'You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town' by Zoë Wicomb: Decoding Democratic Discourse: Examining Authority and Gender Perspectives
Abstract
This essay explores the complex literary analysis of Zoë Wicomb's widely read book "You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town,” paying particular attention to how the story undermines authority and gender norms. Employing a qualitative approach founded in literary criticism, the study dives into the intricate layers of Wicomb's work, giving light on the character dynamics, socio-political circumstances, and power structures woven into the fabric of the tale.
The process entails a thorough analysis of the novel's major themes, character relationships, and symbolic components. Using a close reading and contextual analysis, the study aims to interpret the democratic discourse in Wicomb's literary works.
Full Text:
'You Can't Get Lost in Cape TownReferences
Barthes, R. (1953). Le degré zéro de l’écriture, Points.
https://acikders.ankara.edu.tr/pluginfile.php/208776/mod_resource/content/1/La%20po%C3%A9tique%20du%20texte.pdf4
Breytenbach, B. (1998). Return to Paradise. Harvill Press.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/575627.Return_to_Paradise
Breysse, S. (2006). La publication en Afrique du Sud après la fin de l’apartheid. Politique Africaine, 103(3), pp.5-26
https://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2006-3-page-5.htm
Brink, A. (1986). Relevance. Jonathan Cape.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/brink-andre
Cixous, H. (1975). The laugh of the Medusa, Signs, 1(4), p875-896.
Coetzee, J. M. (2003). Nobel Prize in Literature 2003. NobelPrize.org
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/coetzee-j-m-9-february-1940
Gordimer, N. (1979). The Essential Gesture – Writing, Politics and Places. Cape Town: David Philip. https://bit.ly/3hcygYx
Gordimer, N. (1986). Relevance. London: Jonathan Cape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer
Hambidge, J. (2017). The Uncompromising Zoë Wicomb, Culture.
https://africasacountry.com/2017/03/the-uncompromising-zoe-wicomb/
Head, B. (1971). Maru. Heinemann.
http://www.buriedinprint.com/a-celebration-of-bessie-head-maru-1971/
https://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2012/04/16-maru-by-bessie-head.html
Head, B. (1973). A Question of Power. Oxford: Heinemann.
https://bit.ly/3tKWdUf
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/371397.A_Question_of_Power
Head, B. (1977). The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales. Oxford: Heinemann. https://bit.ly/3B5My0s
Head, B. (1987). When Rain Clouds Gather. New York: Simon & Shuster. https://bit.ly/3B4tnsV
Head, B. (1990). A Woman Alone: Autobiographical Writings. Mackenzie, C. ed. Oxford: Heinemann. https://bit.ly/3KQgU1w
Homer, The Odyssey.
(https://windhamcampbell.org/festival/2013/recipients/wicomb-zo%C3%AB) (https://www.jstor.org/stable/26420591)
Mandela, N. (1994). Inauguration Speech, Union Buildings, Pretoria
https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Inaugural_Speech_17984.html https://tpy.nelsonmandela.org/pages/part-i-democratic-breakthrough/setting-the-agenda/inauguration
Ndebele, N. S. (1986). The Rediscovery of the Ordinary: Some New Writings in South Africa, Journal of Southern African Studies. 12(2), p143-157.
https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=191392006
https://www.njabulondebele.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Rediscovery_of_the_Ordinary.pdf
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2636740
Ndebele, N. (1986). Rediscovery of the Ordinary: Essays on South African literature and culture. Ravan Press. https://bit.ly/3sN4S4S https://bit.ly/3JJhWzD
Ndebele, N. S. (1991). South African Literature and Culture. Rediscovery of the Ordinary. Johannesburg: Creda Press. https://bit.ly/3ssCzXp
Ndebele, N. S. (2003). The Cry of Winnie Mandela: A Novel. Cape Town: David Philip Publishers. https://bit.ly/3gkZkNz https://bit.ly/3B1x9oV
Nikol, M. (1998). Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Oxford University Press.
https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/report/finalreport/Volume%204.pdf
Samuelson, M. (2018). The Politics of Memory and the Legacies of Empire. Journal of Historical Sociology, 31(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/johs.12167
Sartre, J. P. (1946). The Power of Words. In: The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre (pp. 15-20). Vintage Books. https://bit.ly/3soXArW
Sartre, J. P. (1946). La responsabilité de l’écrivain, Les conferences de U.N.E.S.C.O. Fontaine. https://bit.ly/3Hl2lM9 https://bit.ly/3B0sUYK
Thompson, L. (1961). A History of South Africa. Yale University Press. https://bit.ly/3B3xM9P
Thompson, L. (2014). A History of South Africa, fourth edition, revised and updated by Lynn Berat, New Heaven and London: Yale University Press
https://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/file%20uploads%20/leonard_monteath_thompson_a_history_of_south_afrbook4me.org_.pdf
University of Stellenbosch. (n.d.). Professor Extraordinaire. Retrieved from https://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/arts/professor-extraordinaire Retrieved January 21, 2024.
University of Strathclyde. (n.d.). Emeritus Professor Alan Phelps. Retrieved from https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/phelpsalanprof/ Retrieved January 21, 2024.
Wicomb, Z. (1987). You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town. London: Virago Press.
https://www.scribd.com/document/690472960/Wicomb-You-Can-t-Get-Lost-in-Cape-Town
https://bit.ly/3tbvLZg
Wicomb, Z. (1992). Nation, race and ethnicity: Beyond the legacy of victims, Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa, 4(1), p15-20, DOI: 10.1080/1013929X.1992.9677887
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1013929X.1992.9677887
Wicomb, Z. (2002). David’s Story - A Novel, New York: The Women Writing Africa. https://bit.ly/3B1xIDG
Wicomb, Z. (2011). Shame and Identity: The Case of the Coloured in South Africa. In D. Attridge & R. Jolly (Eds.), Writing South Africa (pp.123-136). Cambridge University Press. https://bit.ly/3B1khg5
Wright, M. (1999). Historical Introduction. In Z. Wicomb, You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town (pp.VI-XII). London: Virago Press. https://www.feministpress.org/books-n-z/you-cant-get-lost-in-cape-town
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.