Doctoral Degrees (Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French) by Subject "Border crossing"

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    Grensoorskryding in Alfabet van die voëls deur S.J. Naudé en Sondag op ’n voëlplaas deur Johann Nell
    (University of the Free State, 2016) Erasmus-Alt, Joanita; Van Coller, H. P.
    English: The point of departure in this thesis are the concepts of border crossing and liminality. The latter term was used for the first time by Arnold van Gennep in his work Les rites de passage (1908). Van Gennep (1960:166) identifies three phases in the process of border crossing: the phase of seclusion, the liminal phase (the phase during which transformation takes place) and the integration phase. According to Van Gennep rites de passage is an essential characteristic of any kind of crossing and it refers to the dichotomy that exists between stable and transient structures. It is noticed that in a continuously changing modern society there is an increase in striving for a world without borders. It is typical of post-modernism that concepts of philosophy are mixed with concepts and methods from other disciplines; therefore an increase in integration of multi-disciplinary approaches is found in academic disciplines. In this thesis an overview is provided of important views regarding the nature of topological, philosophical and literary borders. The theoretical discussion serves as point of departure for the analysis, interpretation and discussion of the extent to, and the manner in which the crossing of borders is demonstrated.The focus of this discussion is based on two Afrikaans prose texts, namely Alfabet van die voëls [Alphabet of the birds] (2011) by S.J. Naudé and Sondag op ʼn voëlplaas [Sunday on a bird farm] (2013) by Johann Nell. Due to the iconoclastic nature of post-modern literature it is clear that demarcated borders are disappearing – also in relation to literary genres. Furthermore, the line between high and low literature is continuously becoming less prominent. As the continuous development of literary forms is making it difficult to define explicit demarcated literary genres, the current trends of deliquescence in the chosen genres (short-story cycle, farm novel, town novel, city novel, as well as the coming-of-age story or Bildungsroman) were taken as premise in this investigation. In both these texts spatial, psychological and metaphysical crossing of borders by a liminal main character (or characters) occurs at the story level. Against the backdrop of socio-political changes the various main characters experience different forms of trauma and loss – experiences that inevitably play an important role in moulding a personal identity. The search for the meaning of life and the discovery of the self presumes that the main characters as a result undergo a border-crossing, transformative and disengaging process. As part of the study, attention is not merely paid to different forms of border crossing at story level; the focus also is on the ways in which this border crossing is presented in the structure of the discourse and through narration. Apart from the dynamics which the theme of border crossing effectuates at the level of the story, the aspect of choice of the liminality can also be expressed in the structuring of the actions. As a result of the course of action being structured around border-crossing occurrences, a narrative cycle is brought about by means of processes of progression and regression. At the level of the story, border crossing is closely related to demarcating the area. In the thesis attention is paid to the ways in which the territorialising characteristics of the refrain and birds as complex metaphors are employed. These metaphors are not merely an ornamental aspect of language, but due to their repetitive occurrence they become fundamental themes through which the characters can conceptualise their respective lives and their activities in their immediate surroundings. In post-modern literature the crossing of borders often is demonstrated by the author entering the text on a self reflective level. This thesis investigates the ways in which the real author is present as a character in the literary work by means of subtle manipulation. The various forms of crossing borders demonstrated in both Naudé’s Alfabet van die voëls and Nell’s Sondag op ʼn voëlplaas, serve as confirmation of the idea that the crossing or fading of borders is relevant, for a variety of reasons, to post-modern literature and that it also seems to be a significant trend in Afrikaans literature.