Wildernis en woestyn: omgewingskragte teen die mens s’n in Boendoe en Toewaaisand
Abstract
In Chris Barnard se “Boendoe” (1999) en Christoffel Coetzee se
“Toewaaisand” (2003) word ’n spanningsverhouding tussen mens
en natuur aangetref. Die artikel ondersoek die aard en intensiteit
van die karakters se belewing van en reaksie op geografiese
afsondering en natuurlike omgewingskrisisse en -kragte in die
romans. In albei romans word bewyse gevind van verhoogde
interafhanklikheid van die karakters, maar ook ’n aftakeling van
sosiale en kommunikasievaardighede en ontnugtering in die
vermoë om sinvolle verhoudings aan te knoop of te handhaaf. Die
omringende natuuromstandighede en -gebeure gee aanleiding tot
trauma en uitputting by karakters in “Boendoe” en ervarings van
lewensontwrigting, isolasie en vervreemding van geliefdes in
“Toewaaisand”. Bevindings uit die sielkunde word in hierdie artikel
betrek om karakterervarings en individuele vertelling te verbind
met die algemeen-menslike, om ’n relevansie vir die leser se lewe
aan te toon. In albei romans hou die invloed van natuurlike
omgewingsfaktore verband met die ontstaan van liminale
ervaringsgebiede. Die karakters ervaar die fases van “afskeiding”
en “limen” in Turner se transformasiemodel, maar dit word nie
gevolg deur die belewing van “herinkorporasie” nie. Teenoor die
kreatiwiteit wat gewoonlik met liminaliteit gepaard gaan, is in
hierdie romans ’n afbrekende, vernietigende proses werksaam:
liminaliteit sonder hoopvolle of opbouende vooruitsig In Chris Barnard’s “Boendoe” (1999) and Christoffel Coetzee’s
“Toewaaisand” (2003), the relationship between man and nature is
stressful. This article investigates the nature and intensity of the
characters’ experience of and reaction to geographical isolation
and natural environmental crises and forces in the novels. In both
novels evidence of heightened interdependency between the
characters is found, but also a degradation of social and
communication skills and disillusionment regarding the inability to
create and maintain meaningful relationships. Surrounding
environmental circumstances and events lead to trauma and
exhaustion in the characters from “Boendoe” and experiences of
the disruption of life, isolation and estrangement of loved ones in
“Toewaaisand”. Findings from within psychology are applied in this
article to conjoin the experiences of characters and individual
narratives with the general, human inclination to indicate
relevance within the reader’s life. In both novels the influence of
natural environmental factors is related to the development of
liminal fields of experience. The characters experience the phases
of “separation” and “limen” in Turner’s transformation model, but
this is not followed by the experience of “reincorporation”.
Opposed to the creativity that is usually linked with liminality, in
these novels a destructive process is taking place: liminality
without a hopeful or constructive prospect.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/19280http://www.literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/179
http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v27i1.179
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