The Mute Opera: Coetzee’s Secret Weapon

Abstract

J.M. Coetzee is one of the most acclaimed authors from South Africa whose novels can be said to be posited in postcolonial context. He has been brutally honest and vocal in his novels when it comes to postcolonial themes such as racism, white supremacy and subjugation of the female. Coetzee talks openly about the disparities which were quite evident in post-apartheid Africa. Disgrace is a novel authored by Coetzee that had won him a Booker. It is this novel which elevated Coetzee to being one of the most critically acclaimed writer of his times. Disgrace gives us a visual or rather an imagery through its narration and hence can be said to be having the representational power that dictates the entire narrative. This paper shall examine how Coetzee uses ‘opera’ to covertly address certain important themes in the novel. The paper shall also analyze how this novel is a living example of the social, political and cultural milieu of post-apartheid Africa. This is a novel about a nation, with a heart wrenching history of violence, rooted deep in racism, and colonial legacy