Disgraceful metafiction: intertextuality in the postcolony. Link to this page Summary My aim in this paper is to examine J.M.

Coetzee's use of intertextuality in Disgrace ( !! a"# partly $ecause many commentators ha%e sai& something a$out some of the intertexts utilise& in the no%el# $ut no$o&y has ma&e an attempt at a thoroughgoing analysis# particularly in terms of 'hat intertextuality# or in&ee& postmo&ernism# means in postcolonialism to&ay. ( 'ant to make the claim against those 'ho see Disgrace as primarily a realist text that merely pro%i&es an a%enue into &iscussing sociological issues in )the ne' South *frica) an& that to rea& it in this 'ay is to &o a &isser%ice to the no%el# to Coetzee's %ie's on the %alue of literature an& the imagination# an& perhaps e%en to the relationship $et'een literature an& the nation. Disgrace is an ostensi$ly realist text that consists of a chain of pro%ocations tempting the rea&er into realist interpretations# $ut a more careful rea&ing of the no%el sho's ho' intertextual it is# an& ho' su$tle its analysis of cultural history is. +his metafictional component then asks the ,uestion that Coetzee has $een grappling 'ith in his entire oeu%re# 'hich is the ,uestion of the %alency of complexity 'ithin sociohistorical contexts that ten& to re&uce complexity# sometimes to the extent of %ie'ing it as an in&ulgence or e%en &angerous &istraction 'ithin the ne' nation. -psomming Disgrace..n..loss of fa%our or respect# &o'nfall from position of honour# ignominy# shame# (is in &isgrace"/ thing or person in%ol%ing &ishonour# cause of reproach. Disgrace..%..Dismiss from fa%our# &egra&e from position of honour/ $ring shame or &iscre&it on# $e a &isgrace to. (-0D" My aim in this paper is to examine the relationship $et'een nation an& imagination %ia an analysis of the meaning of intertextuality in postcolonialism# or 'hat the %alency of postmo&ernism in postcolonial fiction is to&ay. 1erhaps the first thing to esta$lish is the notion of intertextuality. 1rior to 2riste%a's theoretical inter%ention 'hich esta$lishe& intertextuality as the notion of the ra&ical interconnecte&ness of all texts# intertextuality ten&e& to $e un&erstoo& %ia the i&eas of imitation an& allusion. (mitation implie& the conscious use of prior texts or textuality# a learning from prior masters that 'as a&%ocate& $y classical thinkers such as *ristotle# Cicero an& 3orace an& pre%aile& into the eighteenth century (Cu&&on 4556: 748"# 'hilst allusion 'as a form of implicit reference. 2riste%a's )9e%olution in 1oetic Language) took these i&eas further $y suggesting that literariness 'as actually an inter'o%en uni%erse# an& hence that &epen&ence upon other texts 'as a profoun& inter&epen&ence. (n&ee&# postmo&ernism generally sees intertextuality as a form of e,uality or &emocracy 'ithin a fiel& of intertextuality# unlike in mo&ernism 'here there is a hierarchy of intertexts.

My ,uestion is 'hat this intertextuality means in postcolonialism# particularly gi%en that postcoloniality is occurring in the time of glo$alisation an& increasing flo's of information. My a%enue into this examination is J.M. Coetzee's use of intertextuality in the no%el Disgrace# partly $ecause many commentators ha%e sai& something a$out some of the intertexts utilise& in the no%el# $ut no$o&y has ma&e an attempt at a thoroughgoing analysis. Moreo%er# in analysing the intertextuality in the no%el# ( 'ant to make the claim against those 'ho see Disgrace as primarily a realist text that merely pro%i&es an a%enue into &iscussing sociological issues in South *frica to&ay (4" that to rea& it in this 'ay is to &o a &isser%ice to the no%el an& to rea&ing generally# $ut also specifically to Coetzee's %ie's on the %alue of literature an& literariness. Disgrace ostensi$ly consists of a chain of pro%ocations that tempt the rea&er into realist sociohistorical an& national interpretations# $ut a more careful rea&ing of the no%el sho's ho' metafictional it is# an& ho' su$tle its analysis of cultural history is. +his metafictional component then asks the ,uestion that Coetzee has $een grappling 'ith in his entire oeu%re# namely the ,uestion of complexity 'ithin sociohistorical circumstances an& min&sets# particularly 'ithin South *frica# that ten& to re&uce complexity# sometimes to the extent of %ie'ing it as an in&ulgence or extra%agance. So there is a strong temptation to rea& Disgrace as a realist text..in&ee& it might $e sai& that the no%el in%ites this kin& of rea&ing# an& ( 'ant to link this to the issue of Coetzee's oeu%re an& particularly his style. (t seems that 'ith Disgrace Coetzee is unfol&ing a natural progression that 'as e%i&ent from his first no%el# $ut perhaps most apparent in *ge of (ron# to'ar&s an e%ermore terse realist style. So the ,uestion arises of 'hat has happene& to the other# the su$lime# the unconscious that 'as more characteristic of his earlier an& more experimental 'orks 'ith their slightly more gnomic prose an& moments of &efamiliarisation. ( am thinking of the hyper$olic an& &esta$ilising repetition an& the exor$itant airships 'ith 'hich Mag&a is fascinate& in (n +he 3eart of the Country/ the enigmatic person of Michael 2 an& :ri&ay in +he Life ; +imes of Michael 2 an& :oe respecti%ely# the magistrate's encounters 'ith the )$ar$arians) in <aiting for the =ar$arians# the complex intertextuality an& enigmatic metafictionality of :oe an& +he Master of 1eters$urg. -n the surface of it# the terse minimalism of Disgrace seems to ha%e little alterity or the su$lime or exor$itant in it# an& if 'e rea& the text as realist 'e are $oun& to conclu&e that it is &epressing an& pessimistic# as a num$er of rea&ers ha%e &one. 3o'e%er# ( 'ant to suggest that 'e can fin& the su$lime# al$eit an ameliorate& su$lime that might not merit the appellation# in the no%el 'ithin the narrati%e tra>ectory of the story itself# an& further ( 'ant to suggest that Coetzee is mo%ing to'ar&s em$o&ying rupture in narrati%e# as oppose& to in style (although there is clearly no neat &i%i&ing line $et'een the t'o". So although the prose is terse an& spare# the narrati%e is punctuate& an& shape& $y a num$er of shocking# e%en sensational# e%ents: prostitution# the initial un'elcome scan&alous se&uction# the )not ,uite rape)# the expulsion# %iolence in the countrysi&e# the &ying fall of the en&ing/ an&# more importantly# these e%ents are gi%en meaning $y intertextual clues (( count o%er t'enty intertexts in the no%el# from =lake to 2afka"# primarily 9omantic..it is $y follo'ing these clues that 'e can come closer to rea&ing the text 'ithin its context# rather than rea&ing the text as su$or&inate to its context. Coetzee esta$lishes this context 'ithin the first line of the no%el. +he first sentence# rapi&ly $ecoming infamous# if not alrea&y so# is ):or a man of his age# fifty.t'o# &i%orce&# he has# to his min&# sol%e& the pro$lem of sex rather 'ell) (Coetzee !!!a:

4". +he perfecti%e tense of the sentence suggests closure $ut is interrupte& $y the mo&ifier )to his min&)# signalling that Lurie's solution is not as final as he imagines it# an& creating the sense of illusion an& conse,uent &oom that 'ill &og our protagonist. Moreo%er# this sentence o$%iously asks the ,uestion: 'hy is sex a pro$lem? +he ans'er to this ,uestion is t'o.pronge&. :irstly# sex is a pro$lem for Lurie $ecause of his su$>ecti%ity/ he is something of a roue# a lothario# an& this is not merely an i&iosyncrasy# $ut is something that &eri%es from his culture 'hich is <estern# 9omantic# erotic. So the first ma>or intertext 'ithin the no%el is implicit 'ithin the first sentence an& it is <estern 9omanticism. +his 9omanticism is em$o&ie& in a particular form $y Lurie an& this form is thoroughly criti,ue& in the no%el. Lurie has ma&e a stu&y of <estern 9omanticism on 'hich he has 'ritten three $ooks: one on the )genesis) (my italics" of Mephistopheles (%ia =oito's :aust"# one on )%ision as eros)# the thir& on )<or&s'orth an& the =ur&en of the 1ast) (p. 7". @otice that all of these tracts centre on the &e%il in the past in that they all &eal 'ith past <estern 9omantic masters. Satan has a num$er of faces# as 'e might expect. *s Lucifer# he is a fallen fa%ourite# fallenness $eing the narrati%e tra>ectory of the no%el. 3e is also the snake# significantly calle& )serpent) (p. 4A"# Da%i& Lurie's )totem)# an image of %enomous se&uction# &anger# corruption an& cunning# $ut also of change# gro'th an& spirituality. Lurie &escri$es his sexual )temperament) un&er this totem as )lengthy# a$sor$e&# $ut rather a$stract# rather &ry# e%en at its hottest) (p. B". :urthermore# Lurie's am$ition is to 'rite an opulent Cluck. like opera# =yron in (taly# 'hich again suggests 9omantic eroticism %ia notorious se&uction# for a cham$er.opera triumph 'ill return eros# an& hence himself# to society. +his operatic am$ition 'ill $e se%erely attenuate& in the narrati%e tra>ectory of the no%el. Lurie's emphasis upon a 9omantically &e%ilish sensuality is argua$ly macho an& i&iosyncratic $ut as Michael <illiams points out in relation to =yron's poem )Lara): (n the 457!s# the 458!s an& the early 45A!s# explorations of the satanic 'ere central to the stu&y of such texts as Lara. @ee&less to say# this is the perio& 'hen Da%i& Lurie..an& inci&entally his creator J.M. Coetzee..'oul& ha%e $een encountering =yron in their uni%ersity stu&ies for the first time. (<illiams !!7: 6" @e%ertheless# Lurie's emphasis is &e%elope& $eyon& this 'hen he teaches =yron's )Lara) to his class (Coetzee !!!a: B .BB". Lurie's rea&ing of )Lara) interprets the protagonist as )Lucifer# the &ark angel)# 'hich resonates 'ith $oth Lurie himself an& 'ith Melanie (saacs's )$ra%o) $oyfrien&# 'ho at that moment has muscle& his 'ay into Lurie's class. *ccor&ing to Lurie's interpretation# the i&entity an& sexuality of Lucifer# Lara# =yron# himself# an& presuma$ly Melanie's $oyfrien&# is that of the alienate& mo&ern in&i%i&ual# rather like 3amlet# 'ho )'ill $e con&emne& to solitu&e) (p. B7"# a chillingly prophetic image of Lurie's fate an& a criti,ue of 9omantic i&entity: Lurie says of his 9omantic )masters) that )DtEhey all &ie& young. -r &rie& up. -r 'ent ma& an& 'ere locke& a'ay) (p. 48". +hus 9omantic sexuality is not merely a metaphysical or humanist issue of e%il# 'hich is explore& at some length in 0liza$eth Costello# $ut is also an issue of mo&ernity.

3ence it 'oul& $e 'rong to assume that 9omanticism is 'ritten off $y the text as an anachronistic cultural em$arrassment that can only lea& to isolation an& e%entual &isgraceful exile. 9omanticism's a$ility to criti,ue early mo&ernity is ne%er ,uestione&/ 9omanticism seems to $e the primary intertext of the no%el $ecause it 'as an& is oppose& to )@e'ton's sleep of reason) 'ith its emphasis upon spontaneous feeling an& corporeal sympathy# particularly the lo%e of nature. Moreo%er# 'e &o not usually think of 9omanticism as a culture that espouses the mi&&le path# it appears too Dionysian for that# $ut that 9omanticism can pro%i&e a link $et'een spirit an& $o&y# $et'een %ision an& manifestation# is apparent in Lurie's class on <or&s'orth's )+he 1relu&e) in 'hich he makes it clear that $alance is necessary: D<Ee cannot li%e our &aily li%es in a realm of pure i&eas# cocoone& from sense.experience. +he ,uestion is not# 3o' can 'e keep the imagination pure# protecte& from the onslaughts of reality? +he ,uestion has to $e# Can 'e fin& a 'ay for the t'o to coexist? (Coetzee !!!a: "

(t is appropriate that <or&s'orth shoul& $e the exemplar of $alance rather than =yron# $ut perhaps if 'e are going to criti,ue Lurie 'ithout lapsing into specious >u&gement# then it shoul& $e in terms of his o'n professe& i&eal of $alance an& coexistence. Lurie is una$le to li%e up to an i&eal of $alance $ecause he is so enrapture& 'ith his 9omanticism# may$e $ecause it allo's him to escape from his context. Lurie himself points out ho' unromantic reality can $e 'hen he asks# )=ut no'# &o you truly 'ish to see the $elo%e& in the col& clarity of the %isual apparatus? (t may $e in your $etter interest to thro' a %eil o%er the gaze# so as to keep her ali%e in her archetypal# go&&esslike form) (p. ". Lurie is so possesse& $y archetypal images# so enculturate&# that he falls into the trap of keeping his %ision )turne& to'ar& the great archetypes of the imagination 'e carry 'ithin us) (p. B": in the )not ,uite rape) scene 'hen he forces himself upon Melanie (saacs he sees her as )from the ,ui%er of *phro&ite# go&&ess of the foaming 'a%es# no &ou$t a$out that) (p. 8"/ Lurie thinks )( 'as a ser%ant of 0ros ... (t 'as a go& 'ho acte& through me) (p. 65". Lurie is una$le to li%e up to his o'n <or&s'orthian i&eal of a $alance $et'een archetype an& reality# $et'een %ision an& o$>ects# $ecause he is rapt in his o'n ecstasy 'ith 9omantic archetype an& %ision. +his is graphically illustrate& $y his nee& to take Melanie# to make her conform to his transcen&ental rapture $y ignoring the fact that )DsEhe opens the &oor 'earing a crumple& +.shirt# cycling shorts# slippers in the shape of comic.$ook gophers 'hich he fin&s silly# tasteless) (p. 7". Moreo%er# his rapture 'ith transcen&ent mythical imagery pre%ents him from seeing that his &ri%es are partly moti%ate& $y the mun&ane &ynamics of aging/ he cannot see the links $et'een rapist an& father. So 9omanticism has $een part of Lurie's pro$lem $ecause it $oth fills up the %oi& in his soul 'ith art# $ut also creates that %oi& since no physical manifestation or person can fulfil such a lofty artistic i&eal. 9omanticism all too often risks loss of $alance/ its emphasis upon rapture# ecstasy# the su$lime opens it up to in&ulgence# egotism# loss of control an& in&iscipline. Fet 'hat other &iscourse opposes an instrumental rationality so

rigorously or foregroun&s 'hat Lurie calls )the rights of &esire ... the go& 'ho makes e%en the small $ir& ,ui%er) (p. 65"? So ( hope it is clear that the first aspect of Lurie's &ilemma is his rather pre&atory sexual i&entity 'hich is at least partially a result of a particular <estern 9omantic enculturation. 1erhaps the text is suggesting that the pro$lem of sexuality is not only physical $ut is also &ue to the repression or su$limation of erotic energy that mo&ernity an& a certain type an& interpretation of <estern culture in%ol%e? 3o'e%er# Da%i& Lurie's pro$lem 'ith sex is not merely his o'n su$>ecti%ity an& his enculturation# $ut the clash $et'een this an& the particular postcolonial context 'ithin 'hich he exists# an& this forms the secon& horn of his &ilemma. (n other 'or&s# it is not 9omanticism per se that is the pro$lem# $ut a &econtextualise& an& elitist 9omanticism. Lurie# &espite $eing an expert in 9omanticism# appears $lin& to the fact that $oth 9omanticism an& )the ne' South *frica) are post.re%olutionary historical moments an& therefore might $e usefully compare&/ Lurie's 9omanticism is &econtextualise& to the extent that it is ahistorical an& lacking in agency. :urther# Coetzee suggests that this pro$lem is exacer$ate& $y colonisation an& especially $y glo$alisation 'hich institutes an )emasculation) (p. 7". So the ,uestion is not merely 'hy sex is a pro$lem# $ut also ho' Da%i& Lurie coul& possi$ly make his sexuality# intellect an& %ision coinci&e 'ith the ne' glo$al capitalist &ispensation. ( " +hat he can only achie%e some such coinci&ence %ia the re&uce& role of celi$ate care.gi%er to &ying an& &ea& &ogs speaks %olumes not only a$out him# $ut also a$out the context in 'hich he fin&s himself. @otice that the one course in 9omantic literature that Lurie is allo'e& per annum as a sop to )morale) echoes the ninety minutes of sex he allo's himself per 'eek. So there is a link $et'een Lurie's compartmentalise& solution to the )pro$lem of sex) an& the )great rationalisation) (p. B" that characterises )the ne' South *frica) an& the ne' glo$al capitalist &ispensation. 1assion an& commitment are gi%ing 'ay to organisation an& efficiency in this ne' 'orl& or&er# accompanie& $y an increase in puritanical sur%eillance an& moralistic &enunciation/ instrumental empiricism has $een conflate& 'ith an easy >u&gemental ethics. +he ne' glo$alise& state is characterise& $y a narro' political correctness an& a functionalist technicism that is most apparent in Lurie's 'on&erfully graphic &escription of the form that he has to fill out for the &isciplinary hearing resulting from his )a$use) of his stu&ent: +here is a form to fill in. +he form is place& $efore them# an& a pen. * han& takes up the pen# a han& he has kisse&# a han& he kno's intimately. :irst the name of the plaintiff: M0L*@(0 (S**CS# in careful $lock letters. Do'n the column of $oxes 'a%ers the han&# searching for the one to tick. +here# points the nicotine.staine& finger of her father. +he han& slo's# settles# makes its G# its cross of righteousness: F'accuse. +hen a space for the name of the accuse&. D*H(D LI9(0# 'rites the han&: 19-:0SS-9. :inally# at the foot of the page# the &ate an& her signature: the ara$es,ue of the M# the l 'ith its $ol& upper loop# the &o'n'ar& gash of the (# the flourish of the final s. +he &ee& is &one. +'o names on the page# his an& hers# si&e $y si&e. +'o in a $e&# lo%ers no longer $ut foes.

(Coetzee !!!a: B5.7!" +he contrast $et'een the instrumental %ertical an& horizontal lines of the form an& the italicise& ara$es,ue )flourish) of the signature is stark# con%eying the contrast $et'een lo%ers in a $e& together an& the formalise& conflict 'ithin 'hich they are no' caught. 9approchement is %irtually impossi$le 'ithin such a starkly polarise& gri& format 'hich attempts to fit human $eings into straight lines an& $oxes. Moreo%er# this ne' regime is not only schematic an& instrumentalist# $ut it is also 'omanist# (B" so that Lurie 'on&ers if he is %ie'e& as )DaE shark among the helpless little fishes? -r &oes she ha%e another %ision: of a great thick.$one& male $earing &o'n upon a girl.chil&# a huge han& stifling her cries?) (p. 8B". Such 'omanism is most graphically signalle& in the poster of )Superman hanging his hea& as he is $erate& $y Lois Lane) (p. 4JJ" a&orning the 'all of the office of young Dr -tto 'ho has replace& Lurie/ this satirises not only the 9omanticK@ietzschean hero# $ut also 'hat this superman has $een re&uce& to. +his political correctness is uncon%incing to Lurie/ as he &isparagingly comments of his stu&ents: )1ost.Christian# posthistorical# postliterate# they might as 'ell ha%e $een hatche& from eggs yester&ay) (p. B ". <hilst it is easy enough to >ustify the historical reasons $ehin& contemporary 'omanism an& to &ismiss Lurie's con&escen&ing image of reptilian# e%en alien# $irth# it is less easy to &e$unk his sense of the >u&gementalism of the ne' regime of glo$alising rationality 'hich he &escri$es as a politics of )$lame) (p. 77": )+he community of the righteous# hol&ing their sessions in corners# o%er the telephone# $ehin& close& &oors. Cleeful 'hispers. Scha&enfreu&e. :irst the sentence# then the trial) (p. 7 "/ as his ex.'ife thun&ers at him: )@o sympathy# no mercy# not in this &ay an& age) (p. 7B". Despite Lurie's melo&ramatic hyper$ole in these passages# it is &ifficult to argue 'ith his sense that )DtEhese are puritanical times. 1ri%ate life is pu$lic $usiness. 1rurience is respecta$le# prurience an& sentiment. +hey 'ante& a spectacle: $reast.$eating# remorse# tears if possi$le. * +H sho'# in fact) (p. AA". +his lea&s me to the primary point that ( 'ant to a&%ance# 'hich is that gi%en a present 'hich is go%erne& $y an instrumental an& re&uctionist %ersion of rationality# Coetzee returns to an earlier phase of opposition to that rationality in or&er to examine the possi$ilities for opposition to&ay. +hat earlier phase 'as 9omanticism# 'hich 'as argua$ly the earliest an& most po'erful re$ellion against the ne'ly emergent in&ustrial phase of mo&ernity. Moreo%er# 0uropean nationalism arose &uring the 9omantic perio&# an& it is highly appropriate that this cultural mo%ement an& perio& shoul& $e re%isite& 'hen South *frica is un&ergoing nation.$uil&ing# particularly as the rhetoric of such is )the rain$o' nation). +hus Coetzee's metafictional intertextuality is highly politicise& an& rele%ant/ any accusation of i&iosyncrasy an& tangentiality in the no%el 'oul& seem to miss this point. +hus intertextuality for the postcolonial artist# or Coetzee at any rate# seems to in%ol%e a reframing in 'hich $oth intertexts# text(s" an& context# pressurise each other# not necessarily creating a hy$ri& amalgam $ut at least recontextualising an& mo&ifying. +here is no fi&elity to an original prior 'orl& or text# rather a &eli$erate contrapuntal recontextualisation an&Kor hy$ri&isation forces the rea&er to reconsi&er $oth the intertext an& the text in a comparati%e an& political light# instantiating literary criticism 'ithin the fictional text. So intertextuality in postcolonialism 'oul& seem to consist simultaneously of $oth a contextually.specific an& o$li,uely politically committe& pastiche an& paro&y.

:rom Lurie's perspecti%e at least# postcolonial mo&ernity is characterise& $y the myth that the past 'as &ark an& unenlightene& in or&er to gi%e us the feeling that 'e are e%ol%e& an& progressi%e no'# a myth that :oucault pointe& out in +he 3istory of Sexuality: )(+Ehere may $e another reason that makes it so gratifying for us to &efine the relationship $et'een sex an& po'er in terms of repression: something that one might call the speaker's $enefit) (:oucault 45J6: A". Little &oes Lurie realise that the )ne') South *frica has also re%olutionise& la$our relations# $ut he 'ill come to realise that )DiEt is a ne' 'orl& they li%e in# he an& Lucy an& 1etrus. 1etrus kno's it# an& he kno's it# an& 1etrus kno's that he kno's it) (p. 44A". @or &oes he yet un&erstan& that there is no room for animals in this ne' )humanist) &ispensation/ his &aughter Lucy tells him that )DoEn the list of the nation's priorities# animals come no'here) (p. JB". So Lurie might $e a rour# $ut he is also an anachronistic an& &ehistoricise& Lear figure# 'hich is as much a >u&gement upon contemporary glo$alisation as upon Luixotic 9omanticism. So much for mo&ernity in the city# $ut 'hat happens 'hen this complex intertextuality enters the heart of the country? -f course# 9omanticism has al'ays $een associate& 'ith nature an& the pastoral# an& in particular 'ith the su$lime epiphany that nature potentially offers to the attune& sensi$ility. <e shoul& perhaps keep in min& that it 'as &uring the 9omantic perio& that South *frica 'as colonise&# an& that a minor Scottish romantic poet +homas 1ringle# a year younger than =yron# 'oul& pro%e to $e a ma>or South *frican 'riter. +hese facts shoul& alert us to Coetzee's a'areness that nature is a particularly me&iate& an& constructe& concept in South *frica# something he points out in settler art: D(Et is not o%ersimplification to say that lan&scape an& art an& lan&scape 'riting from the $eginning of the nineteenth century to the mi&&le of the t'entieth re%ol%e aroun& the ,uestion of fin&ing a language to fit *frica# a language that 'ill $e authentically *frican.... +he ,uest for an authentic language is pursue& 'ithin a frame'ork in 'hich language# consciousness an& lan&scape are all relate&. (Coetzee 4566: J" So the lan&scape aroun& Crahamsto'n to 'hich Lurie escapes after his &isgrace in the city is picture& in 9omantic terms: +he 'in& &rops. +here is a moment of utter stillness 'hich he 'oul& 'ish prolonge& for e%er: the gentle sun# the stillness of mi&.afternoon# $ees $usy in a fiel& of flo'ers/ an& at the centre of the picture a young 'oman# &as e'ig <ei$liche# lightly pregnant# in a stra' sunhat. * scene rea&y.ma&e for a Sargent or a =onnar&. City $oys like him/ $ut e%en city $oys can recognize $eauty 'hen they see it# can ha%e their $reath taken a'ay. +he truth is# he has ne%er ha& much of an eye for rural life# &espite all his rea&ing in <or&s'orth. (Coetzee !!!a: 46"

+he mention of <or&s'orth con>ures up the pastoral# an& in particular %ia his Lucy poems 'hich picture nature as a $ene%olent Caia 'ho gathers up her melancholy innocent mai& to her $reast# lea%ing her lo%er plangently $ereft. +his image of the nurturing innocent eternal feminine is echoe& in )Das 0'ige.<ei$licheKMieht uns hinan) (Coethe 457B: 44" from the chorus at the en& of Coethe's :aust 3 'hich a&&s the suggestion of the re&empti%e po'ers of the eternal feminine. Just so is Lucy's innocence lostKrape& in Disgrace# $ut her $eing )9olle& roun& in earth's &iurnal course#K<ith 9ocks# an& stones# an& trees) (<or&s'orth 45A5: 75" &oes not in%ol%e her physical &eath# $ut the &eath of her# an& her father's# pri&e in the compromising accommo&ation 'ith 1etrus 'hich is an in%ersion of aparthei& po'er structures. +he implication here ( think is that &espite 9omanticism's utility as an ongoing criti,ue of mo&ernity an& mo&ernisation# its axioms are far too luri&ly melo&ramatic to $e appropriate metaphors for post.aparthei& South *frica 'hich re,uires an altogether more steely stoicism in or&er to sur%i%e its %icissitu&es. <here re&emption is a%aila$le# it is neither in terms of the pastoral enclosure of 'omen# confining them to masochistic chaste purity# nor in terms of cym$al.clash transcen&entalism# $ut in terms of a grin&ing en&urance. +his )groun&ing) of 9omanticism# if ( may call it that# is emphasise& in the name of the %illage in the 0astern Cape near Crahamsto'n to 'hich Lurie flees: Salem# the etymology of 'hich is )shalom) an& )salaam) meaning peace# an& it is also a shortene& form of Jerusalem an& referre& to Metho&ist chapels. Salem 'as one of the first to'ns to $e settle& $y the 0nglish 'ho manage& to a%ert a Ghosa $attle there $y negotiation/ hence it suggests the triumph of li$eral rationality# a suggestion that Coetzee is to o%erturn in the no%el. Salem also con>ures up the puritan frontier of @athaniel 3a'thorne's +he Scarlet Letter 'ith the &isgracing of 'omen an& the 'itch trials of Cotton Mather. Just like se%enteenth.century *merica# South *frica has $een puritanical# though in a Cal%inist sense# an& the parallel is not &irect $ut in%erte& $y ha%ing a male in &isgrace. 1erhaps Coetzee is suggesting that scapegoating# far from $eing re&un&ant# 'ill operate 'hene%er an& 'here%er any regime of correctness is reigning. 3a%ing sai& this# it must $e pointe& out that 3ester 1rynne's shaming in +he Scarlet Letter is perhaps more marke& than Lurie's in Disgrace for# after all# Lurie may $e exile&# assaulte& an& $urnt# $ut he is not $ran&e& 'ith a sigil an& he is not literally rape&# a cruelty reser%e& for his &aughter. Salem also con>ures up *rthur Miller's +he Cruci$le an& McCarthyist censorship in the nineteen fifties. Coetzee chose the name of Salem appositely# consi&ering his essay on @oel Mostert's :rontiers 'hich traces the %iolent history of racial conflict in the 0astern Cape (Coetzee 4566: BBJ". So# as far as Lurie goes# his )not ,uite rape) of the )$lack) girl in the city is neatly in%erte& in the rape of Lucy $y the $lack men in the country# gi%ing a &iptych structure to the no%el. +his &iptych is part of his )fall) an& forces him to reflect upon his o'n complicity in the exploitation of 'omen# the limits of his imagination# an& the inappropriateness of 0uropean 9omanticism: 3e thinks of =yron. *mong the legions of countesses an& kitchen mai&s =yron pushe& himself into there 'ere no &ou$t those 'ho calle& it rape. =ut none surely ha& cause to fear that the session 'oul& en& 'ith her throat $eing slit. :rom 'here he stan&s# from 'here Lucy stan&s# =yron looks %ery ol& fashione&.

(Coetzee !!!a: 4A!" 3e may $e making a &isingenuous excuse for 9omanticism here# $ut the comparison is 'hat is important for the purposes of my paper# for Lurie's tra>ectory is from a$sorption in his o'n inner enculturate& 'orl& to'ar&s an attenuation of that 'orl& %ia a$rasion on the har& e&ges of the )ne') South *frica. (n other 'or&s# intertexts an& their use are teste& 'ithin an& $y context. (n many 'ays# 9omanticism is foun& 'anting in the ne' South *frica# e%en 'hilst its gui&ing re%olutionary impulse is ratifie& in this context. -ne of the ma>or pro$lems 'ith 9omanticism is its pastoral enclosure of femininity# 'hich is seen not only in Lurie's relationship to 'omen $ut also in the rape of Lucy. 3er name is an allusion to St Lucy the Sicilian %irgin martyr# patron saint of %irgins# the $lin& an& 'riters# 'ho has a silencing throat 'oun& &escri$e& in the no%el thus: )D-E%er the $o&y of the 'oman silence is $eing &ra'n like a $lanket. +oo ashame&# they 'ill say to each other# too ashame& to tell) (Coetzee !!!a: 44!". (t is &ifficult not to infer that patriarchy is a rape 'hich silences. +his linkage $et'een patriarchy an& silence 'as &e%elope& in Donne's )* @octurnal upon S. Lucies DayK=eing the shortest &ay) in 'hich the speaker is an original nothingness an& &arkness# apparently &ue to mourning (perhaps for Donne's 'ife# &aughter Lucy# or patroness Lucy# Countess of =e&for&". (7" St Lucy's Day falls on the thirteenth of Decem$er in the northern hemisphere# the 'inter solstice 'hich emphasises a long &ark night of the soul an&# of course# Decem$er is astrologically the time of Capricorn# the goat# 'ith all its connotations of earthy lust. (ronically# it is Lurie 'ho is re&uce& to silence $y Lucy's experience. 3er rape is all the har&er for a father to $ear $ecause not only must it cause %icarious suffering %ia empathy# $ut it also emasculates him %ia his impotence an& ina$ility to imagine 'hat 'as in%ol%e& (pp. 5J# 44!# 486# 4A!"# an& this is compoun&e& $y Lucy's refusal to )share) the experience in any 'ay or to listen to any of his paternalistic a&%ice. +he reference to the rape of the Sa$ine 'omen..a 9oman myth# painte& $y 1oussin an& 1icasso amongst others# in 'hich the a$&ucte& Sa$ine 'omen force& to marry 9omans refuse to return to their Sa$ine men..emphasises Lurie's emasculation. Lucy's &etermination to get along 'ith 1etrus in the ne' South *frica# her &etermination not to lea%e the country# echoes this myth. ( think that it is 'orth noticing that Lurie is al'ays at something of a &istance from the pastoral &espite his intellectual an& aca&emic championing of it. +his is em$o&ie& in his straine& relationship 'ith Lucy an& in his conflict 'ith 1ollux an& 1etrus# $oth representati%es of in&igenous naturalism. 3ence he &escri$es his re.entry into Lucy's 'orl& as an -rphean &escent into the )Stygian soup of souls) of Canto H(( of Dante's (nferno (p. !5"/ as Craham 1echey points out# St Lucy is the patron saint of the me&iatrix $et'een Mary an& Dante's =eatrice in the Comme&ia. (8" +his &escent into the natural an& the %isceral# an encounter 'ith threatening otherness# forces him to feel otherness rather than >ust intellectually appreciating it: he realises that Lucy is a &ifferent person to himself# not merely the offspring of his loins# 'hen she confronts him thus: Da%i&# ( can't run my life accor&ing to 'hether or not you like 'hat ( &o. @ot any more. Fou $eha%e as if e%erything ( &o is part of the story of your life. Fou are the main character# ( am a minor character 'ho &oesn't make an appearance until half'ay through. <ell#

contrary to 'hat you think# people are not &i%i&e& into ma>or an& minor. ( am not minor. ( ha%e a life of my o'n# >ust as important to me as yours is to you# an& in my life ( am the one 'ho makes the &ecisions. (Coetzee !!!a: 456" (t is not only the alterity of Lucy that $ecomes clearer through confrontation# it is also the 'eight of history that $ecomes apparent. Lurie ha& imagine& that his &aughter 'as in&ee& his# the &elusion that all parents ha%e that they control their offspring# $ut he comes to realise that it is perhaps history that has ha& the greater part in Lucy's e%olution: )Curious that he an& her mother# city folk# intellectuals# shoul& ha%e pro&uce& this thro'$ack# this stur&y young settler. =ut perhaps it 'as not they 'ho pro&uce& her: perhaps history ha& the larger share) (p. A4". 3o'e%er# history is not some settle& fact $ut is constantly changing an& hence constantly open to the potential of reinterpretation an& agency: She talks easily a$out these matters. * frontier farmer of the ne' $ree&. (n the ol& &ays# cattle an& maize. +o&ay# &ogs an& &affo&ils. +he more things change the more they remain the same. 3istory repeating itself# though in a more mo&est %ein. 1erhaps history has learne& a lesson. (Coetzee !!!a: A " +he lines )3istory repeating itself# though in a more mo&est %ein) an& )has learne& a lesson) coul& 'ell $e a summation of the no%el as a 'hole 'hich reinterprets history through culture. +his not only shifts history# an& perhaps politics# a'ay from the epochal an& to'ar&s the local# specific an& em$o&ie&# $ut also hollo's out a tiny space of agency 'ithin its $roa& can%as# for it is the cultural that allo's for some inter%ention in history. +his cultural agency can har&ly $e %ie'e& as political in the usual sense# $ut that &oes not mean that it &oes not exist. (f agency is a$out change# then the ,uestion is# has Da%i& Lurie change&? Specifically# has his attitu&e to'ar&s sex change&? (s Lurie a$le to %ie' himself ironically in relation to Melanie (saacs no'# as a historically situate& su$>ect? Coetzee &oes not pro%i&e us 'ith a neat conclusion to these ,uestions# not least $ecause Lurie is his focaliser an& hence it is &ifficult for the rea&er to fully trust his >u&gements. 3is attitu&e to'ar&s =e% Sha'# the manager of the animal clinic# is initially con&escen&ing in extremis an& symptomatic not only of his sexism $ut of his )looksism) or extreme aestheticism (pp. J # J5"# $ut he &oes come to some a'areness of her alterity %ia :lau$ert: 3is thoughts go to 0mma =o%ary strutting $efore the mirror after her first $ig afternoon. ( ha%e a lo%erN ( ha%e a lo%er? sings 0mma to herself. <ell# let poor =e% Sha' go home an& &o some singing too. *n& let him stop calling her poor =e% Sha'. (f she is poor# he is $ankrupt. (Coetzee !!!a: 48!"

+his is a reprisal of Lurie's self.regar&ing appro%al of his )snake.like) cool sexuality at the $eginning of the no%el: 3e thinks of 0mma =o%ary# coming home sate&# glazen.eye&# from an afternoon of reckless fucking. So this is $lissN# says 0mma# mar%elling at herself in the mirror. So this is the $liss the poets speak ofN. <ell# if poor ghostly 0mma 'ere e%er to fin& her 'ay to Cape +o'n# he 'oul& $ring her along one +hurs&ay afternoon to sho' her 'hat $liss can $e: a mo&erate $liss. * mo&erate& $liss. (Coetzee !!!a: A" +he irony here is that it is Lurie 'ho is $eing taught mo&eration. (t seems that Lurie is no' not only a'are of his o'n &isgrace& situation# $ut is also groping to'ar&s some sort of a'areness of otherness# particularly female otherness# an& he &escri$es his relationships as ha%ing )enriche&) (p. 45 " him. So Lurie# ha%ing seen that he is no' in no country for ol& men# reaches a monklike kin& of sexual purgatory in 'hich he is no longer a Don Juan# has no lo%er# a place )not col& $ut not hot) (p. 458". +his is am$iguate& $y his intercourse 'ith a prostitute# 'hich coul& $e seen as a sign that he &oes not change# or as a %ale&iction to his pre%ious life. (t seems that this intercourse is in&ee& a goo&$ye to his pre%ious life# particularly if 'e consi&er this passage: (f the ol& men hog the young 'omen# 'hat 'ill $e the future of the species? +hat# at $ottom# 'as the case for the prosecution. 3alf of literature is a$out it: young 'omen struggling to escape from un&er the 'eight of ol& men# for the sake of the species. 3e sighs. +he young in one another's arms# hee&less# engrosse& in the sensual music. @o country# this# for ol& men. 3e seems to $e pen&ing a lot of time sighing. 9egret: a regretta$le note on 'hich to go out. (Coetzee !!!a: 45!" +his echo of Feats's )Sailing to =yzantium) (Feats 456 : 4J" in the 'or&s )+he young in one another's arms) emphasises the lo' point of Lurie's roue career. 3e has to face the fact that he is no longer a$le to appeal to 'omen as he use& to# that he is in &ecline# that his king&om has come an& gone# that mortality is stalking him. *s Mark San&ers points out# this is also em$o&ie& in language 'hich is 9omantic for Lurie..he is al'ays $eing etymological (Coetzee !!!a: 4! "# an& grammatical# often emphasising the perfecti%e tense (pp. 4# J4". (A" +he perfecti%e suggests that Lurie is li%ing the aftereffects of an alrea&y.complete& e%ent# that his life is no' merely a comet's tail after the comet has alrea&y $urnt out. *gain# as in Donne# the speaker is immune to the rene'al of life# it is o%er for him. Fet he has to continue to li%e# to someho' fin& a role an& su$>ecti%ity 'ithin much &iminishe& circumstances. So the )perfection) that he fin&s in life is some'hat &ifferent from 'hat he might ha%e

expecte& as 1rofessor of 0nglish# yet the logic of his tra>ectory is )perfect) in the sense that it is an in%ersion of his pre%ious path an& connotes a secular metaphysics of ine%ita$ility. (f some of Lurie's rather se&imente& attitu&es to sex &o not fully change# his attitu&e to'ar&s animals slo'ly &oes. 3e attempts to look after Lucy# an& 'hen it is clear that his attempts are far too clumsy an& that he is alienating her instea& of helping her# he transfers care to the &oome& sheep an& then to the &ogs/ importantly he &oes not un&erstan& these $on&s# they are intuiti%e or precogniti%e for him: * $on& seems to ha%e come into existence $et'een himself an& the t'o 1ersians# he &oes not kno' ho'. +he $on& is not one of affection. (t is not e%en a $on& 'ith these t'o in particular# 'hom he coul& not pick out from a mo$ in a fiel&. @e%ertheless# su&&enly an& 'ithout reason# their lot has $ecome important to him. (Coetzee !!!a: 4 A" +his intuiti%e $on& is important# for 'hilst the no%el may $e seen as ameliorating 9omanticism into something unrecognisa$le# 'hat 'e ha%e here is the mo&e or action of 9omanticism# 'hich is the accessing of extrarational states of $eing as part of a 'i&er connecti%ity. -f course this is Coetzee# so such access to the extrarational is not 9omanticise&/ 'hat 'e are presente& 'ith is a harsh %ision of a$>ection an& tiny gestures of compassion. Lurie's &og euthanasia is sacrificial an& linke& to *$raham an& (saac# echoe& in Melanie (saacs. So the point is that 9omanticism 'ithin South *frica is re&efine& $y Coetzee into an extremely hum$le yet proacti%e agency. +he sa%agery of this &og euthanasia is ma&e clear in the use of the Cerman 'or& )Losung) (pp. 47 # 46" or solution# a 'or& use& $y the @azis to in&icate the )final solution)# an& echoing 0liza$eth Costello's contro%ersial e,uation of $attery farming 'ith the @azi &eath camps in +he Li%es of *nimals an& 0liza$eth Costello. (t is also 2afkan in the ,uotation of Joseph 2's sta$$ing in the final line of 2afka's +he +rial (2afka 45J8": )Like a &ogN 3e sai&# it 'as as if he meant the shame of it to outli%e him) (p. !8"# a phrase utilise& $y Lucy to &escri$e her a$>ect position in the ne' South *frica. 1erhaps 2afka's stark mo&ernism is >ust the anti&ote to 9omanticism's excesses# an& hence Coetzee's reference to it here. <hen Lurie &eci&es to 'ork in =e% Sha''s &og sanctuary he echoes 1etrus in that he has no' )$ecome a &og man: a &og un&ertaker# a &og psycho pomp/ a hari>an) (p. 47A"# a reference to Can&hi's attempt to &ignify the untoucha$les 'ith a ne' name. So the no%el criti,ues the excessi%e in suggesting that the first shall $e last an& %ice %ersa# a suggestion %isi$le in the metaphysical e,uation $et'een the anagrams go& an& &og/ *phro&ite an& 0ros ha%e $ecome 2aty the three.legge& male# nameless others. +his is an attenuate& mi&&le.path# an anti.eschatological gra&ualism 'hich 'oul& seem to $e far from 9omanticism. +he no%el itself suggests this through Lurie's &esire to teach 0mma =o%ary )a mo&erate $liss. * mo&erate& $liss) (p. A"# though it is Lurie 'ho learns that )his hopes must $e more temperate) (p. 47". *. num$er of critics ha%e notice& this amelioration: 0lleke =oehmer says that the no%el is a$out )en&uring rather than transcen&ing the &egra&e& present ... re&uce& secular atonement) (=oehmer !! : B7B"/ Craham 1echey argues that Lurie's creati%ity at the

en& of the no%el is )a small compensation in most or&inary contexts# huge in Coetzee's uni%erse of parsimonious affirmation) (1echey !! : B6 ". Michiel 3eyns points out that this narrati%e tra>ectory of attenuation follo's the pattern of trage&y# the primary intertext of 'hich is -e&ipus (3eyns !! ": Lurie ,uotes the final chorus of the &rama on page t'o of the no%el# )call no man happy until he is &ea&). 3eyns links this tragic ine%ita$ility to 2ing Lear an& to 3ar&y's Ju&e the -$scure. (J" (t is also clear that this is something of a linguistic exercise# for Lurie no' must em$race the imperfect partiality of life li%e& after the perfecti%e tense. 3a%ing sai& this# 'e shoul& keep in min& that this secular metaphysics is har&ly lacking in &rama/ in&ee&# as ( suggeste& earlier# the narrati%e &rama of shocking present.tense e%ents is the means $y 'hich alterity or otherness is encountere& an& is Coetzee's metho& of &efamiliarisation in this no%el. (n other 'or&s# Coetzee seems to $e re>ecting the classic 9omantic tenet of Lurie's li$eral humanism 'hich is that it is imagination that ena$les the perception of otherness. +his is a criti,ue of Shelley's )+he great secret of morals is lo%e/ or a going out of our o'n nature# an& an i&entification of oursel%es 'ith the $eautiful 'hich exists in thought# action# or person# not our o'n) (Shelley# * Defense of 1oetry 4654: 47". (6" Coetzee is suggesting# ( think# that imaginati%e sympathy or empathy is not enough in itself# that otherness 'ill often in%ol%e %iolent confrontation. +he theorist 'ho perhaps has most to say a$out this is 0mmanuel Le%inas# particularly in -ther'ise than =eing# 'here he &escri$es the irre&uci$ility of the alterity of another person that interrupts the self# a &i%ine moment of face.to.face transcen&ence (Le%inas 4555: 468". +his might explain the pathos of the en&ing of the no%el 'here the )face of Co&) that confronts Lurie is a )%ast circulatory system to 'hose 'orking pity an& terror are irrele%ant)/ the karmic &estiny of the Dionysian sensualist an& egotist is to lo%e &ying &ogs an& $ecome like Lucy )rolle& roun& in earth's &iurnal course# 'ith rocks an& stones an& trees). So if 9omanticism is the central intertext in the no%el# it is an intertext that is strippe& of Dionysianism an& any rose.coloure& gloss in or&er for it to $e meaningful 'ithin South *frica's context. 3ence Lurie is a$le to fin& some kin& of grace through looking after &ea& &ogs# through $eing concerne& 'ith the marginalise&# 'hich is 'hy in his ne' opera it is +eresa# the >ilte& lo%er of =yron# 'ho comes to $e the main character (Coetzee !! a: 46 # 467". +his mo%ement of emphasis from the master to the marginal 'as anticipate& in 3enry James's +he *spern 1apers 'hich similarly focuse& on a former lo%er of =yron# Claire Claremont# though it often conflate& her character 'ith +eresa. Moreo%er# the &escent from Cluck as his initial operatic am$ition to the plink plonk of the cham$er $an>o.opera echoes in sonic form his tra>ectory from the $aro,ue filigree of excessi%e 9omanticism to a strippe& minimalism. Lurie claims that he loses Melanie (saacs $ecause he lacks the )lyrical) (p. 4J4"# an& his search for this lyrical takes him through the )masters) (=oito p. 7# )=eetho%en an& Janacek) p. 4JA# Scarlatti's )cat music) p. 48"/ )So much for the poets# so much for the &ea& masters. <ho ha%e not# he must say# gui&e& him 'ell. *liter# to 'hom he has not listene& 'ell) (p. 4J5". 3e re&isco%ers the lyrical# to the extent that he &oes# $y learning from the masters# not $y copying them# $ut rather $y inserting their lessons into his context..hence the plink plonk Cape Coon $an>o in the ,uasi.opera that )consumes) Lurie. <hilst he 'as intent on copying the masters# his opera 'as on )the monotonous track on 'hich it has $een running since the start. (t has $ecome the kin& of 'ork a sleep'alker might 'rite) (p. 47"/ it 'as as though he 'ere &ro'ning out

the %oice of local nature 'ith gran&iose 0urocentric melo&ies. 3is intent has $een am$itious an& e%en egotistical# )it 'oul& ha%e $een nice to $e returne& triumphant to society as the author of an eccentric little cham$er opera) (p. 47"# so he cannot create authentically/ )that is 'hy he must listen to +eresa .... +eresa is past honour) (p. !5". @o' he has create& a soun&track 'ith 'hich )the &og is fascinate&) (p. 48" an& nearly ho'ls in tune to. So creati%ity consists in learning from the masters $ut applying their lessons hum$ly an& authentically 'ithin his o'n local context# an argument against the sterilising stasis of canonisation. Fet 'hilst literary fore$ears are ,uestione& $y contrasting them 'ith the local# the local is challenge& $y these masters/ creati%ity lies in the lyrical straining to escape from the local: =ut he 'as 'rong. (t is not the erotic that is calling to him after all# nor the elegiac# $ut the comic. 3e is in the opera neither as +eresa nor as =yron nor e%en as some $len&ing of the t'o: he is hel& in the music itself# in the flat# tinny slap of the $an>o strings# the %oice that strains to soar a'ay from the lu&icrous instrument $ut is continually reine& $ack# like a fish on a line. So this is art# he thinks# an& this is ho' it &oes its 'orkN 3o' strangeN 3o' fascinatingN (Coetzee !!!a: 467.468" +hrough >ust such a creati%e utilisation of intertextuality 'ithin the local &oes Disgrace attempt to resist or e%a&e $eing )reine& $ack). Lurie is no' something of a hierophant# a me&iator $et'een life an& &eath# he con&ucts the rea&er to the isle of the &ea& past the &og Cer$erus 'here they fin& their o'n role 'ithin history an& are a$le to imagine a ne' role for themsel%es. So ( think that 'hat 'e ha%e in the no%el is an affectionate &econstruction of <estern culture# a &econstruction of the earlier 9omantic effort to oppose the instrumental rationality of Mo&ernity in the interests of an effort to resist similar instrumentalism in the latest instalment of glo$alising capitalism 'ithin the postcolony. +his helps to explain the resonances that the no%el has ha& for those outsi&e of South *frica. <hat 'e seem to $e looking at in Disgrace is a complexly metafictional no%el that suggests that not only is creati%ity a partial an& hum$ling process# $ut that creati%ity cannot occur 'ithin a %acuum an& so re,uires the careful selection an& use of past texts in or&er to inform an& %i%ify the present. 3o'e%er# many of the intertexts a%aila$le for use in the creati%e process are partially inappropriate to contemporary contexts# not least South *frican# to the extent that they are imperial# sensationalist# apocalyptic an&Kor eschatological# an& 'ill nee& to $e carefully re'ritten. <hat is the %alue of this partial# temperate# mo&erate narrati%e that inclu&es a plenitu&e of intertexts an& is continually mo&ifying its tra>ectory? <hat is the %alency of a postmo&ern postcolonialism? (s Coetzee merely constructing the rea&er as a highly e&ucate& sniffer.out of intertextual sophistications# expecting that the rea&er $e highly enculturate&? -r is Coetzee# in constructing this narrati%e chain of pro%ocations# in%iting a realist rea&ing of Disgrace# an&# if so# &i& he 'ant to achie%e the canonisation of the text as the authoritati%e commentary on South *frica that has in fact occurre&# or 'as he merely attempting to prompt &e$ate a$out the issues of

gen&er# sexuality# %iolence# restitution# >ustice 'ithin the post.colony? My feeling is that 'e coul& certainly accuse him of these moti%es# $ut such a rea&ing coul& learn much from the &iminutions of mastery that Lurie's hum$ling tra>ectory em$o&ies. :irstly# the mo&erate elements of the text are of %alue in an instrumentalist 'orl&Kcontext for they ten& to pre%ent extremism. (n&ee&# the instrumentalism of the rea&er is challenge& in such a text. Coetzee has pointe& out that empiricist mimesis is not only the cultural phenomenon accompanying <estern imperialism# $ut is also inherently imperialist# as suggeste& $y its links to &esire. (5" Coetzee's fiction consists of the attempt to create a 'ay to speak an& 'rite 'ithout the &ynamic of ri%alry an& the mimetic %iolence of &esire. 3ence his fiction is of the <est# $ut a$out *frica# pre%enting the esta$lishment of a simplistic ri%alry $et'een the t'o an& challenging the rea&er. Secon&ly# a highly intertextual text of this sort is all.em$racing# non. exclusionary/ if 'e &o not grant a text its full scope# 'e are &oing it a &isser%ice. +hir&ly# Coetzee has no truck 'ith false consolations# &oes not 'aste time 'ith rationalisations. +hat Lurie is not a$le to sustain his 9omantic i&eals# partly $ecause %arious realities %iolently haul him out of them# suggests that solipsistic i&ealisms cannot last an& are inappropriate. +his is an argument against canonisation. (t may also $e an argument against putting one's faith in any single text# mo%ement or i&eal. :inally# Coetzee's intertextuality appears to $e particularly historical an& political# perhaps suggesting that postcolonial intertextuality is more engage than its postmo&ern analogue# esche'ing a self.reflexi%ity that $ecomes a mise.en.a$yme. +he ,uestion of 'hat such a &egree of metafictional intertextuality means in *frica is tackle& $y Coetzee in a chapter entitle& )+he @o%el in *frica) in 0liza$eth Costello 'here the eponymous 'hite *ustralian 'riter is at o&&s 'ith the *frican 'riter 0mmanuel 0gu&u# partly $ecause they 'ere once in $e& together. 1erhaps unsurprisingly# this &e$ate is not only sexual# not only a$out po'er# $ut is also a &e$ate a$out the %alency of 'riting# $et'een an essentialK%isceral un&erstan&ing of *frican 'riting as oral an& tra&itional an& Costello's Derri&ean un&erstan&ing of 'riting as play# a play of &ifference. +his &e$ate is not sol%e& $y Coetzee# for 0gu&u's emphasis upon physical authenticity has a point# as &oes Costello's argument that this authenticity is often merely the repackaging of *frica as a consuma$le primal exotic for <estern au&iences to&ay. (t seems that neither a <estern au&ience 'anting exoticism nor an *frican au&ience 'anting authenticity &esires a highly intertextual or postmo&ern *frican fiction. @e%ertheless# this is 'hat au&iences recei%e in Disgrace# though it is a peculiarly postcolonial %ersion of intertextuality that is on offer# a %ersion that Michael Marais &escri$es as ha%ing )a 'ell.&efine& metafictional &imension that articulates the text's intention to engage affecti%ely 'ith history) (Marais !!!: 4JJ". Marais# an& ( support him in this# is suggesting that postcolonial metafiction ten&s to $e more politically engage& than many <estern postmo&ernisms# $ut it also allo's for more &istance $et'een the author an& society than most nationalisms or realisms allo' for# argua$ly e%en reinforcing a mo&ernist split $et'een artist an& au&ience. @e%ertheless# there are historicalKappropriateness limits to intertextuality/ in relation to South *frica an& South *frican literature Coetzee's focus on 9omanticism in Disgrace is appropriate an& canny gi%en the political an& pe&agogical heritage of the country an& Coetzee's a$ility to use a reformatte& 9omanticism to un&erstan& an& re&efine the present. Still# ( &o think that intertextuality often 'orks in a chaotic 'ay for 'riters/ there are often happenstance an& syncretic connections $et'een hugely &isparate timesKplacesKthingsKi&eas/ )(f it 'orks# make the links) is# ( suspect# ho' most artists 'ork in relation to intertextuality# an& ( think that critics ha%e little right to $e critical a$out this unless

they ha%e $etter (richer# more fruitful" connections to suggest. (ntertextuality# 2riste%a's notion of textual inter&epen&ence# 'as an ackno'le&gment that texts &o not merely allu&e to other texts $ut are profoun&ly &epen&ent upon them/ that the present or the self is a mosaic of the past an& of others respecti%ely. 2riste%a a&%ances the notion that intertextuality )in%ol%es an altering of the thetic position..the &estruction of the ol& position an& the formation of a ne' one) (2riste%a 456A: 444". 3o'e%er# the pro$lem 'ith this notion is that it &oes not aesthetically or other'ise &ifferentiate $et'een uses of intertextuality that are merely ne'# in the sense that e%ery pro&uction is ne'# an& those that appear to pro%i&e a strikingly ne' %antage/ an originality that pro%i&es &efamiliarising affect or a ne' mo&e of thought or analysis or seems to $e seminal or sum up something of the Meitgeist. (n the less interesting forms of postmo&emism# for instance# intertextuality results in pastiche or paro&y# 'ithout a ne' %antage point $eing attaine&. ( think that Coetzee pro%i&es us 'ith a po'erful form of postmo&ernKpostcolonial intertextuality 'ithin 'hich carefully selecte& texts an& contexts are su$>ecte& to such a sustaine& criti,ue that they yiel& something ne' that re&efines its constituent parts in a proacti%e fashion. (n&ee&# the postcolony can rein%igorate the 'orl&'s texts# $ut like'ise those texts can also pro%i&e some harsh lessons for the postcolony to learn# particularly in relationship to intransigent instrumentalist i&eologies. (n conclusion# ( 'oul& a&& that it is the realisation that king&oms come an& go that is the profoun&est lesson at the heart of postcolonialism/ Coetzee transmutates this realisation into a ne' art $y utilising the art of lost empires in a ne' 'ay. <hat is that 'ay? +hat 'ay is a ne' multiplicity..a plenitu&e of po'erfully resonant intertexts are utilise& to'ar&s the en& of mo%ing us a'ay from singularity an& to'ar&s multiplicity. (s intertextuality a metaphor for hy$ri& cosmopolitanism? (f so# Coetzee sho's ho' a careful use of intertextuality pro&uces a hy$ri&ity that is free of the $lan&ishments all too often a&hering to cosmopolitanism. Coetzee's intertextuality is a re%isionist an& &iscretionary one 'hich is sanguine a$out the limitations of texts an& of in&i%i&ual agency# $ut is ne%ertheless a$le to create. (t seems# then# that the imagination an& the nation are likely to $e some'hat oppose&# perhaps e%en in perpetuity. 9eferences =latchfor&# Matthe' !!B * Coo& =ook..=urn (t. Mail ; Cuar&ian# 7 -cto$er# p. 7. =oehmer# 0lleke !! @ot Saying Sorry# @ot Speaking 1ain: Cen&er (mplications in Disgrace. (nter%entions 7(B": B7 .B84. Christensen# *nna 4555 Denial of 3umanity. :inancial Mail 4J Decem$er# p. 85. Coetzee# J.M. 4566 <hite <riting: -n the Culture of Letters in South *frica. @e' 3a%en: Fale Ini%ersity 1ress. 455A 0rasmus: Ma&ness an& 9i%alry. Ci%ing -ffense: 0ssays on Censorship. Chicago: Ini%ersity of Chicago 1ress# pp. 6B.4!B. !!!a Disgrace. Lon&on: Hintage. !!!$ +he Li%es of *nimals. Lon&on: 1rofile# pp. 76.75.

!!B 0liza$eth Costello. Lon&on: Secker ; <ar$urg. Corn'ell# Careth 4555 +he 9eco%ery of Crace. 0nglish *ca&emy 9e%ie' 4A: 76. 87. Cu&&on J.*. (e&." 4556 +he 1enguin Dictionary of Literary +erms an& Literary +heory. Lon&on: 1enguin. Dante# *lighieri 456! (nferno# translate& $y *llen Man&el$aum. @e' Fork: =antam. 0agleton# Mary !!4 0thical 9ea&ing: +he 1ro$lem of *lice <alker's )*&%ancing Luna..an& (&a =. <ells) an& J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace. :eminist +heory ( ": 465. !B. :arre&# Crant !! +he Mun&anacity of Hiolence: Li%ing in a State of Disgrace. (nter%entions 7(B": B8 .BA . :oucault# Michel 45J6 +he 3istory of Sexuality# translate& $y 9o$ert 3urley. Lon&on: 1enguin. Coethe# Johann <olfgang %on 457B :aust: 1art # e&ite& $y 3.C. :ie&ler. -xfor&: =lack'ell. 3eyns# Michiel !! )Call @o Man 3appy): 1er%ersity as @arrati%e 1rinciple in Disgrace. 0nglish Stu&ies in *frica 78(4": 8J.A8. 2afka# :rans 45J8 +he +rial# translate& $y <illa ; 0&'in Muir. 3armon&s'orth: 1enguin. 2riste%a# Julia 456A 9e%olution in 1oetic Language. (n: +he 2riste%a 9ea&er# e&ite& $y +oril Moi. -xfor&: =lack'ell# pp. 65.4BA. Le%inas# 0mmanuel 4555 -ther'ise than =eing# or $eyon& 0ssence# translate& $y *. Lingis. 1itts$urgh: Du,uesne Ini%ersity 1ress. McDonal&# 1eter !! Disgrace 0ffects. (nter%entions 7(B": B 4.BB!. Marais# Michael !!! Little 0nough# Less than Little: @othing: 0thics# 0ngagement# an& Change in the :iction of J.M. Coetzee. Mo&ern :iction Stu&ies 7A(4": 485.46 . 1echey# Craham !! Coetzee's 1urgatorial *frica. (nter%entions 7(B": BJ7.B6B. San&ers# Mark !! Disgrace. (nter%entions 7(B": BAB.BJB. Sennett# 9ichar& !!4 Street an& -ffice: +'o Sources of (&entity. (n: 3utton# <ill ; Ci&&ens# *nthony (e&s" -n the 0&ge: Li%ing 'ith Clo$al Capitalism. Lon&on: Hintage# pp. J8.45!. Shelley# 1ercy =ysshe 4654 * Defense of 1oetry# e&ite& $y *l$ert Cook. =oston: Cinn.

Smith# *.J. 45J! John Donne: +he Complete 0nglish 1oems. Lon&on: 1enguin# pp. B5!.B5B. Holcker# 1aul *. !!4 +he Sea of Clo$al :inance. (n: 3utton# <ill ; Ci&&ens# *nthony (e&s" -n the 0&ge: Li%ing 'ith Clo$al Capitalism. Lon&on: Hintage# pp. J8. 68. <illiams# Michael !!7 )Most of the Men =eing *lrea&y *&ulterate&): =yron an& Coetzee. 1aper &eli%ere& at the *I0+S* Conference !!7# p. 6. <or&s'orth# <illiam 45A5 * Slum$er Di& My Spirit Steal: 1oems of the (magination G4. 1oetical <orks# e&ite& $y +homas 3utchinson. Lon&on: -xfor& Ini%ersity 1ress# p. 475. Feats# <. =. 456 Sailing to =yzantium. Collecte& 1oems. Lon&on: Macmillan. (4" * num$er of re%ie'ers ha%e $een in&ispose& to'ar&s Disgrace# in some cases %irulently so. See =latchfor& !!B: 7/ Christensen 4555: 85/ Corn'all 4555: 76. 86. :or more su$stantial re%ie's 'hich ha%e rea& Disgrace sociologically# or ha%e consi&ere& sociological criti,ues at length# see for instance :arte& !! : B8 .BA / McDonal& !! : B 4.BB!/ 0agleton !!4: 465. !B. ( ." +here is a su$stantial literature on ho' certain management i&eologies ha%e come to $e glo$ally per%asi%e in glo$al capitalism. Holcker points out ho' per%asi%e management styles an& i&eas ha%e $ecome: )D+Ehe economic logic of li%ing in a 'orl& of glo$al capital markets is to ha%e much more integration.... +he o$%ious counterpoint is a gro'ing lack of autonomy in economic management# easily percei%e& as an affront to so%ereignty) (Holcker !!4: 6 ". +he per%asi%e macroeconomic policy of market laissez faire is parallelle& $y )&eregulation) of the 'orkplace# 'hich )amounts to a regime of in&ifference ... the employee la$ours in a %acuum ... D'hichE puts serious o$stacles in the 'ay of &eri%ing an i&entity from 'ork) (Sennett !!4: 46J". Sennett goes on to argue that DtEhere is a regime of po'er operating on the principle of in&ifference to those in its grip# a regime seeking to e%a&e# in the 'orkplace# $eing hel& accounta$le for its acts. +he essence of the politics of glo$alisation is fin&ing 'ays to hol& this regime of in&ifference to account. (f 'e fail in this political effort# 'e 'ill suffer a profoun& personal 'oun&. (Sennett !!4: 45!" (t seems to me that Coetzee's no%el &emonstrates this regime of in&ifference in the 'orkplace that &eri%es from glo$alisation an& that his no%el seeks to hol& this regime to account in a highly political manner.

(B." ( use the term )'omanist) as oppose& to )feminist) here to signal Coetzee's suggestion that )the ne' South *frica) has often ten&e& to $ecome some'hat politically correct an& essentialist in its &etermination to oppose exploitation. (7." *.J. Smith's commentary on the poem is particularly enlightening# pointing out that Donne coul& ha%e $een 'riting to Lucy# Countess of =e&for& (Smith 45J!: B5!. B5B". (8." Craham 1echey's comments on Coetzee's use of Dante are particularly illuminating. (A." San&ers points out that the perfecti%e tense is use& extensi%ely in Disgrace# suggesting a som$re sense of an unchangea$le past. (J." 3eyns points out that )(tEhe &ogs are $rought to the clinic $ecause they are un'ante&: $ecause 'e are too menny) (p. 47A" is a ,uote from Ju&e the -$scure highlighting the importance of the sympathetic imagination in Lurie's compassion for the a$an&one& &ogs (3eyns !! :A4". (6." 0liza$eth Costello mimes %ery similar i&eas in +he Li%es of *nimals (Coetzee !!!$: 76.75". (5." Coetzee &eri%es his analysis from the Cirar&ian schema of mimetic %iolence: )&esire is mimetic..that is to say# it seeks mo&els for itself' (Coetzee 455A: 5 ". Desire is insufficiency to itself# it is generate& from a sense of lack or a$sence or incompletion# an& seeks to era&icate that sense or feeling 'ith fullness# fulfilment# 'hich are primarily &eri%e& from ackno'le&gement. (n a %ery $asic sense# ( only kno' myself to $e present 'ithin the context of others# an& ( particularly feel myself present# sense my o'n $eing# 'hen ackno'le&ge& $y others in some 'ay. +he means $y 'hich &esire slakes itself is $y copying fullness# $y copying that mo&e of $eing 'hich others recognise an& ackno'le&ge# 'hich explains the self.repro&uction of society# socialisation# an& 'hich is em$o&ie& in the commonplace phrase )monkey see# monkey &o). +his mimesis 'ithin &esire# this &esire to ape# takes on a more sinister cast 'hen 'e consi&er the implications of copying 'hat it is that others see# &esire# copy# ackno'le&ge# for as soon as the &esira$le is me&iate& $y an other# then a relationship of ri%alry is esta$lishe&# an -e&ipal economy that cannot $ut lea& to conflict an& %iolence. *s Coetzee notes# )&esire &oes not in%ol%e only a &esiring su$>ect an& a &esire& o$>ect: the o$>ect ac,uires its &esira$le %alue through the me&iating glance of an -ther 'hose &esire ser%es as a mo&el for the su$>ect's imitation) (Coetzee 455A: 54". +his economy of ri%alry 'ithin &esire can $e linke& $ack to the sociohistorical# in this case the rise of imperial mo&ernity an& capitalism# %ia another cliche& phrase: )the la' of the >ungle)# a la' 'hich &epen&s upon an economy of scarcity# lack# an& hence conflict. Desire lea&s to mimesis# 'hich in turn lea&s to a mounting cycle of ri%alrous %iolence# 'hich in turn spirals into the erasure of &ifference# for it is the loss of &ifference that causes ri%alry/ it is al'ays the similar# the t'inne&# 'ho fight har&est: )the appearance of &ou$les is a sign that the mimetic process has $een carrie& to its ultimate reaches) (Coetzee 455A: 5 ". 3ence the peculiarly pi,uant irony of realism in *frica: in its &esire to escape the hegemonic an& o$literating gaze of the <est an& to esta$lish a presence of &ifference# it imitates that

ri%alry an& erases its &ifference. <e ha%e here a strange an& monstrous t'inning 'here$y *usten# Dickens an& 3ar&y are mirrore& $y @gugi# (yayi an& *che$e.