Dancing the Tiekiedraai : a socio-historic approach to Bosman's bushveld narratives
The name 'Herman Charles Bosman' is a familiar one to South Africans, and his narratives have been celebrated widely for their skilful construction, their humour and the unique way in which they capture a segment of South African rural life. While Bosman is regarded as a significant figure in South African literature, it is less commonly accepted that his narratives were more than cleverly devised pieces of social realism. In the past, critics have largely either regarded Bosman's work as existing 'outside' of politics - even commending him for his ability to disregard the 'obsession' with politics reflected in the texts of other South African writers - or they have criticised him for producing 'racist' narratives which vindicated white supremacy. There are a number of reasons why Bosman's work was not regarded as an important constituent in the literary struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa, not the least being that he was an Afrikaner. His ethnic identity, combined with the fact that his writing was difficult to categorise because it was so different from the other literature being produced at that time, meant that his narratives have often been misunderstood, and their social message largely ignored. My argument, in this thesis, is that the particular and very real forms of censorship placed on South African writers beg a closer look not only at what is being said, but the w
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Department of English Language and Literature