Narrative (De)construction
Mr Coetzee, in the Basement, with the Quill: A Discussion of Authorial Complicity in J.M. Coetzee's Foe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20156685 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rick De Villiers (0000-0002-7254-1231, University of Pretoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 118-126 |
| Publication date | 2010-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Literary Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0256-4718 • E-ISSN: 1753-5387 |
| Publisher | Unisa Press (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02564711003683592 |
| OpenAlex | W2110599899 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 5 |
The article offers a deconstructive reading of J.M. Coetzee's Foe and attempts both to explain and to reveal the abusive writing employed by each of the “authors” (Susan Barton, Foe, Daniel Defoe, J.M. Coetzee) in the novel. It operates within a Derridean framework, tracing the concepts of supplementation and origin in the text to indicate how the novel simultaneously collapses and conceals its own narrative practices. Like its object, the analysis presents itself as a piece of intertextual writing which questions not only the construction of the novel (and the apparent presence of meaning inherent in it), but also its own modes of composition. A detailed discussion of Susan Barton's credibility as author is proffered, and a close inspection of Coetzee's use of punctuation aims to suggest that the author, as a fictional being, is present in the novel before Part IV. Ultimately, this article attempts to illustrate, through its self-reflexive nature, the various ways in which Foe betrays the fallibility of language and representation
Art · Complicity · Epistemology · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Punctuation · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Law · Narrative Theory and Analysis · Philosophy · South African History and Culture
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2011 - 2011 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |