The Politics of Humiliation in the Novels of J.M. Coetzee

In this volume, Nashef looks at J.M. Coetzee's concern with universal suffering and the inevitable humiliation of the human being as manifest in his novels. Though several theorists have referred to the theme of human degradation in Coetzee’s work, no detailed study has been made of this area of concern especially with respect to how pervasive it is across Coetzee’s literary output to date. This study examines what J.M. Coetzee's novels portray as the circumstances that contribute to the humiliation of the individual--namely the abuse of language, master and slave interplay, aging and senseless waiting--and how these conditions can lead to the alienation and marginalization of the individual.

Hania Nashef received a PhD in Literature from University of Kent in 2008.

List of Illustrations
Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Copyright acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: In the Name of Truth Chapter Two: Words: Magda’s Blessings Chapter Three: Chains that Bind
Chapter Four: To Exit with Dignity
Chapter Five: At the Gate
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index