- Title
- Dreams, sexuality and fantasy: a psychoanalytic reading of K. Sello Duiker’s novels
- Creator
- Kirton-Els, Teneille
- Date
- 2012
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- DLitt et Phil
- Identifier
- vital:11890
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1020154
- Description
- The primary aim of this thesis is to provide a text-based literary study exploring the characters and themes created by K. Sello Duiker in the three novels, Thirteen Cents, The Quiet Violence of Dreams and The Hidden Star. Duiker’s work is significant because it highlights prominent societal challenges prevalent in post-apartheid society. By analysing Duiker’s novels one acquires a better understanding of this author, an understanding of the world that contributed to the creation of his texts and his contribution to South African literature. Insight into Duiker’s fictional world allows for a careful investigation of the prominent societal issues prevalent in Duiker’s work - a world riddled with violence, issues of sexuality and psychological distress. For this purpose this thesis is premised on the notion that underpinning K. Sello Duiker’s oeuvre is a central focus on dreams, sexuality and fantasy. Logically, therefore, the main focus of the study is specifically on the inner working of the characters’ minds and how they deal/ or are unable to cope with contemporary social concerns, often resulting in psychological turmoil and dysfunctionality. For this reason, prominent themes examined in this study are the interpretation of dreams, an exploration of sexuality and an examination of fantasy in the three novels. Psychoanalytic literary theory, with the main focus being specifically on the theories presented by Sigmund Freud is used as an analytic tool to read Duiker’s texts. Psychoanalytic theory is arguably the most appropriate for analysing Duiker’s novels as it allows one to investigate the characters’ psyches and the psychological effect of societal influences on these characters. In addition, one is also able to examine how the characters are able/ unable to deal with the trauma caused by the contemporary issues in society – issues of violence, sexuality and psychological distress. Thus, one is able to grasp an overall understanding of the characters’ behaviour and actions. Furthermore, the characters’ experiences are based on the behaviour and incidents of real people, people suffering from psychological dysfunctionality, sexuality issues and identity crisis. The first chapter discusses post-apartheid literature, and provides a brief background on Duiker, his works and his conception as a writer. Chapter two provides an overview of psychoanalytic theory and on the relevant theories of Sigmund Freud. Chapter three offers a reading of Thirteen Cents, a novel that pays particular attention to the lives of children living on the streets of Cape Town. In the next chapter The Quiet Violence of Dreams is examined with a special focus on Duiker’s experimentation with form in the construction of this novel. Aspects pertaining to sexuality and dreams are also examined. Chapter five pays particular attention to magical realism and fantasy in The Hidden Star.
- Format
- 263 leaves; 30 cm
- Format
- Publisher
- University of Fort Hare
- Publisher
- Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities
- Language
- English
- Rights
- University of Fort Hare
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