'n Kritiek op normatiewe konstruksies van ouderdom in vier intertekstueel verbinde tekste : Alba Bouwer se Stories van Rivierplaas, Reza de Wet se Diepe grond en African gothic, en Etienne Kallos se Eersgeborene
Date
2020-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns
Abstract
Hierdie artikel ondersoek die intertekstuele verhouding tussen 'n groepering tekste deur drie Suid-Afrikaanse skrywers uit drie generasies: Stories van Rivierplaas (1955-6) deur Alba Bouwer; Diepe Grond (1985), 'n drama deur Reza de Wet asook De Wet se eie Engelse vertaling en verwerking van Diepe Grond as African Gothic (2003) en Eersgeborene (2009), 'n kortfilm deur Etienne Kallos. Onder die drie skrywers kan slegs Bouwer se werk geklassifiseer word as kinderfiksie. Tog is De Wet en Kallos se tekste nie alleenlik verwerkings en toeëienings van Stories van Rivierplaas nie, maar hulle tematiseer ook kindskap en kinderjare. Ten einde Bouwer, De Wet en Kallos se kritiek op normatiewe konstruksies van ouderdom te bespreek, gebruik ek Maria Nikolajeva se konsep van "aetonormatiwiteit", 'n ouderdomsgebaseerde norm en die spesifieke aanname dat volwassenes en volwasse ervarings normatief is, terwyl die belewenisse van 'n kind daarenteen geklassifiseer moet word as afwykend (2010:8). Aetonormatiwiteit kan dus beskryf word as 'n soort performatiwiteit ("performativity") soos Judith Butler dit omskryf, dit wil sê 'n subjekposisie wat deur middel van sosiale meganismes voorgestel word as 'n ontologiese essensie, terwyl daar geen universele konsensus of bewys van die natuurlikheid daarvan bestaan nie (Butler 1999:viii). In lyn met die geanaliseerde tekste se tematiese gemoeidheid met kinderjare en ouerskap, gebruik ek die metafoor van moederskap om die konstruksie van 'n genetiese lens aan te wend en ek beskryf die tekste se verhouding tot mekaar as kompleks, in teenstelling met eenvoudig vyandig of korrektief.
This article explores the intertextual relationship between a cluster of texts by three South African authors from three generations: a collection of children’s stories, Stories van Rivierplaas [“Stories of River Farm”] (1955-6) by Alba Bouwer, Diepe Grond [“Deep Ground”] (1985) a play by Reza de Wet as well as De Wet’s own English translation and reworking of Diepe Grond as African Gothic (2003), and Eersgeborene [“Firstborn”] (2009) a short film by Etienne Kallos. While between the three authors, it is only Bouwer’s work that can be classified as children’s fiction, De Wet and Kallos not only adapt and appropriate her texts but also thematise childhood in theirs. To discuss Bouwer, De Wet and Kallos’s critique of normative constructions of aged subjectivity, I draw on Maria Nikolajeva’s concept “aetonormativity”, an age based norm and the specific assumption that adults and adult experiences are normative while the experiences of a child should be classified as deviant (2010:8). As such I read aetonormativity as a kind of performativity as Judith Butler defines it, that is, a subject position which is posited by means of social mechanisms as an ontological essence, while there are no universal consensus or proof of its reality (1999:viii).
This article explores the intertextual relationship between a cluster of texts by three South African authors from three generations: a collection of children’s stories, Stories van Rivierplaas [“Stories of River Farm”] (1955-6) by Alba Bouwer, Diepe Grond [“Deep Ground”] (1985) a play by Reza de Wet as well as De Wet’s own English translation and reworking of Diepe Grond as African Gothic (2003), and Eersgeborene [“Firstborn”] (2009) a short film by Etienne Kallos. While between the three authors, it is only Bouwer’s work that can be classified as children’s fiction, De Wet and Kallos not only adapt and appropriate her texts but also thematise childhood in theirs. To discuss Bouwer, De Wet and Kallos’s critique of normative constructions of aged subjectivity, I draw on Maria Nikolajeva’s concept “aetonormativity”, an age based norm and the specific assumption that adults and adult experiences are normative while the experiences of a child should be classified as deviant (2010:8). As such I read aetonormativity as a kind of performativity as Judith Butler defines it, that is, a subject position which is posited by means of social mechanisms as an ontological essence, while there are no universal consensus or proof of its reality (1999:viii).
Description
CITATION: Stander, D. 2020. 'n Kritiek op normatiewe konstruksies van ouderdom in vier intertekstueel verbinde tekste : Alba Bouwer se Stories van Rivierplaas, Reza de Wet se Diepe Grond en African Gothic, en Etienne Kallos se Eersgeborene. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 60(1):38-52, doi:10.17159/2224-7912/2020/v60n1a4.
The original publication is available at http://tgwsak.co.za
The original publication is available at http://tgwsak.co.za
Keywords
Intertextuality, Criticism, Age in literature, Bouwer, Alba -- Stories van Rivierplaas -- Ctiticism and interpretation, De Wet, Reza -- Diepe grond -- Criticism and interpretation, Kallos, Etienne, 1972- -- Eersgeborene -- Criticism and interpretation
Citation
Stander, D. 2020. 'n Kritiek op normatiewe konstruksies van ouderdom in vier intertekstueel verbinde tekste : Alba Bouwer se Stories van Rivierplaas, Reza de Wet se Diepe Grond en African Gothic, en Etienne Kallos se Eersgeborene. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 60(1):38-52, doi:10.17159/2224-7912/2020/v60n1a4.