Late style in J.M. Coetzee's Diary of a Bad Year

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Date

2010

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor & Francis (Routledge)

Abstract

J.M. Coetzee�s post-millennial writing has been marked by new forms of inventiveness, formal risk-taking and narrative experimentation that have blurred the boundaries between fiction, autobiography and social commentary. Using the example of the novel Diary of a Bad Year (2007), it is argued that this latter fiction is exemplary of Edward Said�s idea of �late style�, accounting not only for Coetzee�s surprising venture into explicit political commentary, but also his narrative minimalism. The paper looks carefully at the content and style of Coetzee�s novel, contrasting its descriptive technique with earlier fictions.

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Keywords

Coetzee, J.M., Diary of a Bad Year, Said, Edward, Late style, Autobiography, Ageing, Minimalism

Citation

Wittenberg, H. (2010). Late style in J.M. Coetzee's diary of a bad year. Scrutiny2, 15(2): 40-49