Artefaktuele geheue in Alastair Bruce se postapokaliptiese roman Wall ofDC!Js
Abstract
In this article I analyse Alastair Bruce's novel Wall of Days (2010) within the framework of post-apocalyptic fiction. An overview is given of the development of post-apocalyptic fiction as a subgenre of science fiction and dystopian literature. These genres are generally considered to be genres of estrangement. I argue that recent post-apocalyptic fiction is characterised by a unique strategy of estrangement: in the post-apocalyptic spaces ordinary contemporary items are portrayed as archaeological artefacts. I link my discussion to a relatively new development in the field of archaeology: the archaeology of the contemporary past. In the archaeology of the contemporary past, new meaning is given to everyday items by categorising and analysing them using archaeological methods. I furthennore explore how material culture and the archaeological process in general relate to issues surrounding memory and identity. I then discuss the function of artefactual memory and the archaeology of the contemporary past in the post-apocalyptic novel Wall of Days.
Opsomming
In hierdie artikel bespreek ek Alastair Bruce se roman Wall of Days (2010) binne die raamwerk van post-apokaliptiese fiksie. 'n Historiese oorsig word gegee van die ontwikkeling van post-apokaliptiese fiksie as 'n subgenre van wetenskapsfiksie en distopiese literatuur. Wetenskapsfiksie en distopiese literatuur word tradisioneel beskou as fiksies van vervreemding. Ek voer aan dat 'n nuwe strategie van vervreemding toegepas word in onlangse post-apokaliptiese fiksie: in die postapokaliptiese ruimtes word hedendaagse gebruiksartikels uitgebeeld as argeologiese artefakte. Hierdeur kan die voorstellings verbind word aan 'n relatief nuwe ontwikkeling binne die veld van argeologie: die argeologie van die kontemporere verlede. In die argeologie van die kontemporere verlede word nuwe betekenis aan alledaagse items geheg deur argeologiese metodes te gebruik om hulle te klassifiseer en analiseer. Ek kyk verder hoe die argeologiese uitgrawingsproses oor die algemeen gekoppel kan word aan kwessies rondom geheue en identiteit. Laastens ondersoek ek die funksie van artefaktuele geheue en die argeologie van die kontemporere vertede in die post-apokaliptiese roman Wall of Days.
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Copyright (c) 2014 Joan-Mari Barendse
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