Browsing by Author "Sole, Kelwyn"

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    Black woman, you are on your own : images of black women in Staffrider short stories, 1978-1982
    (1999) Gqola, Pumla Dineo; Sole, Kelwyn
    This dissertation examines the dominant images of Black women presented in the first five years of Staffrider magazine. It limits itself mainly to the analysis of short stories written in the English language. Since most of the contributors were men, many of the stories analysed here are by male Writers. A few poems by Black women have been analysed in addition to the short stories. The thesis focuses on and answers the question of whether 'positive' characterisation of Black people, seen as central to Black Consciousness writing, includes women or not. The analyses take into account race, class and gender and are informed by the theories of womanism and Black feminism(s). As much of the literature shows an overt bias in favour of the ideology of Black Consciousness, the first chapter serves an introductory function. It concentrates on an examination of the ideology of Black Consciousness and an interrogation of the literature to which it gave rise. Briefly sketching the development of BC, it examines the nature of BC literature. This entails both an study of the characteristics of the literature as well as an examination of the place of Black women in Black Consciousness discourse and literature.
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    Contemporary english oral poetry by black poets in Great Britain and South Africa : a comparison between Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mzwakhe Mbuli
    (1994) Kozain, Rustum; Sole, Kelwyn
    The general aims of this dissertation are: to study a form of literature traditionally disregarded by a text-bound academy; to argue that form is an important element in ideological analyses of the poetry under discussion; and, on the basis of this second aim, to argue for a comparative, rigorously critical approach to the poetry of Mzwakhe Mbuli. Previous evaluations of Mbuli's poetry are characterised by acclaim which, the author contends, is only possible because of under-researched criticism, representing a general trend in South African literary culture. Compared to Linton Kwesi Johnson's work, for instance, Mbuli's poetry does not emerge as the innovative and progressive art - in both content and form - it is claimed to be. Mbuli and his critics are thus read as a case study of a general trend. Johnson and Mbuli mainly perform their poetry with musical accompaniment and distribute it as sound-recording. This study's approach then differs from the approaches of general oral literature studies because influential writers on oral literature - specifically Walter J. Ong, Ruth Finnegan and Paul Zumthor - do not address the genre under investigation here. Nevertheless, their writings are explored in order to show why particularly Ong and Finnegan's approaches are inadequate. The author argues that using the orality of the poetry as an organising, theoretical principle is insufficient for the task at hand. On cue from Zumthor, this study suggests an approach through Cultural Studies and conceives of the subject matter as popular culture.
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    Dancing the Tiekiedraai : a socio-historic approach to Bosman's bushveld narratives
    (2002) Hayden, Susan; Sole, Kelwyn
    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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    Narrative technique and readerships in postcolonial African fiction : towards reception theory
    (2006) Samiselo, George; Sole, Kelwyn
    [Missing pages] For sometime now studies of African fiction have neglected to explore what most African writers conceive of as a critical aspect of African literature -- the readerships of African texts. This preponderance in African criticism could probably be explained in terms of the fact that commentators of African literature are unaware of any useful theoretical model that would assist to discuss both the points of view and reading constituencies in African fiction. Be that as it may, this trend in African criticism is unacceptable, for the role of the critic is partly to develop critical tools that are commensurate with, and relevant to, drifts in fiction. For this reason, this study proposes what it considers to be one of the viable methods with which to discuss African prose fiction. It is suggested that a most meaningful way to approach African texts, in particular and literature in general, is perhaps to focus on the style and intended audience(s) in specific , texts. The reason for this is that such a critical approach would often yield insights both about the themes in the texts and the literary ideologies of the authors themselves. Applied to the African novel, this thesis points out that focusing on the style and audience(s) in particular African texts ultimately leads to an understanding of a range and variety of interesting narrative strategies and axes of reading constituencies in African fiction. To demonstrate the vitality of such a critical methodology, this thesis explores the style and readers in select novels from Anglophone Africa. The result would certainly seem to be a commendable approach to African literature, which this thesis designates as intentional criticism. Intentional criticism is a viable approach to African fiction precisely because it restricts itself to examining how specific African texts construct their intended audiences through narrative strategies. At the same time, intentional criticism attempts to show, in reverse, how particular reading constituencies are also able to construct specific narratives in particular African texts. A critical method such as intentional criticism, the study concludes, is ultimately desirable to the criticism of African literature because it assists to explain both the authorial and textual ideologies of African writers and their work. In applying intentional criticism to explore the scope and span ofreading constituencies and narrative technique in African fiction, the thesis employs insights from an eclectic variety of iv Receptionists such as Hans R. Jauss and Stanley E. Fish. Notably, Jauss's notion of "horizon of expectations" and Fish's concept of "interpretative community'' are central to the aims and objectives as well as arguments of this study. It is noted in the thesis that the theoretical implications of the views of these Receptionists on the social and historical relevance of writers and their work have far-reaching ramifications for a theory of African literature. Thus it is argued that any meaningful criticism of African fiction should focus on the style and readers in African texts, while taking cognizance of the views of the writers themselves about their own work. The point is that in focusing simultaneously on both the comments and texts of African writers, the thesis demonstrates the differences/ similarities between what African authors say and what they actually do; it further demonstrates some of the perennial problems/ contradictions in the African writer's literary programme(s). In the context of this thesis, the results of intentional criticism are a fascinating compass of national and international readers in the African regional novel, superreaders in African metanovels as well as both in African political fiction and the African quest narrative/ tale/ novel. The construction of this variety of readers, the study emphasises, is, in fact, intentional on the part of the African authors this thesis examines precisely because of the urgency that informs the literary programmes of most African novelists. In this way, the thesis concludes that the most viable critical approach with which to interrogate the main concerns/ themes in African literature is to focus on the institution of the intended reader, and narrative technique in the African novel. All this does not mean that African writers do not have problems with style and readers in their work: the thesis shows that the African writer who seems to draw inspiration from African orature, especially from the "language" of oral performances in order to work out appropriate narrative strategies for readers has insurmountable problems indeed. The study further points out that the attempt to merge aspects of orature with those of the written medium in African postcolonial fiction often leads to results that are not easily definable. In this way, the study argues that as long as African authors continue to write, they would probably do well to continue to work out/ create/ improve on narrative strategies that are commensurate with reading.
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    Questions for the sea : a collection of poems by Stephen Symons
    (2014) Symons, Stephen; Sole, Kelwyn
    This collection of 47 poems, Questions for the Sea, explores questions pertaining to the frailty of human existence within the natural and built environment. Many of the poems involve some form of human exposure, and subsequent response, to the e.ects of the natural elements. The presence of the ocean, whether obvious or nuanced, is o.ered to the reader as a constant; and serves as a point of entry or departure, and even inquiry, for the poems. The collection is divided into nine sections which encompass themes including landscape, natural topographies, specific localities within South Africa, inter-personal relationships, and aspects of human conflict, both historical and contemporary. Of special interest to the poet, are the visual properties of the poem’s form on paper, as well as its association with poetic style and narrative function.
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    The madness of the Black man on his own: an analysis of the silences of history, in search of herstory
    (1997) Yates, Kimberley Ann; Sole, Kelwyn
    The primary purpose of this thesis is to examine the autobiographical works of three Black South African women -- Mamphela Ramphele, Bessie Head, and Ellen Kuzwayo -- to see if and how they were impacted by the masculine discourse of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), which was articulated in terms of "the Black man" and his struggle. One of the first points I make and use as a premise throughout the thesis is that the term "man" is neither inclusive nor universal; it, instead, refers specifically to men and cannot refer to both men and women. What could have motivated the use of this masculinist language, particularly in light of the fact that the Nguni and Sotho languages of South Africa do not have a gender differentiation system for the third person pronoun? This question led me to an examination of the English language since English was the language chosen by the activists to conduct the business of the Movement. But, there was yet another factor to consider besides the language. The Black Consciousness Movement took place through the 1960s and into the late 1970s, during the latter part of an era of many other Black nationalist struggles around the world (Negritude, the U.S. Black Power Movements, liberation struggles of many of the other African countries). So, I look specifically at men's writings ' from Negritude and the Black Power Movements and compare them to a sample of writings from male writers in the Black Consciousness Movement, showing that all of these writers articulate employ this masculinist language. The significance of the timing of Black Consciousness (BC) is that it emerged into an international context with a readymade nationalist discourse of the liberation of Black people and the struggle of Black men. That discourse, however, might not have emerged if the usage of the masculine as universal were not already an acceptable practice the English language. Thus, the first chapter is an examination of the masculinity of the English language, primarily through feminist, postructuralist, psychoanalytic, and Marxist theories/theorists. The analysis begins from the premise that masculinity is a system of domination that requires femininity, a small, enclosed space designated for women. Key to the existence of masculinity and femininity is the facade that they are natural7 i.e., inherent to the male and female bodies, respectively. Thus the chapter is largely a deconstruction of that assumption, and the 18th century European assumption of a direct link between hysteria and femininity. I argue that at the base of female hysteria is a much more pervasive and normalised male hysteria, driven by the either/or binary logic of Western philosophy that shows itself in the English language. Indeed, it is masculinity, not femininity, that is irrational, illogical, and mad in its obsession for understanding and control. I move from that assertion into an analysis of how capitalism works to create femininity through Marx's structure of the non-producer, the labourer (to whom Marx consistently refers as he), and the product to examine the relationship between men and women, the masculine and the feminine. After establishing the madness of masculinity and its place in the English language, I move into how this examination of a Western context correlates to the Black Consciousness Movement. I argue that when the male BC activists entered into the English language, they simultaneously entered into its legacy of masculinity, and they adopted that masculinity. Thus their absenting of women was driven by the very same madness of masculinity. In the midst of this oppressive madness called masculinity, how, then did Black women conceive of themselves as agents? Of the three women, only one, Mamphela Ramphele, was an activist in the BCM. She is the onlywoman activist from the BCM who has written her autobiography, or who has written a sizeable body of material on her experience in the Movement. She is also the only of the three who never engages in the masculinist discourse of the Movement. I also look at Ellen Kuzwayo's autobiography, Call Me Woman7 which is dedicated to documenting the contributions of other Black women to the liberation of South Africa, despite which there are curious moments in the text when she slips into masculinist discourse in talking about the BCM and the importance of the Black man's struggle. The third is Bessie Head and her novel, A Question of Power7 which I use as an autobiographical text on the basis of her own admission that it is largely grounded in her own life experiences. Hers is an important text for the framework of madness it provides. I conclude that, true to my previous analyses, she is driven into madness by the hysteria of masculinity.
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    Towards Marxist stylistics: incorporating elements of critical discourse analysis into Althusserian Marxist criticism in the interpretation of selected Zimbabwean fiction
    (2014) Chihota, Clement; Sole, Kelwyn; Dornbrack, Jacqui; McCormick, Kay
    The thesis - which locates itself at the interface between linguistic and literary studies - explores the possibility of developing a ‘Marxist- stylistic’ method of text interpretation, which primarily proceeds from Althusserian Marxist Criticism, but which also incorporates salient elements of Critical Discourse Analysis. In construction of the method, the thesis first investigates the need for Althusserian Marxist criticism to be mediated, and more specifically, the areas in which this mediation is required. The thesis then crosses over to the field of Critical Discourse Analysis where it identifies relevant theoretical and methodological resources that are capable of mediating the ‘gaps’ identified in Althusserian Marxist criticism. The construction of the Marxist stylistic method is then effected through the transfer of germane theoretical and methodological resources from Critical Discourse Analysis to Althusserian Marxist criticism. The distinctive properties of the emergent Marxist-stylistic method are delineated before the method is practically applied to the interpretation of at least four fictional texts – all written and set in Zimbabwe. The key outcome of the thesis is that a distinctive method of text interpretation, which meaningfully separates itself from Althusserian Marxist criticism, on the one hand, and Critical Discourse Analysis, on the other, emerges. The thesis concludes with a reflection on the application of the method and makes some suggestions for further research and development in the area herein labelled as ‘Marxist stylistics.’