ENGLISH 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Free Indirect Speech, The Ecstatic, Doris Lessing
23 Jun 2018
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Department
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Doris Lessing: A Sunrise on the Veld
Daughter of an English war veteran, born in Persia, lived in Southern Rhodesia when it was a
colony of the British, social activist, moved to New England to continue writing, won a nobel
prize in 2007 and died in 2013
Global English
Postcolonial – distinct inflections indicate the history of English language and culture being
carried around the world and put to particular social and political use. Refers the historical
period following the collapse of empire, specifically the European empires of the 18th, 19th,
and 20th centuries, of which the British Empire was the most extensive. Also refers to the
critical perspective afforded by writing both fictional and nonfictional that looks back on
imperial culture and examines the relationship between colonizing powers and colonized
peoples
"Veld" = Afrikaans for an open field where animals graze
Afrikaans = a language spoken in southern Africa, derived predominantly from Dutch,
containing influences from a number of European and Asian languages that were mixed
The use of both languages - locates us specifically in a part of southern Africa. The
juxtaposition highlights how both languages & story, belong to a history of African
colonization by Europeans
The story’s tension in Rhodesia and use of Afrikaans creates a tension – local qualities
having global implications
Adolescence and Transformation
Adolescent character is used to explore the theme of transformation and maturation –
classifying the main character as a boy suggests that he has not completed process of
becoming a man, in the process, at a particular spot in life, a turning point perhaps
Story establishes a colonial concept of a personal experience – growing up as a particular
kind of imperial subject
The character functions both as a model of imperial subjectivity (what makes him fit), and as
a personification of empire itself - his transformations, thoughts, the way he is disrupted also
applies to the way British emperor itself as it comes down from heights.
Narcissism of youth
Echo is standing on the side and calling Narcissus but he is not listening and is focused n his
own reflection in the water only.
Freud names “narcissism” as a psychological (self-absorbed perspective) condition and a
historical condition - political value to getting “outside of yourself”
Boy begins entirely in control of his universe, which consists of himself only
First steps on the veld confirm his sense of power over the earth, even as his body
accommodates itself to it. Sense of symbiosis between him and the landscape; they work
together in a way that makes him feel powerful, even immortal
Feet like these – he has in mind that feet are great, narrator shows that he learnt how to walk
from native, by watching them, he learnt from them, wasn’t born with this quality - doesn’t
acknowledge that though
This young boy who has been raised in a colony begins a story in this condition of
narcissism, where his whole world is tightly organized around himself and own experiences,
suggesting that the story is saying that there is some type of political value in learning outside
of yourself and to get outside of a self-absorbed view of the world around you, particularly if
you are a subject like the boy in this story
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Postcolonial distinct inflections indicate the history of english language and culture being carried around the world and put to particular social and political use. Refers the historical period following the collapse of empire, specifically the european empires of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, of which the british empire was the most extensive. Also refers to the critical perspective afforded by writing both fictional and nonfictional that looks back on imperial culture and examines the relationship between colonizing powers and colonized peoples. veld = afrikaans for an open field where animals graze. Afrikaans = a language spoken in southern africa, derived predominantly from dutch, containing influences from a number of european and asian languages that were mixed. The use of both languages - locates us specifically in a part of southern africa. The juxtaposition highlights how both languages & story, belong to a history of african colonization by europeans.
