Of all the places - a novel & A life in search of a narrative: the construction of narrative identity in the autobiographical fiction of J.M. Coetzee. release_oq3tzlrwlrbfdd3iylzlhoirzq

by Ryan Anthony Licata, University Of Edinburgh, Alan Jamieson, Allyson Stack

Published by The University of Edinburgh.

2020  

Abstract

A novel – Of All the Places. Drawing on parallels between apartheid South Africa and the present far-right politics of Italy, Of All the Places explores matters of race, nationalism, and language, and the inevitable impact these aspects have on the forging of personal identity and community with others. Synopsis: To his surprise, Marcello Zamboni, a young clerk for a Milanese life insurance firm, is urged by his bosses to investigate the circumstances behind the death of a man whose claim could result in a large pay-out to the beneficiary. Marcello's surprise turns to reluctance when he learns that not only must he return to his hometown of Malé, deep in the mountainous valleys of northern Italy, but also that the deceased is Steyn Gela, the South African man responsible for stealing the affections of his first love, Rachele, who happens to be the sole beneficiary. Marcello's return to Malé means confronting his past and all that he purposefully left behind: the town's small-minded ways, his alcoholic mother, his boyhood foes the Bonetti brothers, and the memories of Steyn and Rachele. When Marcello finds Steyn's diary, what begins as a routine inquiry into the cause of Steyn's death turns into a calamitous uncovering of personal, criminal, and political intrigues. In his search for the truth behind one man's death, Marcello becomes involved in discovering the truth behind the lives of others who knew him. He must not only contend with the needs of his girlfriend Francesca, intent on having a baby, and the ever-urgent demands of his Milanese bosses, but also unravel the conspiracies of an underground crime ring, political revolutionaries, and, worst of all, his own heart. Critical Essay – A Life in Search of a Narrative: The Construction of Narrative Identity in the Autobiographical Fiction of J.M. Coetzee (word count: 27381) J.M. Coetzee's autobiographical novels – Boyhood; Youth; Summertime – depict the author's life refigured in three distinct periods in the life of a protagonist. By adopting Paul Ricoeur's th [...]
In text/plain format

Archived Files and Locations

application/pdf  688.6 kB
file_wvnbjroprvbdlnhd2c4p3cmtzu
era.ed.ac.uk (publisher)
web.archive.org (webarchive)
Read Archived PDF
Preserved and Accessible
Type  article
Stage   published
Date   2020-07-27
Language   en ?
Work Entity
access all versions, variants, and formats of this works (eg, pre-prints)
Catalog Record
Revision: a724da19-0938-41c0-873f-a844fa2a5d49
API URL: JSON