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BOOK REVIEW
Disgrace// JM Coetzee
Set in South Africa under the glare of the sun, Coetzee explores the problematic side of human passion from the perspective of Prof. David Lurie. This man, a disgraced lecturer and lover of the English Romantic tradition, proves to have a complex relationship with the women in his life that is far from poetic.
When the attempted seduction of a student lands him jobless and disgraced, the professor seeks refuge from the scandal with his daughter, Lucy, in the South African countryside. His perception of her failed womanhood, and initial criticism of her simple farming life is put to the ultimate test when her property and personhood is ransacked by a trio of intruding local men.
The concept of disgrace which we were introduced to via Lurie is juxtaposed with the difficulty his daughter faces as she navigates this violation. Male and female experience is set against each other from the sensitive perspective of father/ daughter, as one attempts to convince the other with their point of view.
Coetzee merges comedy and tragedy in a way that emulates literature of the greats. There is something Shakespearean about ‘how the mighty fall’, which speaks for the way even the powerful, educated members of society are as subject to human passions as the common man or unwanted animal.
This is a real literature lover, or even literature students text. Subtle references and ideas that literature has harnessed over multiple centuries are constantly raised. Little markers of the authors deserved place within the modern cannon. There is a brilliant running metaphor around animalistic desires, portrayed through the prevalence of dogs, throughout the novel. This forces us to consider the romanticised versions of ourselves we portray to the world. What do they mean, when we are ultimately governed by our animalistic desires?
I suppose it could be said that we seek fulfilment, but more importantly, survival.
