the stories of Melanie and L$c are elided in *isgrace, the res7onsi#ilit

for s$ch an iagining is left &ith the reader,6 &rites L$c alerie raha. *a-id is essentiall an

o$tsider to L$c?s ra7e, connected to the scene #eca$se he is terri#l a&are of it and et 7hsicall

$na#le to actG this sense of fail$re to 7rotect his da$ghter contri#$tes to increased tension in the

L$ries? relationshi7. "hile Magda, the -icti, re-isits the e7isode &ith /endri -ia In the /eart of

the Co$ntr?s correcti-e entries, it is *a-id, soeone &ho can s7athize &ith the -icti 8#$t

7erha7s can identif &ith the 7er7etrators ore than he &o$ld &ish, &ho reiagines the afternoon

of the far attac in *isgrace, ha-ing -isions of his da$ghter calling for hel7 810


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did all the co$ld to h$rt her, to enace her, to heighten her terror. Call your dogs! the

said to her. o on, call your dogs! o dogs! Then let us show you dogs!81@0.

In his re7eated atte7ts to coe $7 &ith his o&n -ersion of &hat ha77ened, *a-id creates

$lti7le ra7es that are 7erha7s co7letel different than &hat act$all ha77ened. Again, #eca$se

of the 7oint of -ie&, ho& are &e, as readers, to no& &hat has act$all ha77ened and &hat has

not To g$ess that one &o$ld #e 5frightened, frightened near to death6 in s$ch a sit$ation as

L$c?s &o$ld #e a ore than reasona#le ass$7tion. $t #eca$se the iagined scene is &ritten

&ith the o$tside narrator?s chill detachent and straightfor&ard lang$ageDnot 5*a-id thins

L$c &as frightened6 #$t 5L$c was frightened6 8e7hasis addedDand is set a7art in its o&n

7aragra7h, Coetzee allo&s the reader to entertain the notion that the details co$ld #e fact and not

F$st the 7rod$ct of *a-id?s ind. Th$s, this 5res7onsi#ilit6 of iagining of &hich raha s7eas

is also acco7anied # the 7otential danger of acce7ting for tr$th &hat is erel s$ggested. The

&a in &hich Coetzee handles the re-isitation of scenes in *isgrace does not atch the o#-io$s

constr$ctedness and craftedness of In the /eart of the Co$ntr, #$t *a-id?s tho$ghts are

re7lications of realit nonetheless. "e can also read the liited 7arts of L$c?s eE7erience that she

re-eals to her father, s7read o-er different con-ersations, as another series of re7etition and

re-ision, also decidedl less crafted than the etadiagesis of the MagdaQ/endri ra7e. Iediatel

after the attacers ha-e left &ith *a-id?s car and the ho$sehold goods, and daage in their &ae,

L$c aes it clear to her father that her stor is 5hersK alone6:

>*a-id, &hen 7eo7le as, &o$ld o$ ind ee7ing to o$r o&n stor, to &hat

ha77ened to o$?

5'o$ tell &hat ha77ened to o$, I tell &hat ha77ened to e,6 she re7eats.

/e does not $nderstand.

3)


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5'o$?re aing a istae,6 *a-idK sas in a -oice that is fast descending to a

croa.

5%o I? not,6 she sas.

5M child, childR?6 he sas, holding o$t his ars to her. "hen she does not

coe, he 7$ts aside his #lanet, stands $7, and taes her in his ars. In his e#race

she is stiff as a 7ole, ielding nothing. 899

In this last line, the definiteness of the hea- &ords 5ielding nothing6 s$ggests the diffic$lt in

hearing L$c?s storG in fact, #eca$se of the liited 7oint of -ie&, the reader can ne-er tr$l access

L$c?s stor. +-ent$all, first in the L$ries? con-ersation after dri-ing to (ort +liza#eth on re7orts

of the stolen car, then after seeing one of the ra7ists at neigh#orQfar=hand (etr$s?s ho$se=

&aring 7art, L$c #egins to re-eal ore and ore details of &hat ha77ened &hen *a-id &as

loced $7 and left to #$rn in the #athroo. Tho$gh she 7rotests to her father that she does not

o7erate 5in a#stractions,6 lie g$ilt and s$#F$gation, L$c onl -ol$nteers a#stractions in res7onse

to *a-id?s 7ring $estions a#o$t &hat ha77ened: ho& the ra7ists s7$rred each other on 5lie

dogs,6 ho& she felt onl 5hatred.6 L$c?s ref$sal to re7ort the ra7e to the 7olice is one atter, and

7erha7s an irres7onsi#le one in consideration of other &oen, if the attacers reall 5dora7e6 as a

-ocation &ith ro##er on the side, as she 7osits. /er hesitance to tell *a-id a#o$t it is another

iss$eG ho& coforta#le can it #e to tell one?s father the details of a ra7e $t L$c?s $n&illingness

to confide in *a-id 8F$st as he is tring to #e a good father and tae care of her, altho$gh #efore

o-ing to the far he had not seen his da$ghter in o-er a ear eEacer#ates the tension of their

relationshi7. The alread treat each other &ith the eas$red ci-ilit of ac$aintances.

"e can also read L$c and *a-id?s $lti7le arg$ents and con-ersations a#o$t the ra7e as

et another for of correcti-e narrati-e: her eE7erience of e-ents -ers$s his eE7erience, &hat she

39


59/90

chooses to re-eal -ers$s &hat he iagines to ae $7 for her ref$sal to tal. That there are

$lti7le acco$nts of that da?s far attac, ho&e-er, does not ae it easier for the reader to

ded$ce &hat act$all did ha77enDat ost, the 5tr$th6 of this 7art of the narrati-e is &hat &e

achie-e in o$r 7$rs$it of the 5real,6 &hich is ne-er re-ealed #eca$se the a$thor constr$cts the no-el

in s$ch a fashion that L$c?s stor $st #e e7t silent. In her reading of ra7e in *isgrace, raha

asserts, 5;or altho$gh the stories of Melanie and L$c in *isgracecan onl reain PtheirsK aloneP,

to consign ra7e to a s7ace o$tside artic$lation a contri#$te to a &ider 7henoenon of

silencing.6 ;or narrati-e effect, the stories of Melanie and L$c $st reain closed. $t &hat

&riting a#o$t s$ch a to7ic can do is 7ro7t f$rther disc$ssion of the to7ic, es7eciall fitting at a

tie &hen edia re7orts of ra7e are at a high, as raha re7orts in her essa, and disc$ssion of

ra7e as 5endeic in So$th African c$lt$re6 has ade its &a into C &e#cast denials # Tha#o

M#ei. Instead of foc$sing on de7ictions of ra7eD7artic$larl interracial ra7e, considering the

histor of edia acco$nts 7laing intoswart gevaaror a7artheid=era 5#lac 7eril6D&hat &o$ld #e

$sef$l f$rtherore &o$ld #e to transfer the con-ersation to the 7ro#le of ra7e as a rising statistic

in So$th AfricaG &e co$ld also eEaine ho& the eleent of desire in Melanie?s interactions &ith

*a-id co7licates notions of coerci-e seE$alit, and o7en $7 disco$rse fro there.33

. . .

5Are she and he on the sae side6: *iffic$lt con-ersations

The idea of hate oti-ating ra7e, introd$ced in In the /eart of the Co$ntr, s$rfaces in

*a-id and L$c?s dialog$e &hen father and da$ghter dri-e hoe fro (ort +liza#eth, after

33(erha7s thatthere has not #een ore disc$ssion a#o$t ra7e steing fro the no-el reflects

&hat +llee oeher considers Coetzee?s ina#ilit to tr$l e#od or con-e feale characters

8or to 5#e the &oan,6 to #orro& Coetzee?s &ords, th$s factoring into the elision of &oen?sstories and the o$trageo$sness of soe characters? #eliefs a#o$t &oen or actions as &oen

8*a-id L$rie?s $sings on les#ians, +liza#eth Costello?s -ie&s and lect$res. See oeher?s essa

5Coetzee?s $eer od.6

0


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looing for *a-id?s stolen car. L$c finall -ol$nteers her feelings a#o$t the ra7e, and her

adission shifts fro #eing a#o$t her o&n eE7erience to i7licating her fatherDand all enDto

soe degree:

/alf&a hoe, L$c, to *a-id?sK s$r7rise, s7eas. 5It &as so 7ersonal,6 she sas. 5It &as

done &ith s$ch 7ersonal hatred. That &as &hat st$nned e ore than anthing. The rest

&as B eE7ected. $t &h did the hate e so BK /atred B "hen it coes to en and

seE, *a-id, nothing s$r7rises e an ore. Ma#e, for en, hating the &oan aes seE

ore eEciting. 'o$ are a an, o$ o$ght to no&.6 81@=1)

Magda?s a77eal, 5"h do o$ hate e so6 a77ears, re7hrased, in L$c?s $estion to *a-id, 5$t

&h did the hate e so6 The o#-io$s difference fro Magda?s 7lea is that L$c is addressing

her father here, and not her attacersG #eca$se L$c re-eals fe& concrete details a#o$t the ra7e to

her father, the reader does not no& &hether she 7osed this sae $estion to the ra7ists. 'et, as

L$c?s daning last &ords &o$ld s$ggest, sho$ld not *a-id #e a#le to 7ro-ide an ans&er

*a-id?s f$nction as a an and 8heteroseE$al #eing &o$ld seeingl 7$t hi in the sae ca7 as

the ra7ists. /er insistence 5'o$ are a an, o$ o$ght to no&,6 follo&ed # the e$ation of forced

seE &ith a ind of $rder 8*isgrace19, sees to le- a less=than=s$#tle charge at her fatherD

one that *a-id infers, ass$ing that his da$ghter is hinting at his ess dalliance &ith Melanie or

e-en his seE$al histor and the &a he treats &oen. The idea that his relations &ith Melanie

co$ld ha-e #een $n&anted and non=consens$al, to the degree that L$c &o$ld ae a connection

#et&een hi and her ra7ists, clearl #others *a-id.

Another eEa7le of *a-id?s $nease at this association coes earlier in the no-el, &hen

*a-id ass his da$ghter for details iediatel after the ra7e:

5Can I g$ess6 he sas. 5Are o$ tring to reind e of soething6

1


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5A I tring to reind o$ of &hat6

5Of &hat &oen $ndergo at the hands of en.6

5%othing co$ld #e f$rther fro tho$ghts. This has nothing to do &ith o$, *a-id.6

8111

*a-id hears L$c?s insin$ationsDto hi, his da$ghter, #$t also a recent -icti of ra7eD&hether

real or erel 7ercei-ed. *es7ite and #eca$se of the fact that the reader eE7eriences L$c?s ra7e

fro *a-id?s liited 7ers7ecti-e, instead of the ore s7athetic and standard choice of the

-icti, L$c, the $estions of seE as a &ea7on and its effects on either gender tae on a different

n$ance. After L$c?s sall s7eech, *a-id &ors her last &ords o-er in his head: "ou are a man,

you ought to know: does one s7ea to one?s father lie that Are she and he on the sae

side6 8*isgrace19. ;$rtherore, *a-id ass if he has it in hi to not F$st see fro the ale

7ers7ecti-e, #$t to 5#e the &oan6G at that 7oint in the no-el, he finds that he cannot $ite ans&er

that $estion. eca$se of the nat$re of *a-id and L$c?s relationshi7, that of father and da$ghter, a

certain anEiet a#o$t &hether he has failed to 7rotect her in other &as co7licates his thining.

;ro these con-ersations, Coetzee has raised a ne& concern: &hether, in the relationshi7s of en

and &oen, the conce7tion of a sing$larl ale collecti-e $nconscio$s or eE7erience, or a

sing$larl feale collecti-e conscio$s or eE7erience, $ltiatel defeats an se#lance of taing

sides 8or si7l alling &ith a certain side o$t of failial d$t, for eEa7le. In this instance,

nat$re tri$7hs o-er choice.

;$rther $ddling the notion of different sides is the fact that the &ords and sentient

siilar to L$c?s retort that the ra7e sho$ld reain 5herK #$siness, and hersK alone6 a77ears in a

-er different conteEt se-eral cha7ters #eforehand, d$ring *a-id?s seE$al harassent hearing in

Ca7e To&n. Ased to ela#orate on his side of the stor, *a-id sna7s at one of the e#ers of the


62/90

7anel, 5"hat goes on in ind is #$siness, not o$rs, ;arodia B ;ranl, &hat o$ &ant

fro e is not a res7onse #$t a confession. "ell, I ae no confession. I 7$t for&ard a 7lea, as is

right. $ilt as charged. That is 7lea. That is as far as I a 7re7ared to go6 81. Of co$rse,

the iron is that L$c later $ses siilar &ords to eE7lain her o&n ref$sal to 5confess6 a#o$t her

eE7erience of seE$al coercionDand the 7osition she is in, as a -icti of ra7e, a77ears near

o77osite to &here *a-id is coing fro, as the one doinant in his seE$al relationshi7s. Coetzee?s

decision to liit the 7oint of -ie& to *a-id L$rie lends greater co7leEit to the no-el?s disco$rse

on seE and 7o&er o-erall, es7eciall &hen connected to the Melanie storline.

In the case of a liited 7oint of -ie&, as readers, &hat &e get of the other characters?

feelings &e $st di-ine fro dialog$e or the ain character?s reaction to &hat these others sa or

do. In the grander sco7e of the character, the reader does not no& $ch a#o$t L$c?s relationshi7

&ith /elen. The 5facts6 &e learn a#o$t L$c and her 7ersonal life, s$ch as her seE$al orientation,

are all #ased on *a-id?s ideas #eca$se *isgrace relies on a 7roFection of *a-id?s tho$ghts.

Altho$gh the no-el ne-er aes clear &hether L$c is a les#ian or not, the fact that *a-id #elie-es

his da$ghter to #e a les#ian raises $estions a#o$t seE$alit and the 7olitics of heteroseE$al ra7e

8and not F$st interracial ra7e, an iss$e that has #een hea-il disc$ssed in regards to the no-el,

ostl related to the s$ggestions that this ind of racialized seE$al -iolence aes a#o$t #lac

So$th Africans. L$c?s seE$alit #ecoes soething else that sho$ld #e considered in the 7olitics

of seE$al actionDes7eciall since *a-id aes a n$#er of $estiona#le stateents a#o$t

les#ianis and ra7e, s$ch as the aforeentioned 52a7ing a les#ian &orse than ra7ing a -irgin:

ore of a #lo&6 810.

. . .

+choes and eta=references


63/90

2et$rning to In the /eart of the Co$ntr,the descri7tion of the Magda=/endri enco$nter,

do&n to s7ecific seE$al details, reads &ith a siilarl 57ainf$l -i-idness6 8+2 @ as the scene in

&hich *a-id sho&s $7 $nanno$nced at Melanie?s flat and coerces her into seE in a &a that is 5not

ra7e, not $ite that, #$t $ndesired ne-ertheless, $ndesired to the core6 8*isgrace. The echoes in

*isgrace of scenes in other no-els de7icting co7roising or coerci-e seE$al enco$nters cannot

#e coincidental. In this section, I &ill loo at ho& Coetzee references scenes 8do&n to a seeing

reccling of iager fro In the /eart of the Co$ntr and "aiting for the ar#arians in &riting

the e7isode &here *a-id literall atte7ts to s&ee7 the $n&illing Melanie off her feet. One &a to

read Coetzee?s &or diachronicall is to note ho& lang$age and iager res$rface in $lti7le

no-els, es7eciall in scenes &here he ais to e7hasize the le-elsQdegree of ine$alit #et&een

characters. (erha7s &e can -ie& these echoes as 7art of Coetzee?s ongoing con-ersation &ith the

reader a#o$t shifting dnaics in racialized and seE$alized h$an relationsDor, s7ecificall in the

earlier no-els, his o&n 7roof that the infl$ence of ho& 7eo7le treat each other in a7artheid So$th

Africa is i7ossi#le to shae.

The t&o e7isodes I ha-e noted in In the /eart of the Co$ntr and *isgrace, read side=#=

side, in-ite a different connection #et&een characters: #et&een *a-id and /endri, as o77osed to

*a-id and L$c?s ra7ists. In this case, it is not that *a-id, too, is a an and si7l o$ght to no&,

and that he #elie-es his action

disgrace-chou kimberly

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