Kneeling before the fathers’ wand

In their fictional critiques of colonialism/imperialism, both Thomas Pynchon and J.M. Coetzee emphasize the ways in which the colonial powers misrepresent their intent through the conscious misuse of metaphorical language, especially that surrounding the paternal relationship. Pynchon's V. (1966) and Coetzee's Dusklands (1974) address the issue by presenting a number of settings in which such a distortion of language occurs. These disparate sections within the works span more than two hundred years of history, illustrating the longevity of such an approach on the part of European colonizers as well as the growing violence associated with this strategy. This article examines the manner in which Pynchon and Coetzee deal with the subject of colonialism, primarily using Georges Bataille's Erotism: Death and Sensuality (1986) and Keith Booker's Literature and Domination (1993) to derive a critical formula concerning the linkage between the desire for domination, violence and the metaphor surrounding various forms of love. This formula is then used as the filter through which the two aforementioned novels are read, isolating instances in both authors’ writing that demonstrate the specific ways in which colonial powers intentionally blur, or thoroughly obscure, the line between fatherly and sexual love to justify their efforts at political and cultural supremacy. Sowel Thomas Pynchon as J.M. Coetzee beklemtoon in hulle fiksionele kritieke die wyse waarop die koloniale magte hulle bedoelings wanvoorstel deur doelbewuste mis‐bruik van metaforiese taal; spesifiek die taal wat gebruik word in die konteks van die vaderlike verhouding. Pynchon se V. (1966) en Coetzee se Dusklands (1974) spreek hierdie punt aan deur ‘n aantal agtergronde te skets waarteen hierdie verdraaiing van taal plaasvind. Hierdie uiteenlopende afdelings binne dié twee werke omvat meer as twee honderd jaar se geskiedenis, wat die langlewendheid van hierdie benadering van die Europese koloniseerders en die groeiende geweld wat met hierdie strategie geassosieer word, illustreer. Neither writer is particularly convinced of the possibility of this goal being achieved ‐ neither V. nor Dusklands can be said to have much of a happy ending, or much of an “ending” at all, for that matter, at least in terms of a denouement. Both authors’ later works show evidence of a continued pessimistic analysis of many of these same themes (Mondaugen and the Hereros even reappear in Pynchon's 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow). However, the aim of neither the satirist nor the cultural critic is to soothe the worries of his/her audience. Both authors have presented readers with a number of examples from history that correspond to a recognizable pattern, based on the misappropriation of metaphor and the dangerous intermingling of violence, sexuality and political/cultural dominion. Pynchon and Coetzee have created works in which resemblances between the past and present are intended to suggest a possible future. This future is not necessarily irreversible, but, as presented by these authors, it is most definitely undesirable. As Hite states, in writing about Pynchon's authorial task, “[t]he important thing about resemblances is that they can be recognized; it is always possible, if highly unlikely... that someone will leam” (Hite 1983: 65). Pynchon and Coetzee both make compelling arguments in favor of such learning, for humanity as a whole

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