bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spieëlbeelde in die werk van Ingrid Jonker en Sylvia Plath
Authors: Gertenbach I.
Published: August 2012

Mirror images in the work of Ingrid Jonker and Sylvia Plath Writing poetry has an element of healing in it, but how does it work? Plath and Jonker continually wrote about mirror images, eyes and questions of identity. Different psychological theories surrounding this issue, including those of Winnicott, Jung and Lacan, are discussed. Plath’s “Mirror” and “Words” as well as Jonker’s “Op alle gesigte” are specifically examined. Concluding remarks reveal that a mental block, or crypt, will always force a poet to reword his/her trauma.
Zenobia’s story: how a victim of abuse uses isiXhosa to account for her actions
Authors: Dlali M. , Mokapela S.
Published: August 2012

This article explores the theoretical work in articulating the motivations and conditions for account-giving in isiXhosa in relation to image restoration. The account-making process, according to Warren (1989), is like a life in motion in which individual characters are portrayed as moving through their experiences, dealing with some conflict or problem in their lives and at the same time searching for a solution. The narrator discovers at the age of twelve that the person she is referring to as her mother is not her real mother and that her real mother died while giving birth to her. The situation at home deteriorates after the death of her father. Her desperation is further fuelled when her stepmother marries a taxi-driver who sexually abuses her. The narrator then resorts to alcohol and drug abuse to cope with her growing sense of not belonging. The opportunity for changing her life and opening up endless avenues for progress and advancement comes when the narrator passes matric and, through her father’s will, pursues her studies at a tertiary institution. She graduates as a top student and now practices as a medical doctor. This quest to understand the major stresses in each individual’s mind is at the core of this article.
Die literêre vertaler as kulturele bemiddelaar
Authors: Müller M.B. , Feinauer I.
Published: August 2012

The literary translator as a cultural mediator The translation process is an intercultural transfer that does not only take place between two languages, but between two cultures, as the source and target text are each embedded in a communicative situation in their respective cultures. The literary translator is thus faced with the problem of how to handle the cultural aspects implicit in a source text, and of choosing the most suitable technique to convey these aspects to the target text successfully while keeping in mind the characteristics of the intended readers. The translator can thus be regarded as a cultural mediator who facilitates communication and understanding between people or groups who differ with regard to language and culture. The various culture-specific words and concepts in Dalene Matthee’s “Fiela se kind” have far-reaching implications for translation. The extent to which the translator – Matthee herself – succeeded in functioning as a cultural mediator in “Fiela’s child” is investigated in this article by means of contrastive analysis. It is argued that a decisive loss of meaning and emotional value occured during the translation process to the detriment of the target text as a literary work. The contention of this article is that Matthee’s way of handling translation problems on a microstructural level brought about macrotextual semantic shifts in the target text, and that she did not succeed in fulfilling her role as a cultural mediator at all the levels of the text.
“Ruik die verderf in die kieliebakke”: Breyten Breytenbach se blik op die lyk
Authors: Crous M.
Published: August 2012

“Smell the rot in the armpits”: Breyten Breytenbach’s perspectives on the corpse The purpose of this article is to analyse Breyten Breytenbach’s so-called corpse poem, “bekommernis”, taken from his debut album “die ysterkoei moet sweet” (1964). The theoretical point of departure is the theories of Kristeva, in particular her essay on abjection. Not only does the article focus on Breytenbach’s portrayal of the abject, but also shows to what extent his use of language describing death, decay and the cadaver illustrates what Kristeva calls “a revolution in poetic language”. Given the fact that the poem is situated in a Zen Buddhist context, the Zen philosophy on death and dying is also taken into consideration when analysing aspects such as the dissolution of the ego, the bardos of death, et cetera.
Tokkelossie, “’n Boesman, outa Hendrik” en ontkennende close readings
Authors: Willemse H.
Published: August 2012

Tikoloshe, “a Bushman, outa Hendrik” and denialist close readingsThis article explores in two main sections the changing perceptions of Afrikaner folklorists and literary critics on the origins of selected indigenous Southern African oral tales. With the emergence of Afrikaner Nationalism at the end of the nineteenth century, young Afrikaner activists often incorporated indigenous folktales in the development of a nascent Afrikaans literary tradition. Initially, the origins and the authenticity of such written-down versions of performances were rarely in dispute. However, around the mid-twentieth century, a period that coincides with a more confident Afrikaner Nationalism, Afrikaner folklorists came to doubt these original explanations. One prominent scholar in particular advanced views that seemed to favour European influence and structural refinement rather than indigenous origination. The second section ties in with the first in a discussion of the tale, “Klein Riet-alleen-in-die-Roerkuil” from “Dwaalstories en ander vertellings” (1927) by Eugène N. Marais. An intinerant storyteller, Hendrik, originally performed the tale which Marais, immediately following the performance, committed to print. Lately a body of scholarly literature, mostly close readings, came about which diminishes the role of the initial performer in favour of Marais’ writerly aesthetics. The article takes issue with these interpretations and argues for the restoration and recognition of Hendrik’s role as the creator of the initial performances.
S.M. Guma and the Sesotho historical novel: an Afrocentric perspective
Authors: Selepe T.J.
Published: August 2012

Afrocentricity seems to be emerging as one of the potent critical tools that could be used to re-establish and qualify African cultural identity through literary study among others. The primary objective of this movement is to reinterpret world history from an African perspective. This article will therefore examine some historical features of S.M. Guma’s novels from the 1960s to the 1990s from an African perspective. By applying the Afrocentric paradigm this will attempt to demonstrate how material conditions of the period have provided useful raw materials for the Sesotho historical novel, which tends to illuminate a better understanding of the Basotho culture, history, identity and nationhood.
Op die spoor van kreatiewe kreature: ’n interdissiplinêre ondersoek na die kreatiewe proses – projekbeskrywing
Authors: Greyling S.F. , Marley I.R.
Published: August 2012

Tracking creative creatures: an interdisciplinary investigation into the creative process – project description “Tracking creative creatures” is an interdisciplinary exploration which originated out of a need for research possibilities within the creative disciplines, specifically visual arts and creative writing. The graphic works which formed the core of the project, and which served as creative stimuli for the various artists, originated in the imagination of a five year-old boy and were subsequently illustrated by his artist father. The project entails various components, including a flagship project with invited artists, a teaching subproject and a community sub-project, which were showcased at the Aardklop National Arts Festival, 2007. This article provides an overview of the project as a whole and the organic nature in which it evolved. The discussion includes the following aspects: context, conceptualisation, approach, methods, documentation, support structures, description of the various sub-projects, and preliminary results and appraisal. The complex nature of the projects is further communicated by means of illustrations.
Vyf digters in gesprek met Joshua en Ian Marley se kreatiewe kreature
Authors: Viljoen H.M.
Published: August 2012

Five poets in conversation with Joshua and Ian Marley’s creative creatures This article analyses the reactions of five poets to Joshua and Ian Marley’s creative creatures. Similarities and differences in the stimuli the poets react to, the ways in which they imitate the creatures morphologically, the patterns, names, Gestalts, scripts and archives they use to understand the creatures as well as their unique reactions are analysed. The poets are creative in the patterns they recognise and the ways in which they try to fit the creatures into known frames, wholes, names and scripts. The poems, however, also demonstrate strong techniques for containing these creatures and making them less threatening. In the end a few conclusions on creativity in these cases are formulated, namely that creativity is a mixture of iconising, pattern recognition (recalling familiar frames, scripts and archives) and naming and unnaming (efforts to describe the creatures wittily). A tension between creativity and making comes to light when one reads the poems against the background of Horatius’ norm of decorum.
Possible worlds: a reading of three artworks from the Creative creatures exhibition
Authors: Lotz C.
Published: August 2012

The basic concern of this article is to offer an interpretation of artworks by a selected group of artists who contributed to the “Creative creatures” project. The original creatures created by the artist, Ian Marley, based on narration by his son, Joshua, seem at first glance to suggest an underlying theme of fantasy. However, certain interpretative artworks by artists such as those by Diane Victor, Flip Hattingh and Angus Taylor seem to display a shift from the originally perceived element of fantasy. The artworks rather each represents their own fictional worlds, far removed from the original composite creatures created by Marley who each seems to function in its own fictional world. The superimposition of the incongruous worlds suggests a measure of tension that hinges on progressive notions of archaeology, history and possible worlds.
Eyeing the creatures: an exploration of mirth as a personal function of art
Authors: Botha J.R.
Published: August 2012

This article investigates the contribution by artist Jan van der Merwe to the project known as the “Creative creatures”. The project, initiated by Franci Greyling and Ian Marley, was based on the descriptions of a collection of fantastic creatures as relayed by Marley’s five year-old son, Joshua. Van der Merwe opted to design a special set of glasses for each of the creatures, and these works are discussed within the broader context of mirth in art. In order to explicate the term “mirth”, a brief art-historical survey is done with reference to key figures such as Bosch, Bruegel and others. The role of scary creatures in art is contextualised by comparing the work done by the stonemasons of the Gothic period with those of Van der Merwe done for the “Creative creatures” project. Throughout the article mirth as a personal function of art is discussed by interpreting the creative role of selected artists and their works. In conclusion it is suggested that the engagement with (scary) visual art should be enjoyed as a reciprocal event akin to a game – a game in which the mirthful characteristics of the work of art should be seen as a function to be savoured.
Kom ek vertel vir jou ’n storie oor Lacan se objet petit a (“kleinletter-ander”): ’n outo-etnografiese verkenning van ’n kreatiewe persoon se ervaring tydens die skryf van ’n akademiese artikel oor die kreatiewe proses
Authors: Hattingh R.
Published: August 2012

Let me tell you a story about Lacan’s objet petit a (“lowercase- other”): an auto-ethnographical investigation of a creative person’s experience of writing an academic article on the creative process This article is an auto-ethnographical narrative that, through the splintering of the ego, views the creative process reflectively and reflexively. It includes an exploratory investigation of the concept “Other” as it appears in three creative texts created as part of the “Tracking creative creatures” project.
Enriched and empowered: nature’s influence on the psyche in two Afrikaans youth novels
Authors: Meyer S.
Published: August 2012

In this article two Afrikaans youth novels are analysed in order to determine to what extent nature and elements of the natural environment can influence a child’s experience and view of life. In “Gamkab” (Betsie van Niekerk) and “Om ’n kierie te keer” (Pieter Pieterse) their natural surroundings expose the characters to challenges and adventures which form a context in which their ways of thinking are challenged and stimulated. This develops their ability to make decisions and solve problems, thereby broadening their life experience and developing their life skills. Theories on reader identification are used to argue that stories like these have the potential to expand and develop reader consciousness. These novels are of importance to the South African child of today, because they introduce various contemporary issues, such as entrepreneurship, social responsibility and multicultural interaction. In identifying with the characters, the reader is confronted with pertinent topics such as peer pressure, teenage insecurities and fears, and problematic family relationships. From the analysis of the novels, which focuses on the enriching and reinforcing contribution of nature, it is apparent that through nature’s challenges the characters are empowered to overcome their problems and improve their personal circumstances. This foreshadows the potential empowerment of the reader.
Daring to disturb the universe: Heidegger’s authenticity and The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Authors: Griffiths D.
Published: August 2012

In Heidegger’s “Being and time” certain concepts are discussed which are central to the ontological constitution of “Dasein”. This article demonstrates the interesting way in which some of these concepts can be used in a reading of T.S. Eliot’s “The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. A comparative analysis is performed, explicating the relevant Heideggerian terms and then relating them to Eliot’s poem. In this way strong parallels are revealed between the two men’s respective thoughts and distinct modernist sensibilities. Prufrock, the protagonist of the poem, and the world he inhabits illustrate poetically concepts such as authenticity, inauthenticity, the “they”, idle talk and angst, which Heidegger develops in “Being and time”.
Class politics in Mda’s Ways of dying
Authors: Twalo M.T.
Published: August 2012

Zakes Mda’s analysis and exposé of nationalist politics in “Ways of dying” reveal that the unitary vision that characterised the national liberation discourse suppressed some dissonances, contradictions and disunity around the question of class. Mda probes the ironies and contradictions of the liberation struggle and by so doing questions the meaning of freedom for the ordinary South Africans. He then scrutinises the role of the colonised and oppressed in delaying their own total liberation due to the camouflaged interests and motives of the nationalists that were not in the nation’s interest. His analysis of the class silences in his critique of the liberation struggle brings to attention concerns of the masses that had been marginalised in the liberation struggle. To their disappointment, after sacrificing and fighting for national liberation, the masses now realise that the postapartheid state is far from being what they hoped for. Their plight is exacerbated by the fact that they are still as oppressed as they had been prior to independence but now the oppressors are also some of their former comrades in the struggle.
Germany: facing the Nazi past today
Authors: Laurien I.
Published: August 2012

This article gives an overview of the changing debate on National Socialism and the question of guilt in German society. Memory had a different meaning in different generations, shaping distinct phases of dealing with the past, from silence and avoidance to sceptical debate, from painful “Vergangenheitsbewältigung” to a general memory of suffering. In present-day Germany, memory as collective personal memory has faded away. At the same time, literature has lost its role as a main medium to mass media like cinema and television. Furthermore, memory has become fragmented. Large groups of members of the German society, like immigrants, see the past from a different perspective altogether. Although the remembrance of the time of National Socialism is still a distinctive part of Germany’s political culture, it has become more generalised, with “Holocaust memory” as a globalised symbol for a fundamental “break” in Western culture.
Uitbeelding van skuld en boetedoening deur die gebruik van terugkerende kodes in Die buiteveld (John Miles)
Authors: Harper S.
Published: August 2012

Expressions of guilt and remorse through the use of recurring codes in Die buiteveld by John Miles The novel “Die Buiteveld” by John Miles is an unusual novel. The main character is an enigma as from the start the reader has doubts about him and is in doubt of the truth. The aim of this article is to determine how recurring codes are used to express guilt and remorse. The analysis shows how suspense gradually increases through the repetitive use of certain codes. Through most of the story the reader is in doubt about the true identity of the main character and in this way further suspense is created. Guilt and admission of guilt are suggested by the repetion of different codes. The reader remains ignorant of the true identity of the main character until the end of the story. This causes suspense. Guilt and reconciliation are intensified by recurring codes. These codes are pillories, paintings by Goya, references to different wars, photos, physical scars and a knife. Through the woman Isabel the main character is guided to disclose his past gradually. As the case in the layers of the Goya portrait more and more of his past is gradually disclosed. His admission of guilt leads to the possibility of returning to his home country and of living a new life there with his beloved Isabel. The reader becomes not only a consumer but also a producer of the text.
Alienation in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting
Authors: Senekal B.A.
Published: August 2012

This article examines how Melvin Seeman’s theory of alienation (1959) and modern alienation research manifest in Irvine Welsh’s “Trainspotting”. This is an important novel, not only because of its commercial success, but also because it depicts a specific marginalised subculture. Postmodernism and systems theory approaches, as well as changes in the social and political spheres have motivated researchers such as Geyer (1996), Kalekin-Fishman (1998) and Neal and Collas (2000) to reinterpret Seeman’s theory. This article attempts to incorporate this new theory of alienation in the analysis of contemporary fiction. Seeman identifies five aspects of alienation, namely powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation and self-estrangement. Following Neal and Collas (2000), in particular, this article omits self-estrangement, but shows how the other four aspects of alienation have changed since Seeman’s formulation. It is argued that “Trainspotting” depicts a specific occurrence of alienation in modern western society, besides normlessness, meaninglessness, and social isolation, highlighting Seeman’s concept of powerlessness, in particular. The article further argues that applying Seeman’s theory of alienation in the study of contemporary literature provides a fresh theoretical approach that contributes to the understanding of how fiction engages with its environment.
Die sin as narratiewe kode in “Die uur van die idiote” deur Abraham H. de Vries
Authors: Prins M.J.
Published: August 2012

The sentence as narrative code in “Die uur van die idiote” (“The hour of the idiots”) by Abraham H. de Vries This article focuses on the following aspects of syntax in “Die uur van die idiote” by Abraham H. de Vries: word and phrase repetition, enumeration, omission (ellipsis), word order, rhythm, length and composition, and sound repetition. Through word and phrase repetition the ironic situation in which the characters find themselves is made relevant, as well as their frustration and mutual powerlessness. Enumeration also is an agent of irony, more specifically irony created by the contrast between material fullness and existential emptiness, as well as of the fact that the characters are consumer items inside a metaphorical prison in which there is a lack of humaneness. Through ellipsis the disillusionment of the central character is communicated, as well as the enigmatically uncertain relationship between him and his wife, contrasting with her conviction that love is still possible between them. It also demonstrates the objectification of the human being. Change in word order is connected to the paradigm of dehumanisation, but also indicates the conviction that existential liberation is after all possible. This also leads to a climax. Rhythm communicates the themes of irony and existential bewilderment. It also serves as an emotional code for the existential crisis of the characters. Sentence length and composition emphasise a disturbed relationship, existential imprisonment and the sometimes helpless cynicism of the central character. Through sound repetition the reader’s attention is focused on concepts that are important for the meaning of the story.
Authorial intention and agency in Luke’s Acts
Authors: Mkhatshwa E.
Published: August 2012

This article affirms the presence of the intentional consciousness in texts which purport to depict reality or real events. Intentionality, in the context of this article, is not conceived as a pre-existing thought or idea, which precedes the text, but as something which inheres in the text and is produced in it. The Cartesian split between consciousness and being which the former conception enacts is here elided and authorial intention is seen as something which is reproduced in the processes of writing and interpretation. This distinction is significant because the main argument of this article is that authorial intention in texts that purport to depict real events and intervene in a particular socio-historical process for mobilisational purposes, leads to the production of a certain kind of text which deploys specific narrative strategies that consolidate its reading and rendering of events and reinforce narrative closures. These intentionally motivated closures are embedded in narrative strategies, which are seen as both necessary and imperative for the consolidation and legitimation of the message and to foreclose other readings. Very briefly, this article seeks to reinscribe the agency of the author in his/her intentional stance with regard to the text. It further shows how this agency is enacted within the world of the text.
Songs about Zuma: revelations of divisions after democracy
Authors: Groenewald M.
Published: August 2012

In February 2006, when he was Deputy President of the country, Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma appeared in the Supreme Court in Johannesburg to defend himself against charges of rape. The charge of rape by a woman known only as Khwezi against a powerful politician, popular with many trade unions and many ordinary folk, not only gave rise to one of the major media events in that year in South Africa, but also revealed divisions in society and in politics. While Zuma supporters sang in his defence and to his praise, activists against women abuse criticised Zuma. On the one hand, the supporters of Zuma defended him with reference to his moral integrity; they also stated that he was the popular choice for future president, while they ridiculed the futile actions of his enemies. On the other hand, the activists against women abuse attempted to highlight Zuma’s behaviour as immoral and urged women to speak out against abuse. This opposition revealed new divisions in society at large, as will be shown in the analysis of the songs.
The Zimbabwean liberation war: contesting representations of nation and nationalism in historical fiction
Authors: Muwati I. , Mutasa D.E. , Bopape M.L.
Published: August 2012

This article examines the array of macro and micro historical factors that stirred historical agency in the 1970s war against colonial settlerism as depicted in selected liberation war fiction. This war eventually led to a negotiated independence in April 1980. Historical fiction in the early 1980s is characterised by an abundance of fictional images that give expression to the macrofactors, while historical fiction in the late 1980s onwards parades a plethora of images which prioritise the microhistorical factors. Against this background, the article problematises the discussion of these factors within the context of postindependence Zimbabwean politics. It argues that the contesting representations of macro- and microfactors in historical fiction on the war symbolise the protean and fluid discourse on nation and nationalism in the Zimbabwean polity. Definitions and interpretations of nation and nationalism are at the centre of Zimbabwean politics, because they are linked to the protracted liberation war against colonialism and the politics of hegemony in the state. Macrofactors express and endorse an official view of nationalism and nation. On the other hand, microfactors problematise and contest the narrow appropriation of nation and nationalism by advocating multiple perspectives on the subject in order to subvert and counter the elite hegemony.
Keeping it in the family: incest, repression and the fear of the hybrid in Reza de Wet’s English plays
Authors: Krueger A.
Published: August 2012

Reza de Wet has more than once referred in interviews to the syncretic relationship she sees as existing in the “long history” between Afrikaner and black cultures. Due to its close association with black African cultures, she claims that Afrikaner culture has fused a belief in mythologies and “magical thinking” with a “European consciousness” (Solberg, 2003:180). This article investigates ways in which some of De Wet’s English translations – as well as her play “Concealment” (De Wet, 2004) – demonstrate the consequences of a fear of this amalgamation; a dread of hybridity. Concurrent with this anxiety is the danger inherent in a repression of desire. In a number of De Wet’s plays it seems that what is cloistered and protected within the purity of family (possibly a metaphor for the Afrikaner people) conceals an incestuous perversion.
Afrikaanse vryheidsliedjies as herkonstruksie van Afrikaneridentiteit: ’n ideologies-kritiese perspektief
Authors: Lambrechts L. , Viljoen M.
Published: August 2012

Afrikaans freedom songs as a reconstruction of Afrikaner identity Media polemics that centred on Afrikaner identity and language proliferated in Afrikaans newspapers of the early 2000s. It illustrates that although more than a decade has passed since democratisation, identity politics are still an important South African topic and renegotiation therefore continues. This article discusses the role of Afrikaans freedom songs as a reconstruction of white Afrikaner identity with the specific aim of establishing a point of departure for an ideology-critical theorising of the topic. In this regard, the interpretative tools of metaphor analysis and ideology critique of Johann Visagie (1996) are applied within the broader framework of the so-called Critical Theory. The five dominant postapartheid narratives recorded by Melissa Steyn (2001) serve as starting point for this study. The selection of freedom songs is related to specific constructions of “whiteness” portrayed in the mentioned narratives.
Omstrede kwessies en teksinterne korrektiewe in Skilpoppe van Barrie Hough
Authors: Fritz M.J. , Van der Westhuizen E.S.
Published: August 2012

Controversial issues and text-internal correctives in Skilpoppe by Barrie Hough This article focuses on the binary relations between controversial issues and text internal correctives by making use of examples from “Skilpoppe” (Babushka dolls) (2002) by Barrie Hough. The article starts with a discussion of controversial issues, including the four main categories, identified as violence, sexuality, politics and religion and continues briefly to the censorship as enacted before the Films and Publications Act, No. 65 of 1996 was passed. Thereafter the text-internal corrective, which is sometimes found to be an answer to controversial issues present in youth literature, is discussed and the binary relations between literary controversy and text-internal correctives are highlighted. The theory developed is then used in the analysis of controversial issues in “Skilpoppe”.
Plotting the lyric: forms of narration in poetry
Authors: Hühn P.
Published: August 2012

This article is based on the assumption that lyric poems generally share the fundamental constituents of story and discourse as well as the narrative act with narrative fiction in that they likewise feature a sequence of incidents (usually of a mental kind), mediate and shape it from a specific perspective and present it from a particular point of time vis-à-vis the sequence of incidents. A general outline of the narratological categories which may be applied to poetry analysis is given using William Wordsworth’s “I wandered lonely as a cloud” as an illustrative example. The aim of the article is heuristic: the intention is not to blur the distinction between fiction and poetry and treat poems indiscriminately as narrative texts, but rather identify and highlight the specifically poetic forms and functions which instances of narrating adopt in poems. The main section of the article will then focus on the first of the three aspects mentioned, the modelling of poetic sequentiality, i.e. the specification of types of plot, plotting and presentation of plot in poetry and the analysis of their functions.
Narrative strategies in Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella
Authors: Gouws J.
Published: August 2012

In this article I suggest that historically lyric and narrative are not mutually exclusive categories. Focusing on the case of Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet sequence, “Astrophil and Stella”, I argue that the fundamentally lyric form of the sonnet functions rhetorically and contextually in such a way as to invite narrative construal. I suggest that this is the norm in pre-Enlightenment poetic practice and theory, something which was perhaps occluded by the decline of interest in rhetoric.
Dan hecht ik eer geloof aan het verhaal: over enkele narratieve teksten van Martinus Nijhoff
Authors: Stolk F.R.W.
Published: August 2012

Then, sooner, I give credence to the tale: on some narrative texts by Martinus Nijhoff With short lyrical poems being the poetical standard nowadays, long story-telling poems can be seen as a provocative genre. Characteristics of modern epic poems can be explored by examining a brief and a story-telling poem by Martinus Nijhoff.
“Poëtische avonturen”: over de verhouding tussen narratieve structuren en poëtische aspecten in twee lange gedichten
Authors: Willockx D.
Published: August 2012

“Poetic adventures”: on the relation between narrative structures and poetic elements in two Dutch long poems Studying two totally different poems, this article investigates the possible interaction between narrative structures and lyric aspects in the specific genre of the long poem. The analyses concentrate on the identifiable appearance of narrative elements and on the impact of lyrical and poetical aspects on the narration. The investigation results in some conclusions on verse and story in long poems.
Skuil daar ’n verhaal in ’n liriese gedig? Nederlandstalige digters oor narratiwiteit in die poësie: Robert Anker, Tomas Lieske, Leonard Nolens, Willem van Toorn en Eva Gerlach
Authors: Du Plooy H.J.G.
Published: August 2012

Is there a narrative hidden in a lyric poem? Dutch poets on narrativity in poetry: Robert Anker, Tomas Lieske, Leonard Nolens, Willem van Toorn en Eva Gerlach This article is concerned with the views expressed by poets on narrativity in lyric poems. Contemporary poetic ideas and tendencies, such as the preference for longer poems, the use of sequences (sequential poetry) and cycles, are used as a point of departure and thus the argument is linked to historical issues. A motivation for the theoretical approach is provided because the article forms part of a larger project in which narrative structures and techniques in lyrical poetry are studied. The main part of the article is devoted to a discussion of the ideas of five poets, who write in Dutch, on the role and function of narrativity in their recent work. The discussion is based on extended interviews conducted with these poets. The article is concluded with an analysis and interpretation of a short cycle of poems by Eva Gerlach.
Wallace Stevens’s use of narrative markers in Harmonium
Authors: Gouws J.
Published: August 2012

In this article Wallace Stevens’s first published volume of poetry, “Harmonium” is examined in order to demonstrate that by his deployment of narrative markers in key poems of the collection his quintessentially modernist lyrics challenge the restrictive figurative range of hegemonic enlightenment cultural theory and practice. In so doing I advance the argument of my article on Sidney’s sonnet sequence which suggests that awareness of strategic rhetorical figuration leads to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between lyric and narrative.
“To say what you are trying to say”: Douglas Livingstone’s personae in A rosary of bone (1975b & 1983)
Authors: Ullyatt Tony
Published: August 2012

This article offers a critical overview of the personae Douglas Livingstone (1932-1996) adopts in two editions (1975b; 1983) of “A rosary of bone”. Following a tripartite structure, it deals with the love poems, the translations, and the Giovanni Jacopopoems respectively, arguing that the collection breaks new ground as Livingstone here begins to explore new voices and techniques with which to write about his thematic preoccupations.Such personae permit the poet more acerbic, satirical, or even angry stances, with voices not to be found in the earlier volumes of his work.
Animals and nature: mapping storylines and metaphors in David Kramer’s narratives
Authors: Slabbert M.
Published: August 2012

This article discusses the representation of animals and nature in selected lyrics from the oeuvre of singer, songwriter and producer David Kramer and considers his engagement with historical and contemporary discourses about human-animal and human-nature interaction in relation to ecological awareness within a South African context. I trace the socio-political commentary voiced through his depiction of animals in the folksongs he wrote during apartheid, especially in lyrics from the album “Baboondogs” (Kramer, 1986). Kramer also employs intertextual references to traditional South African folksongs and tales in his music. Furthermore, the social and environmental significance of Kramer’s representations of nature in a selection of his postapartheid lyrics is investigated. I argue that the pedagogical value of Kramer’s cultural commentary can contribute significantly to the challenge of teaching animal studies and ecocriticism in South African context.
The curious case of legal translation
Authors: Cornelius E.
Published: August 2012

This article explores the nature and scope of legal translation which is an under-researched area in South Africa. In this article the author predicts that the demand for competent legal translators will increase in the future, evidenced by a recent call by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development(DoJ&CD), inviting applications for ten positions for “legislative language practitioners”. However, legal translation differs substantially from general translation in the sense that legal translation is subject to heavy restrictions at all levels and legal considerations are of paramount importance in a country such as South Africa, which provides for eleven official languages. Legal translation involves different legal languages, different legal systems and different cultural systems that require specialised knowledge and skills of the translator. The aim of this article is to investigate the core competencies and skills the legal translator must have; to consider the balance between legal competence and translation or linguistic competence; and to propose a discourse-analytical method of source text analysis, developed by Bhatia as a simplification strategy, as this may be a powerful tool in the training of legal translators in South Africa. Recent developments in South Africa relating to the Department of Arts and Culture’s obligation to translate legislation into all official languages, have important consequences for legal translation in general and the training of legal translators in particular.
Politieke herskrywings van die Ons(e) Vader-gebed in vier Afrikaanse gedigte
Authors: Engelbrecht G.C. , Foster P.H.
Published: August 2012

Political rewritings of the Our Father prayer in four Afrikaans poems. The utilisation of religious elements is a prominent trend in Afrikaans poetry − often in service of the political struggle, for example during the apartheid years. In this article four rewritings of the “Our Father” prayer are examined, using Linda Hutcheon’s theory of parody, as discussed in (among others), her pioneering work, “A theory of parody” (2000). For Hutcheon, parody does not necessarily imply ridiculing a previous text. According to her well-known definition, parody is “ironic transcontextualization, is repetition with difference. A critical distance is implied between the backgrounded text being parodied and the new incorporating work, a distance usually signaled by irony.” The rewritings of the “Our Father” by Jan Blom (Breyten Breytenbach), Ronnie Belcher and André Letoit (Koos Kombuis) are distinct examples of ironic inversion, while in Hans du Plessis’s poem (in Griqua Afrikaans) the irony is less obvious and the critique (if any) more subdued. As Hutcheon explains and motivates, parody does not always take place at the expense of the parodied text. Thus the parodical rewritings of the “Our Father” need not necessarily be seen as destructive and belittling of the prayer itself, but as critically constructive vis-à-vis the Christian community.
“Hell’s view”: Van de Ruit’s Spud – changing the boys’ school story tradition?
Authors: Robertson J.
Published: August 2012

The article identifies salient features of Van de Ruit’s novels “Spud: a wickedly funny novel” (2005) and “Spud – the madness continues” (2007) and compares them with the corresponding motifs commonly found in historical British boys’ school stories, tracing shifts in discourse to establish the novels’ construction of a South African boyhood. The article argues that through his conscious subversion of the imperial model’s defining discourses, Van de Ruit’s fictional representation of Spud’s school experience portrays the previously accepted “ideal” construction of boyhood, with its unmistakably defined principles and uncontested ethical code, as fundamentally challenged by the variety of alternative discourses to which the modern protagonist is exposed. The resultant construction of Spud’s South African boyhood is, therefore, characterised by the protagonist’s constant struggle to assimilate the frequently incongruous and bewildering discourses (about moral courage and personal integrity, in particular) that compete for his attention. The pivotal component of this particular construction of boyhood may be argued not to be a strict adherence to a clearly defined schoolboy ethic, but as a variable that is ultimately dependent on the boy’s choices.
Die moderne self as toneelpop in Woyzeck on the Highveld
Authors: Krueger A.
Published: August 2012

The modern self as puppet in Woyzeck on the HighveldThis article undertakes a semiotic investigation of identifications of the self in terms of a specifically South African modernism, via an exploration of an adaptation of Georg Büchner’s “Woyzeck”. William Kentridge’s production of “Woyzeck on the Highveld”(1992; 2009) marks at least three intersections of modernist and modernising discourses. Firstly, it uses as its principal source Georg Büchner’s protomodernist text, with its description of an individual alienated from his social context. Secondly, in making use of the puppets of the Handspring Puppet Company for its central characters, the play employs a style commensurate with modernist aesthetics, in terms of the objectification of subjectivity and the mechanisation of the subject. Thirdly, by re-contextualising Büchner’s German soldier as an African mineworker, the production deals with aspects of modernisation by examining the clash, confusion and concomitant syncretism of rural and urban cultures. The article concludes by identifying the all too human desire to be more than a puppet, more than machine, and the potential consequences of the fragmented modernist self on conceptions of identity and freedom.
Iconicity as the key to the poetry of Nelly Sachs (1891-1970)
Authors: Ester H.
Published: August 2012

In her poetry Nelly Sachs tried to overcome all obstaclesi in order to speak about the unspeakable. Words that could adequately embody the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps were lacking. Nevertheless, it was necessary to speak about the experience for the sake of both herself and other victims of the camps. Through her poetry Sachs tests the validity and strength of both traditional images and biblical stories about suffering and grace. Words and images enable her to touch the experiences of people. However, she questions the generally accepted meaning of words in German. Her use of language strives to be different and to draw the attention to both the difficulties and risks of writing authentic words with the necessary symbolic strength. Sachs’ mental fragility made her very vulnerable and caused her to walk on the edge of total silence. As a consequence of her vulnerability, she tried with her whole heart to gain Paul Celan’s sympathy for her way of writing and efforts to turn the events in the concentration camps into dignified and true poetry. The relationship between Celan and Sachs reveals that the true meaning of poetry in her life was a manner of survival. The differences between the two poets provide insight into the specific poetic laws at work in the poetry of Nelly Sachs.
Never let me go: science fiction and legal reality
Authors: De Villiers J.H. , Slabbert M.
Published: August 2012

This article offers a law and literary perspective on Kazuo Ishiguro‟s novel „never let me go‟. The article engages with the existentialist themes of the novel and examines various medicolegal issues pertaining to cloning and organ transplants. By examining the contemporary social and legal framework, the article exposes the inadequacies of the current (legal) approach to organ donations, and advances an alternative approach that balances personal autonomy, free choice and the right to self determination.
A critical analysis of domestication in Makhambeni’s translation of Chinua Achebe’s novel No longer at ease (1960)
Authors: Masubelele M.R.
Published: August 2012

Through translation the target reader is exposed to other cultures. Translators, therefore, have to use the target language to convey the source text message to the target reader. There are various choices at their disposal as to how they wish to convey the source text message. They may choose to adopt the norms and conventions of the source text message, and therefore those of the source language and culture, or choose those of the target language. Commonly, adherence to the target language norms and conventions leads to a strategy in which the foreignness of both linguistic and cultural conventions is reduced. According to Venuti (1995) this is domestication. Since translations are rarely equivalent to the original, this article seeks to examine how Makhambeni uses Venuti‟s domestication as a translation strategy, with the purpose of rewriting the original to conform to functions instituted by the receiving system. The descriptive approach to translation, which advances the notion that translations are facts of the target culture, will be used to support the arguments presented in this article. It will be shown that, although Achebe has used a lot of Igbo expressions and cultural practices in his novel, Makhambeni has not translated any of the Igbo expressions and cultural practices into Zulu. Instead Makhambeni used Zulu linguistic and cultural expressions such as similes, metaphors, idioms, proverbs and of cultural substitutions to bring the Igbo culture closer to her audience. It will be concluded that through the use Zulu linguistic and cultural conventions Makhambeni has effectively minimised foreign culture and narrowed the gap between the foreign and target cultures. She has successfully naturalised the Igbo culture to make it conform more to what the Zulu reader is used to.
’n Alfabeties-akrostiese klaaglied
Authors: Van der Spuy R.
Published: August 2012

An alphabetic acrostic lament Laments date back to the start of mankind and are known among all peoples, languages and nations. Laments are often spontaneous and unstructured, but sometimes they are structured in poetic form. The biblical book of Lamentations is structured according to the alphabet. The alphabetic framework that forms the foundation of the book indicates that it has a cognitive advancement/build up, and consists of a logically-anticipated inception/beginning and conclusion. It starts with the first letter of the alphabet and concludes with the last. According to Jewish rabbis the alphabetic acrostic structure indicates that the lamentation was completed in full – from start to finish. With the constant development of Afrikaans a need exists for a contemporary Afrikaans Bible translation. This article is an attempt to present the book of Lamentations in a contemporary alphabetic acrostic Afrikaans translation. The message and structure of the book form a cognitive unit that must be preserved as much as possible. A cognitive unit indicates that the reader anticipates the logical build-up and it makes sense to him/her. The acrostic structure is considered to be not only an inherent part of the poem itself, but it could also be insightful and illuminative to the reader.
Leishmania donovani-derived lipophosphoglycan plus BCG induces a Th1 type immune response but does not protect Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and BALB/c mice against Leishmania donovani
Authors: Tonui W.K. , Mpoke S.S. , Turco S.J. , Mbati P.A. , Mkoji G.M.
Published: August 2012

The efficacy of Leishmania donovani-derived lipophosphoglycan (LPG) plus Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as a vaccine candidate against visceral leishmaniosis in susceptible BALB/c mouse and Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) models was investigated. Following a triple vaccination with a total dose of 150 µl BCG plus 60 µg or 30 µg of LPG for hamsters and BALB/c mice respectively, there were no noticeable side effects both locally and systemically; implying that the molecule was safe at this dosage level. Vaccinated animals demonstrated an activation of both the humoral as well as cell-mediated responses to LPG, which correlated with resistance against the disease. Protection by LPG plus BCG, was however, poor as the remaining immunized animals showed disease progression leading to severity of the disease as illustrated by emaciation, mass loss and heavy splenic parasitaemia in hamsters. These data nevertheless suggest that it may be rewarding to further evaluate the potential of LPG as a vaccine candidate in leishmaniosis using other adjuvants, which may enhance its immunogenicity.