"Not rape, not quite that" : an exploration of the rape narratives in J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace and in The Heart of the Country within the South African context

This dissertation provides a close examination of the rape narratives in J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace and In the Heart of the Country within the South African context. Initially, I briefly explore the proposition that the problem of rape in South Africa is perpetuated by the myths about rape which essentially obfuscate the reality of the incidence of rape. Having established what these myths are and how they are detrimental to our understanding of rape, I explore Coetzee's treatment of them in his own rape narratives. I debate whether Coetzee has simply reproduced existing myths about rape, thus perpetuating the shroud of silence which surrounds the majority of rapes in South Africa, or whether he has provided some sort of critique of the myths which are generally regarded as credible. I suggest that there is a marked development in Coetzee's consciousness and handling of myths about rape from In the Heart of the Country to Disgrace. The conclusion that I reach is that while it seems that Coetzee is critical of certain myths about rape, his criticism is presented in so subtle a manner that its detection is dependent, for a large part, on the integrity of the reader.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of English Language and Literature

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Kendal, Rebekah

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14602

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14602