A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorClarkson, Carrolen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorStraeuli, Christiaan Emileen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-05-28T12:21:24Z
dc.date.available2015-05-28T12:21:24Z
dc.date.issued2014en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn this investigation, the idea of a universal key, as denoting the unifying forces of language, will be analysed in The Childhood of Jesus using a framework inspired by the theory of forms, as described by Plato in The Republic. In The Republic, Plato structures his argument so that the soul and the state are compared in a way that perceives them as parallel and reciprocal entities. In this analogy, the character of Socrates imagines the creation of a just state with the aims of illuminating the characteristics of a just individual as part of the state. In this sense, as the primary inquiry of The Republic, Socrates reasons that if justice can be imagined in the structure of the state, it will be mirrored in the individual. To discover the structure of the just state, the rules of this state must be laid out in a manner which would facilitate such justice. The task of designating these rules is chiefly left to the voice of Socrates, as he and his fellows discuss the creation of a state and its citizens ex nihilo. In the same manner, although not as overtly stated, it will be shown that JM Coetzee in The Childhood of Jesus replicates to some extent the style and structure of Plato’s The Republic. In light of these similarities, a comparison between these two works acts as the primary structural framework to this investigation. Therefore, the various aspects of Coetzee’s novel will be shown to reflect, although often in a reverse manner, the ideal notions of Plato’s great work. Furthermore, it is argued that the shared elements of style and structure in The Childhood of Jesus and The Republic attract intertextual comparisons to various traditional utopian works, such as Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Sir Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis and George Orwell’s dystopia in 1984. The aim of these comparisons is to show that Coetzee, although playing on the styles and structures of the utopian tradition in The Childhood of Jesus, does so ultimately to reject the idea of a universal key.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationStraeuli, C. E. (2014). <i>A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13000en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationStraeuli, Christiaan Emile. <i>"A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13000en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationStraeuli, C. 2014. A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Straeuli, Christiaan Emile AB - In this investigation, the idea of a universal key, as denoting the unifying forces of language, will be analysed in The Childhood of Jesus using a framework inspired by the theory of forms, as described by Plato in The Republic. In The Republic, Plato structures his argument so that the soul and the state are compared in a way that perceives them as parallel and reciprocal entities. In this analogy, the character of Socrates imagines the creation of a just state with the aims of illuminating the characteristics of a just individual as part of the state. In this sense, as the primary inquiry of The Republic, Socrates reasons that if justice can be imagined in the structure of the state, it will be mirrored in the individual. To discover the structure of the just state, the rules of this state must be laid out in a manner which would facilitate such justice. The task of designating these rules is chiefly left to the voice of Socrates, as he and his fellows discuss the creation of a state and its citizens ex nihilo. In the same manner, although not as overtly stated, it will be shown that JM Coetzee in The Childhood of Jesus replicates to some extent the style and structure of Plato’s The Republic. In light of these similarities, a comparison between these two works acts as the primary structural framework to this investigation. Therefore, the various aspects of Coetzee’s novel will be shown to reflect, although often in a reverse manner, the ideal notions of Plato’s great work. Furthermore, it is argued that the shared elements of style and structure in The Childhood of Jesus and The Republic attract intertextual comparisons to various traditional utopian works, such as Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Sir Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis and George Orwell’s dystopia in 1984. The aim of these comparisons is to show that Coetzee, although playing on the styles and structures of the utopian tradition in The Childhood of Jesus, does so ultimately to reject the idea of a universal key. DA - 2014 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2014 T1 - A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus TI - A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13000 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13000
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationStraeuli CE. A universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesus. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 2014 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13000en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of English Language and Literatureen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEnglishen_ZA
dc.titleA universal key : utopias and universals in JM Coetzee's The childhood of Jesusen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hum_2014_straeuli_ce.pdf
Size:
1.41 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters