Splice of Life: Manipulations of the “Real” in South African English Literary Culture

Abstract

This essay employs the idea of a “splice” to look at ways in which South African writing in English has historically participated in a narrative move in which the category of the “real” is manipulated to lay claim to a greater purchase on authenticity of statement. The essay suggests that both fiction which poses as “more truthful” than confabulated nonfiction as well as nonfiction which pretends to be superior to fiction are playing a similar game. This game is seen as the desire to overcome a scene of near-impossible heterogeneity by laying claim to a more singular truth and a more manageable mode of truth-telling.

Opsomming
Hierdie essay gebruik die idee van 'n splitsing om na die wyses te kyk waarop Suid-Afrikaanse skryfwerk in Engels histories deelgeneem het aan 'n narratiewe skuif waarin die kategorie van die “werklike” gemanipuleer word om 'n groter aanspraak te maak op geloofwaardigheid. Die essay suggereer dat fiksie, wat sig voordoen as meer waarheidsgetrou as nie-fiksie, sowel as nie-fiksie wat voorgee om verhewe te wees bo fiksie, dieselfde spel speel. Hierdie spel word gesien as die begeerte om 'n toneel van bykans onmoontlike heterogeniteit te oorkom deur aanspraak te maak op 'n meer sonderlinge waarheid asook 'n meer hanteerbare wyse van waarheidsvertelling.