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Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life

Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life. J. M. Coetzee. Historical Context. Wars Boer Wars (First War 1880-1881, Second War 1899-1902 ) Fought between Britain and South African farmers (Boers) Ended with the conversion of the Boer republics into British colonies

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Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life

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  1. Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life J. M. Coetzee

  2. Historical Context • Wars • Boer Wars (First War 1880-1881, Second War 1899-1902 ) • Fought between Britain and South African farmers (Boers) • Ended with the conversion of the Boer republics into British colonies • World War II (1939-1945) – initiated as a result of Hitler invading Poland • Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) vs. Allies (France, Britain, US, Soviet Union) • Cold War (1945-1991) • Between the US and the USSR (Soviet Union aka Russia) • South Africa strongly anti-communist, against Russia • Apartheid (1948 – 1994) • System of racial segregation enforced through legislation by the National Party governments of South Africa • Classified inhabitants into four racial groups ("native", "white", "coloured", and "Asian"), and residential areas were segregated • Religion • Majority Christian (80% Protestant), Roman Catholic 6%, Jewish (~6%)

  3. Political Context • Nationalist Party • Founded in 1915, governed 1948-1994 • Main support from Afrikaner farmers and intellectuals • United Party • Governed 1934-1948 • Support from different members of South African society (English-speakers, Afrikaners, Coloureds)

  4. Racial Distinctions “There are white people and Coloured people and Natives, of whom the Natives are the lowest and most derided.” (pg. 65) • Afrikaner • White South African • Descendents of Dutch, French and German settlers during the 1500’s • Settlers became farmers and intermarried with the natives of that area • This is why white south Africans speak Afrikaans! • Coloured • Colored or mixed raced South African • Original Definition = The colored offspring of the meeting between the Dutch settlers and the natives in that area. • National Party Definition = Anybody who isn’t White or Black • Passage on pg. 61 • Natives • Passage on pg. 61

  5. J. M. Coetzee- Biography • Born Feb. 9, 1940 in Cape Town; oldest of two sons; raised in Cape Town and Worcester • Mother- school teacher, Father- trained as attorney, served during WWII in North Africa and Italy • Studied English and Mathematics at the University of Cape Town • Worked as a computer programmer in England • Earned his Ph.D. in 1968 in English, linguistics, and Germanic languages from the University of Texas in Austin • First started writing in 1969; first novel Dusklands published in 1974

  6. Significant Observations • The ethnicity of the narrator • Usage of the Third Person throughout the book • Mentioning of the narrator’s name only once: “Where’s John?” (pg. 103)

  7. Discussion • Contradictions Beatings Being Normal (pg. 34 -> pg. 38) Being Afrikaner - Class Change/Language (pg. 49, 69/70 -> pg. 125) • Significance of the Sense of Distance (3rd Person) • Relationship with parents (dad – pg. 43 - 44) (mom – pg. 47 – 48)

  8. Group Discussion • Definition of Childhood (Top of pg. 14) • Significance of the Farm (pg. 95 – 97) • Significance of Language: Words/Letter passages (Top of pg. 61, Top of pg. 91, Second to last paragraph on pg. 125)

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