Magic Realism in Zakes Mda's Ways of Dying (1995) and She Plays

337 Pages·2013·5.65 MB·English

Magic Realism in Zakes Mda's
Ways ofD ying (1995) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995)
by
Venugopaul Naidoo
Submitted in accordance with the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF LITERATURE
in the Centre for the study of South African Literature
and Languages (CSSALL)
UNIVERSITY OF DURBAN-WESTVILLE
Promoter: Professor A.J. van Wyk
December 1998
DECLARATION
I declare that this thesis, apart from the quotations acknowledged within it, is my .
own investigation and research. It has not been submitted previously in part or in
full for any other degree or to any other university .
•
Venugopaul Naidoo
................... December 1998.
ii
ABSTRACT
I shall argue in this thesis that Zakes Mda's novels Ways ofD ying (l995a) and She
Plays with the Darkness (1995b) are magic realist texts that are representative of
the hybrid nature of this literary mode. Furthermore I shall demonstrate that Ways
of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b) share common
elements with a variety of magic realist texts. Mda's own creative and literary
consciousness has been shaped by an intellectual background stemming from
tertiary education at Ph.D level, his teaching positions at various international
universities, and his knowledge of Africah folk-culture. The seemingly contesting
streams of Western education and African mysticism are not presented as sources
of conflict in Mda's novels, but rather as syncretic forces of potential
transformative power. Mda displays in his project as a novelist, the continuing
concerns of black writers who saw the novel as a tool for socio-political change.
My thesis therefore also investigates the extent to which Mda's use of magic
realism in the novels mentioned above, signals a radical shift in literary
representation by South African black writers who wrote in English.
Mda's novels transcend Black Consciousness-inspired protest that
characterised black literature in the 1970's and 1980's. His use of tropes
associated with magic realism, African folk-culture, the apocalyptic and
carnivalesque has enabled him to create a discursive space for South African black
writers on the international stage, and foregrounds a movement towards literature
iii
that offers opposition to being classified as merely ''black writing". The death of
the old order in South Afiica and the birth of a new one, invites questioning and
analysis of the position of the self during a period of cataclysmic change. That the
apocalypse brings with it both death and renewal could be seen within the context
of postm odernist visions of the erosion of the selfand death as the ultimate reality.
Mda's novels, Ways of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b),
are the first English narratives by a South Afiican black author that can claim
affinities with postcolonial writers such as Carpentier, Marquez, Okri and Rushdie.
These writers reflect in their narratives, the infinite possibilities of magic realism in
reclaiming the self submerged by the colonial experience.
I shall attempt, in Chapter One, a survey of specific theoretical assumptions
relevant to magic realism. Chapter Two will provide biographical details of Zakes
Mda the playwright, poet, theatre practitioner, film producer and novelist and the
importance of magic realism in his writings. Chapter Three is an analysis of Mda's
published plays and points to the early uses of elements consistent with magic
realism in his work. Chapters Four and Five are investigations into Mda's use of
magic realism in Ways of Dying (1995) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995),
respectively.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to the Centre for Science Development for their generous grant for this
research. Opinions expressed in this thesis and conclusions arrived at are those of the
author and are not to be attributed to the Centre for Science Development. The financial
assistance of University of Durban-Westville Research Committee is also acknowledged.
I am indebted to the following people for their assistance:
Professor AJ. van Wyk of the Centre for the Study of South African Literature
and Languages (CSSALL) for being a constant source of inspiration and for his deep sense
of commitment to the supervision of this thesis.
Zakes Mda for his support, for making time in his busy schedule to answer my
queries, and the interview published in Alternation 1997 NO. 4: l. Mda was also generous
with his C. V. and an autobiographical chapter.
Members of family, in particular my parents and my wife's parents, for their
constant support. My wife, Pushpa Rani, and my children, Darrin and Nerissa, for their
tolerance and patience and willingness to assist whenever they were called upon to do so.
Librarians at universities, municipal libraries and special libraries for their
expertise.
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Chapter One: Theoretical Assumptions 33
Introduction 33
Towards a definition of magic realism 35
Magic realism: a historical survey 53
Bakhtin and grotesque realism 68
Chapter Two: Biography 74
Chapter Three: Elements of magic realism in Mda's plays 101
Chapter Four: Magic realism in Ways ofD ying (1995a) 141
Reality and magic realism 145
Narrative voice 150
Odysseys 160
Ghosts, spirits and the supernatural 164
Incest and Oedipal conflicts 169
Madonnas and whores 174
Images of the carnivalesque 180
Images of the apocalypse 190
Images of the transition 196
Dreams and magic realism 211
Sex and magic 215
Chapter Five: Magic realism in She plays with the Darkness (1995b) 234
African folklore and magic realism 237
Historical realities vs magic realism 251
The absent patriarch 259
Twins 264
Time 267
Mansions 275
Silence and solitude 280
Wars, civil strife and political uncertainties 296
Conclusion 302
Select bibliography 307
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This thesis is dedicated to:
my parents for their lessons in perseverance
my wife's parentsfor instilling in me the power ofb elief
my children, Darrin and Nerissa, for being my anchors in reality
and most of all my wife, Pushpa Rani,
for the magic of her love. ..
1
INTRODUCTION
The tenn magic realism is an oxymoron that suggests the co-existence of two
contradictory elements, the supernatural and realism in a text. The tenn was coined
by the Gennan art critic, Franz Roh, who in an essay written in 1925, praises its
use in Post-Expressionist paintings. Since Roh's initial fonnulation, however, the
term has undergone various revisions, especially with regard to its use in literature
and literary criticism. Our concern here is with the literary application of magic
realism, rather than its use in paintings.
Magic realism is now commonly regarded as an international literary
phenomenon. Latin American writers such as Aljeo Carpentier, Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende and Mario Vargas Llosa, have promoted
magic realism as a popular international literary mode. Carpentier's EI reino de
este mundo (The Kingdom of the World, 1949), and Marquez's Cien anos de
soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude), first published in 1967, are regarded as
"canonical texts of this mode" (Angulo 1995:xi). Writing during the "boom
period" in the late Fifties and the Sixties, Latin American writers have drawn
attention to magic realism as a literary movement best suited for depicting the
stories of people in '1hird world" communities. Contemporary postcolonial writers
in English, such as Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, and Vikram Chandra have also
found in magic realism a mode most favourable for expressing the realities of their
particular societies. As Boehmer puts it, ''Drawing on the special effects of magic
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realism, postcolonial writers in English are able to express their view of a world
fissured, distorted, and made incredible by cultural displacement" (1995:4). Even
writers such as Gunter Grass, Toni Morrison, Milan Kundera, D.M. Thomas and
Angela Carter who do not write from a typical Third World context, have used
magic realism in their texts. These writers have chosen to situate the characters in
their stories on the margins of society, thereby demonstrating affinities with the
marginalised people in Third World locations.
In Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni (Zakes) Mda's novels, Ways of Dying
(1995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b), the protagonists are depicted as
being located on the peripheries of their respective societies. These protagonists
are constructed as characters who are empowered through their association with
the supernatural to decode the historical realities of their times.
Mda's novels, Ways of Dying (1995a) and She Plays with the Darkness
(1995b), signal a radical shift in literary representation in English by South African
black writers. Mda has used magic realism extensively in his novels to construct
alternative visions of reality. Critics and reviewers, however, have not always
recognised this important element in his literary work. Research has revealed that
to date only three reviewers have alluded to the use of magic realism in Mda' s
novels. These are Helen Moffett (1996), Keorapetse Kgositsile (1995) and
Dorothy Driver (1996).
In her review of Ways of Dying (1995a) and She Plays with the Darkness
(1995b) in The Cape Librarian (1996) Moffett applauds Mda's skill as a novelist.
Indeed if Moffett's review is to be accepted unequivocally then Mda's novels,
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mentioned above, cannot be faulted. As academic editor of Oxford University
Press, publishers of Ways of Dying (1995a), one could accuse her of not being a
disinterested commentator on Mda's novels. The validity of Moffett's criticism,
however, is not in contention here. What is pertinent is that she situates both
novels within the context of South African literature and asserts that Mda's novels
certainly mark a potential watershed in South
African writing. They have several innovative
qualities that break new ground in current local
fiction writing. Possibly the most striking of these is
their use of magic realism, usually associated with
Latin American novelists (1996: 14).
Keorapetse Kgositsile, the well known South African poet, in his review of She
Plays with the Darkness (1995b), published in The Sunday Independent (1995),
does not make direct reference to magic realism. Kgositsile's review titled
''History, myth and magic are interwoven to create a palpable world", does make
reference, however, to "magic" in Mda's novels. Kgositsile points out that from
the very first page of She Plays with the Darkness (1995a)
Mda asserts the existence of the world of his
characters as convincingly real. In this world
tradition and custom, myth and legend, the
mysterious, the magical, as well as known historical
events and actual personalities are inextricably
intertwined. Mda renders them all as real, as
palpable as the paper in your hands (1995:22).