1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910860809603321

Autore

Andrews Grant

Titolo

Stories of fathers, stories of the nation : fatherhood and paternal power in South African literature

Pubbl/distr/stampa

[Pietermaritzburg, South Africa] : , : University of Kwazulu-Natal Press, , 2021

©2021

ISBN

1-86914-479-1

9781869144791 (electronic book)

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (x, 311 pages)

Disciplina

820.9968

Soggetti

Fatherhood in literature - History and criticism

South African literature (English) - History and criticism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Preface -- Chapter 1: Narrative power and paternal narratives in South African fiction -- Chapter 2: Paternal narratives at the dawn of Apartheid: Cry, the beloved country -- Chapter 3: The stifled narrative power of daughters: In the heart of the country and Burger's Daughter -- Chapter 4: Paternal narratives in the transition from Apartheid: The smell of apples, ways of dying and the quiet violence of dreams -- Chapter 5: Fatherhoods in post-transitional South African novels: 'The declining patriarch' -- Chapter 6: Conclusion -- Select bibliography -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

This book explores representations of fathers in select South African novels published from the birth of apartheid to the post-transitional moment. Father figures in the texts reflect political and social climates in South Africa - at different times representing the oppressive apartheid government, righteous and authoritative liberation leaders and the unfulfilled promise of a democratic South Africa. Grant Andrews examines how father characters are linked to storytelling; they narrate the lives of their children and their patriarchal power is constituted through narratives. He features authors such as Alan Paton, Nadine Gordimer, J.M. Coetzee, Zakes Mda, K. Sello Duiker, Mark Behr, Zoë Wicomb, Lisa Fugard and Zukiswa Wanner.Stories of Fathers,



Stories of the Nation also investigates how fatherhoods are being reimagined in light of shifting discourses of gender and identity. More recent novels have deconstructed the father figure and his paternal narrative power, representing conflicts around racial identity, sexuality, legacy and how the sins of the father are visited on his children.--