Browsing by Author "Van der Merwe, Chris N"

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    Die hantering van identiteite in Afrikaanse voorgeskrewe romans in Suid-Afrika na apartheid : 'n kritiese evaluering = The treatment of identities in Afrikaans prescribed novels in post-apartheid South Africa : a critical appraisal
    (2001) Scholtz, Danelle; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    Literature is an important source of cultural knowledge for young readers. It helps shape their perceptions of reality and teaches them what to expect from the world and the people around them. Therefore, it is important to do a communicative analysis of the literature that is prescribed for schools, in order to determine how identities are ascribed and negotiated, and how this can bear on intergroup and interpersonal relations. The conclusions can then serve to guide the selection of new books and the teaching of existing selections. In this study, the eleven novels that were prescribed in 2000 for Afrikaans First Language in Grade 12 in the nine provinces of South Africa are analysed thematically with respect to ethnicity, gender, and religion. Theories of Intercultural Communication are used to examine these thematic analyses. I conclude that the lists were indeed compiled for the purpose of transformation, and that ethnicity in particular gets awarded prominent treatment. The voices that are heard, however, belong overwhelmingly to one group, so that theirs is central to all reality, and the reality of others is seen only in relation to their reality. More or less the same applies to the aspects of gender and religion. There is also little awareness of gender issues, and gender roles are stereotypical.
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    Die spanning tussen weerloosheid en weerbaarheid soos vergestalt in die vrouefigure van Riana Scheepers
    (1996) Van Zyl, Anita Johanna; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    Riana Scheepers se prosawerk sluit deur die fokus op die vrou, gesien vanuit die perspektief van die vrou, aan by die feministiese literatuur, en maak derhalwe 'n feministiese literatuurbenadering van haar werk moontlik. Haar oeuvre, vanaf Die ding in die vuur (1990), tot en met Die heidendogters jubel (1995), lewer 'n belangrike bydrae tot die Afrikaanse vroueliteratuur van die afgelope dekade. In die tematiese ondersoek na die spanning tussen weerloosheid en weerbaarheid is die ginokritiek van die Anglo-Amerikaanse feminis, Elaine Showalter, asook die sogenaamde mites wat in groot mate die gedrag van mans en vroue in die samelewing reel, as teoretiese uitgangspunt geneem. Met die feminisme en die gesosialiseerde opvattings oar die rolle van die geslagte as agtergrond, val die fokus op die vrou se stryd om te oorleef in 'n manlik-gedomineerde samelewing. Hierdie oorlewingstryd word veral geopenbaar in die vrou se verhouding met die man in 'n liefdes- of seksuele verhouding, maar raak ook haar posisie as vrou binne die breer sosiale konteks en haar verhouding met die man in die samelewing. As gevolg van die ongelyke magsverhouding tussen die geslagte waar die vrou in haar verhoudings met die man voortdurend konflik tussen weerloosheid en weerbaarheid. Hierdie spanning is 'n deurlopende tema in Scheepers se werk en die klem val deurgaans op die vergestalting daarvan.
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    Die verhouding tussen autobiografiese feit en fiksie in die kortverhaaloeuvre van Koos Prinsloo
    (1997) Scheepers, Adriana Wilhelmina; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    Tegniese en tematiese vernuwing, aansien én verguising van sy literêre werk, 'n opsienbare openbare lewe én dood - dit alles het bygedra dat Koos Prinsloo bykans 'n kultusfiguur geword het en dat sy skrywersloopbaan en literêre arbeid 'n uiters interessante, maar komplekse studieterrein is. Verskeie artikels en nagraadse studies oor uiteenlopende aspekte van Prinsloo se verhale is reeds voltooi, maar daar is nog geen sistematiese ondersoek gedoen oor die verhouding tussen feit en fiksie soos dit na vore kom in sy vier bundels nie. Met die skrywer se afsterwe in Maart 1994 is sy oeuvre afgesluit. Dit is dus vir die navorser moontlik om tot bepaalde gevolgtrekkings te kom ten opsigte van 'n volledige korpus tekste. Die werkswyse in hierdie studie is om Prinsloo se verhaalbundels in chronologiese volgorde te ontleed, te bepaal watter verhale outobiografiese merkers vertoon, na te gaan watter tegnieke die skrywer gebruik het om sy tekste te fiksionaliseer/defiksionaliseer, en wat die funksies en konsekwensies is van die byhaal van die "werklikheid" by die fiksionele. Die uitsprake van kritici word by elke bundel gegee, met die navorser se reaksie op die kritiek. As gevolg van die omvang van hierdie studie, word daar nie aandag gegee aan die (meer omvattende) verhouding tussen "feit" en "fiksie" in Prinsloo se oeuvre nie. Sodanige studie sal meebring dat die talryke dokumentêre verwysings in sy werk nagevors en die funksionaliteit daarvan bepaal word. Hierdie studie konsentreer net op die verhouding tussen die outobiografiese feit en fiksie in sy werk, maar verwys, waar nodig, na sommige van hierdie dokumente.
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    Narratief en trauma : 'n ondersoek na die gebruik van ‘‘trauma’’ as 'n literêre kategorie in die analise van tekste
    (2008) Reynecke, Celéste; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    This dissertation seeks to explore the notion of "trauma" as a useful tool in the analysis of literary texts. For this reason, aspects of psychological theory pertaining to trauma will be applied to various Afrikaans texts. Horrelpoot (2006) by Eben Venter, as well as Equatoria (2006) by Tom Dreyer will form the backbone of this analysis. Attention will also be paid to the Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad) intertext that appears in both. To expand the analysis, a brief overview of trauma in three other literary texts will also be included. These include Kennis van die Aand (1973) by Andre P Brink, Die Onsigbares (2003) by EKM Didio and In Stede van die Liefde (2005) by Etienne van Heerden. The aim will be to ascertain whether there is a generic way in which authors apply trauma within literary texts, or whether there are different ways of implementing this theme in the novels. Opsomming: Hierdie verhandeling is daarop gemik om ondersoek in te stel of "trauma" 'n bruikbare kategorie is in die analise van literere tekste. Die sielkundige teorie rakende trauma sal dus toegepas word op verskeie Afrikaanse tekste. Die hooffokus sal op Horrelpoot (2006) deur Eben Venter en Equatoria (2006) deur Tom Dreyer wees. Daar sal ook aandag gegee word aan die Heart of Darkness (deur Joseph Conrad) as interteks in albei verhale. Om die ondersoek uit te brei sal 'n bondige oorsig van trauma in drie ander Afrikaanse tekste ook gegee word, naamlik Kennis van die Aand (1973) deur Andre P Brink, Die Onsigbares (2003) deur EKM Didio en In Stede van die Liefde (2005) deur Etienne van Heerden. Daar sal spesifiek gekyk word of die skrywers die trauma-gegewe op dieselfde manier gebruik en of daar verskillende maniere is om met hierdie tematiek te werk te gaan.
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    Narratief en trauma in die oeuvre van Etienne van Heerden
    (2008) Van Zyl, Marieke; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    Die tesis ondersoek die intertekstuele gesprek in Van Heerden se oeuvre met betrekking tot die temas van narratief, trauma en heling. Teoretiese uitgangspunte vanuit literere en sielkundige ondersoekterreine word gebruik. Ek fokus op narratief en trauma in Van Heerden se romans Matoli (1978), Toorberg (1986), Casspirs en Campari 's (1991), Die stoetmeester (1993), Kikoejoe (1996), Die sYrye van Mario Salviati (2000), In stede van die liefde (2005) en Asbesmiddag (2007). Verskillende fasette van die verwerking van trauma op individuele en kollektiewe vlak, wat regdeur Van Heerden se werk loop, word ondersoek. Daar word gekyk na die temas van verwonding en verskeurdheid en die moontlikheid van heling en versoening in Van Heerden se romans. Die verwerking en herskryf van die verlede, op individuele en kollektiewe vlak; kwessies rondom identiteit nadat 'n lewensnarratief deur trauma verwoes is; die soeke na 'n nuwe toekoms en versoening, versoening met die self, in die gesin en in die land word ondersoek in terme van narratief en trauma. Daar word gekyk na die temas van die verwerking van die verlede, die skuldgevoel van Suid-Afrikaners gedurende en na apartheid, en die verwonding van mense gedurende apartheid. Onderdrukte fasette van die geskiedenis kom na vore in Van Heerden se oeuvre, wat 'n stem gee aan diegene wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedskrywing gemarginaliseer is. Die soeke na identiteit mi 'n traumatiese belewenis en die (on-)moontlikheid van he ling is sentrale temas by Van Heerden. Daar word ondersoek ingestel na die intertekstuele 'gesprek' tussen Van Heerden se romans aangaande sentrale temas wat op mekaar bou in sy werk. Van Heerden se oeuvre bevestig die helende potensiaal van narratief deur die wyse waarop die temas van verwonding en heling, wat deurlopend in sy werk voorkom, uitgebeeld word.
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    Populêre vs. literêre grensverhale : twee beelde van die Angolese oorlog (1966-1989)
    (1998) Van Huyssteen, Konstant; Van der Merwe, Chris N; Wolfswinkel, Rolf M
    In this dissertation, a study is made of two bodies of fiction documenting the South African soldier in Angola. The fiction was limited to Afrikaans short stories, as this genre is believed to best reflect the fragmentary, explosive experience of combat. This demarcation also served as a way of limiting the body of fiction for the study. A cut-off year of 1990 was taken. The rationale for this is that the late seventies and eighties was the golden age for the publication of border fiction, and that Southwest AfricaNamibia gained independence in 1990 with a SWAPO (South West Africa People's Organisation) government, thus largely defeating the purposes of South African military involvement in Namibia and Angola. The collections of short stories that were analyzed in this study, were divided into two categories. The stories published in popular family magazines such as Die Huisgenoot were considered to be popular fiction. These stories are overtly accepting of South Africa's involvement in Namibia and Angola, and are highly propagandistic. The collections Ses Wenverhale (1988) by Maretha Maartens and others, and Verby die wit brug (1978) by Johan Coetzee, were analyzed as examples of this category. In the category of literary short stories, Wie de hel het jou vertel? (1988) by Gawie Kellerman and 'n Wereld sonder grense (1984) by Alexander Strachan were analyzed. It is important to note that the texts were selected thematically i.e. the criterium was that they had to have the South African soldier in South West AfricaAngola as main theme. Analyses of the texts are based on the thesis formulated by H P van Coller in his article "Afrikaanse literatuur oor die gewapende konflik in Suider-Afrika sedert 1963 - 'n voorlopige verslag". In this report, Van Coller mentions that studies comparing the literary border fiction with the popular border fiction, have been left behind. The study aims at examining this unexplored territory and looks extensively at how these two bodies of fiction differ. It was found that two radically different images of the border war emerge from the two bodies of fiction: the popular fiction is uncritical, war is presented more as an exciting game in the popular fiction, whereas it is presented as deadly, yet addictive, in the literary fiction. The ideological backgrounds from which the stories are written, are fundamentally opposed: the popular fiction often sees the war as a continuation of the white man's struggle for survival on a violent continent, and God is assumed to be on the South African side. The literary fiction documents a loss of God and criticises the government, censorship and apartheid. The literary fiction also fulfills a function of reporting - that which has not been said in the media due to censorship by government. The scope of the popular fiction is much narrower than the literary fiction, ignoring issues such as homosexuality in the army, torture and atrocities. Finally, the conclusions differ, with a sentimental "all will be well" in the popular fiction, as opposed to the fundamental pessimism in the literary fiction.
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    Ruimte en identiteit in die werk van “Gekleurde" skrywers met spesiale verwysing na E. K. M. Dido
    (2005) Lewis, Minnie Miriam; Van der Merwe, Chris N
    This study has set out to highlight and investigate the contributions, to the Afrikaans literature, by writers of ""Colour"", as marginalized writers, especially after 1990. It must be indicated that a special place in the thesis, chapter five, has been devoted to the female writer of ""Colour"", EKM Dido, and the invaluable contributions she has made to Afrikaans literature. This chapter deals exclusively with all Dido's novels to date, and includes detailed discussions and analysis of important issues and aspects in the said novels. The thesis has focused on various ""Coloured"" writers, both male and female, and their contributions. The fact that naming and terms denoted to and used for various racial groupings are such thorny in South African society, terminology used to refer to these writers of ""Colour"" in this thesis initially seemed to pose a problem, but motivating the use of certain terms, to highlight and not relegate to the margins, solved this problem I believe.