'n Ondersoek na die verskynsel literere spanning aan die hand van Deon Meyer se roman Proteus
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
In these novels suspense plays an important role, but elements that are usually found in literary
works are also prominent in these narratives, for instance the fleshing out of characters' psyche and
working with philosophical or current issues. In rhetorical terms these novels can be said to be
suspense novels that make use of literary devices and themes. Novels by Deon Meyer fit into this
category. In the Netherlands translations of his works are to be found among 'literaire thrillers' in
bookshops. Therefore one of Meyer's novels was chosen for analysis. In this study the ways in
which suspense is created in a narrative text is investigated. Proteus, a literary thriller, was chosen
for its handling of characters and events in the transition in South Africa from an apartheid state to a
democratic dispensation. This poses an intricate challenge for the writer. The reseach problem posed
is this: How is literary suspense created in a narrative text? The creation of suspense in a narrative
text has to do with literary communication. For this reason Roman Jakobson's well-known model
for literary communication is at the basis of this research. Rene Appel's criteria for the creation of
suspense in narrative texts, as it is explained in his work Spanning in verhalen: Over het schrijven
van spannende boeken (2007), is also part of this study at its theoretical base. Various relevant sources
have been included in this regard. In this formalistic study various elements pertaining to
suspense in the narrative are part of the research in terms of isolating the ways in which suspense is
produced in a narrative text in general and specifically in the case of Proteus. Also in this regard the
novel's literarity is discussed.
Description
Magister Artium - MA
Keywords
Literary suspense, Afrikaans, Fiction, Interpretive communities, Rhetorical devices, Rhetoric