The portrayal of memory, trauma and therapy in post-apartheid south african plays: a study of lara foot newton’s reach! and craig higginson’s dream of the dog

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Background</strong>&nbsp;<strong>of</strong>&nbsp;<strong>the</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Study</strong></p><p>This study explores the manner in which the selected South African playwrights</p><p>deploy the themes of memory, trauma and therapy in their works as a means of</p><p>recounting the traumatic experiences of the apartheid regime, and the effects of these</p><p>experiences on personal, social and political life and relationships in post-apartheid South</p><p>Africa. It is germane to note that the keyword that essentially defines apartheid is</p><p>segregation, segregation of blacks by white folks and foes. Apartheid was a system of</p><p>racial discrimination. According to Mhlauli, End Salani and Rosinah Mokotedi, (2015:</p><p>205) “Apartheid is an almost universally recognized word, defined as “segregation on</p><p>grounds of race. Not only was apartheid a system of racial discrimination, moreover, it</p><p>was also imposed separation or segregation of blacks and whites in the areas of</p><p>government, labour market and residency. It was, thus, pervasive in that it was deeply</p><p>embedded within the economic, social and political structure of the whole country”. The</p><p>apartheid rule which in terms of comparison with colonialism is the most despicable and</p><p>inhuman role that nature abhors, used every means, instruments and structures of the</p><p>society to implement the inordinate segregation of black majority by white minority.</p><p>Accordingly, the resultant consequences of this infamous system is such experience it</p><p>gave birth to: an experience of intolerant, violence, racial prejudice and war-like</p><p>relationships between the blacks and the whites. Therefore, for the blacks, life was nasty,</p><p>brutish and short. For black South Africans as well as white South Africans who survived</p><p>x</p></div><div><p>this era, traumatic memories of this violent and despicable experience is the latent cause</p><p>of their actions and it defines their relationships.</p><p>Consequently, using Lara Foot Newton‟s <em>Reach!</em>&nbsp;and Craig Higginson‟s <em>D</em><em>ream</em>&nbsp;<em>of</em></p><p><em>the</em>&nbsp;<em>Dog,</em>&nbsp;the study investigates the playwright‟s preoccupation with the adverse impact of</p><p>memory and trauma in Post-apartheid South Africa. A critical look into South African</p><p>Literary works reveals that there is a large corpus of critical works aimed at portraying</p><p>the post-apartheid South Africa experiences. For example, researchers like Mekusi,</p><p>Busuyi (2009), Catherine Powell (2010), Clare Stopford (2013), Ibinga Stephane (2007)</p><p>have discussed the Post-apartheid South Africa experiences principally from social,</p><p>political, cultural and historical perspectives. Greg Homann (2009:26) is also of the view</p><p>that the selected plays in this research show “a new confidence in writing plays in which</p><p>the choice of form supports the plot and thematic concerns of the writers. Thus, he</p><p>observes that Foot Newton and Higginson use a realist mode of representation to tell their</p><p>stories”.</p><p>Despite the contributions of these attempts, however, they have not given adequate</p><p>attention to the psychological dimension of post-apartheid experiences that the selected</p><p>plays embody. This study therefore, expands existing approaches by deploying</p><p>psychoanalytical approach to the evaluation of Lara Foot Newton‟s <em>Reach</em>&nbsp;and Craig</p><p>Higginson‟s <em>Dream</em>&nbsp;<em>of</em>&nbsp;<em>the</em>&nbsp;<em>Dog,</em>&nbsp;as examples of Post-apartheid South African plays. This</p><p>research pays attention to the playwrights‟ depiction of interiorities, which entail the</p><p>interplay of conscious and unconscious traumatic memories and the conscious attempts</p></div> <br><p></p>