Grensoorskryding in Alfabet van die voëls deur S.J. Naudé en Sondag op ’n voëlplaas deur Johann Nell
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van Coller, H. P. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Erasmus-Alt, Joanita | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-01-12T06:31:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-01-12T06:31:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2016 | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Die vertrekpunt in hierdie proefskrif is die konsepte van grensoorskryding en liminaliteit. Laasgenoemde term is vir die eerste keer deur Arnold van Gennep in sy werk Les rites de passage (1908) gebruik. Van Gennep (1960:166) identifiseer drie fases in die proses van grensoorskryding: die fase van afsondering, die liminale fase (die fase waartydens transformasie plaasvind) en die fase van integrasie. Volgens Van Gennep is rites de passage ʼn noodsaaklike kenmerk van enige tipe oorgang en wys dit op die digotomie wat daar tussen stabiele en verbygaande strukture bestaan. In die voortdurend veranderende moderne samelewing word ʼn toenemende strewe na ʼn wêreld sonder grense bemerk. Tipies van die postmodernisme word konsepte van die filosofie met konsepte en metodes uit ander dissiplines vermeng en is daar dus ook in akademiese dissiplines ʼn toenemende integrasie van multi-dissiplinêre benaderings. In die proefskrif word ʼn oorsig van belangrike beskouings met betrekking tot die aard van topologiese, filosofiese en literêre grense gegee. Die teoretiese bespreking dien as vertrekpunt tot die analise, interpretasie en bespreking van die mate waarin, asook die wyses waarop, grensoorskryding in twee Afrikaanse prosatekste, naamlik Alfabet van die voëls (2011) deur S.J. Naudé en Sondag op ʼn voëlplaas (2013) deur Johann Nell gedemonstreer word. Vanweë die ikonoklastiese aard van postmoderne literatuur is dit duidelik dat afgebakende grense verval – ook met betrekking tot literêre genres. Voorts is daar ʼn vervaging tussen hoog- en laagkultuur. Aangesien die voortdurende ontwikkeling van literêre vorms die definiëring van duidelik afgebakende letterkundige genres bemoeilik, word die heersende neigings van vervloeiing in die gekose genres (die kortverhaalsiklus, die plaasroman, die dorpsroman, die stadsroman, sowel as die ontwikkelingsroman of Bildungsroman), as uitgangspunt in hierdie ondersoek geneem. In beide tekste is daar op die vlak van die storie ruimtelike, psigologiese en metafisiese grensoorskryding deur ʼn liminale karakter (of karakters). Teen die agtergrond van sosio-politieke veranderinge beleef die onderskeie hoofkarakters verskillende vorme van trauma en verlies – belewenisse wat uiteraard ʼn belangrike rol speel in die vorming van ʼn persoonlike identiteit. ʼn Soeke na die sin van die lewe en die ontdekking van die self veronderstel dat die hoofkarakters gevolglik ʼn grensoorskrydende, transformerende losmakingsproses ondergaan. As deel van die studie word daar nie slegs aandag geskenk aan verskillende vorme van grensoorskryding op storievlak nie. Daar word ook gefokus op die wyses waarop hierdie grensoorskryding in die verhaal en in die vertelproses voorgestel word. Afgesien van die dinamika wat die tema van grensoorskryding op storievlak teweegbring, kan die keuse-aspek van die tussenskap ook in die strukturering van handeling uitgedruk word. Deurdat die handelingsverloop rondom grensoorskrydende gebeurtenisse gestruktureer word, word daar by wyse van prosesse van vooruitgang en agteruitgang ʼn narratiewe siklus bewerkstellig. Op die vlak van die storie staan grensoorskryding in ʼn noue verband met terrein-afbakening. In die proefskrif word aandag geskenk aan die wyses waarop die territorialiserende eienskappe van die refrein en voëls as komplekse metafore aangewend word. Hierdie metafore is nie bloot ʼn ornamentele aspek van taal nie, maar deur die herhaalde voorkoms daarvan word dit prinsipiële skemas waardeur die karakters hul onderskeie leefwêrelde en hul aktiwiteite binne daardie leefwêrelde kan konseptualiseer. In postmoderne literatuur word grensoorskryding dikwels gedemonstreer deur ʼn selfrefleksiewe betreding van die teks deur die skrywer. Die proefskrif ondersoek die wyses waarop die werklike outeur, deur middel van subtiele manipulering, self as karakter in die literêre werk aanwesig is. Die verskillende vorme van grensoorskryding wat in beide Naudé se Alfabet van die voëls en Nell se Sondag op ʼn voëlplaas gedemonstreer word, dien as bevestiging vir die idee dat die oorskryding of vervaging van grense om verskeie redes relevant is vir die postmoderne letterkunde en dat dit ook binne die Afrikaanse literatuur ʼn belangrike tendens blyk te wees. | af |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/5281 | |
| dc.language.iso | af | af |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | S.J. Naudé | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Johann Nell | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Border crossing | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Liminality | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Post-modernism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Short story cycle | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Farm novel | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Middlebrow literature | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Metaphor | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Deconstructive reading | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Deterritorialization | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Minor literature | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Thesis (Ph.D. (Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French))--University of the Free State, 2016 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Grensoorskryding in Alfabet van die voëls deur S.J. Naudé en Sondag op ’n voëlplaas deur Johann Nell | af |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |