Theme and protest in the South African post-apartheid novel: a case study of the writings of three black South African novelists
This study analyses a selected cohort of black South African novelists" depiction of the real burning issues of the post-Apartheid South Africa. The ideas that the study is concerned with in the novel under study, are based on the aspect of theme and how it is utilised by the respective authors to address the social, economic and political issues in the post-Apartheid South Africa. The study is an investigation of the extent to which black South African novelists have depicted the aforementioned issues. The research highlights those issues that the novels under study addressed and continues by revealing how the authors depict these issues in their texts. Moreover, the study concludes that literature has a role to play in the society and recommends that it should be reliable and useful to the society. It further recommends that literature should not ignore societal issues and should be corrective in its approach. The study is comprised of six chapters: Chapter One functions as an introduction to the study. It provides information on the aims and objectives of the study, the background information on the novels under study and South African literature itself. The chapter also outlines the method and the theories, which will be used in the study. It concludes by addressing the significance of the study. Chapter Two provides a detailed analysis of the theories, which will be used in the study. This includes the Marxism and Realism theory, Afrocentric theory and the Feminist Literary theory. It also defines the concept of theme and outlines its characteristics. It discusses post-colonial literature and its development in Africa. The chapter will conclude with a disclosure of the role of theme and of the author in the African novel. Chapter Three addresses the depiction of burning issues in Mpe"s novel "Welcome to Our Hillbrow". It discusses the real post-colonial challenges confronting the society during the post-Apartheid South Africa. It determines whether the novel under study adequately addresses these issues. ...
