Disgrace (1999)

Going back in time a little with this latest read. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee was first published in 1999, though I read the 2000 Vintage edition on my good old Kindle. It's a novel set in South Africa and it won the Booker Prize. The novel is approximately 216 pages long, depending on your edition I presume. I read this as part of my seminar module on eco-criticism and so I will be referring to some themes linked to this approach as well as my overall thoughts.

Disgrace is written in a third-person narrative voice and expresses the thoughts, feelings and experiences of protagonist David Lurie, a twice-divorced, 50-something university lecturer who gets himself into a spot of trouble that leads to him to leave his job and redirect his time and efforts.

A major theme in the novel is crime and in particular rape. Coetzee appears to criticise not only the policing system but also the general attitude towards crime. Efforts are usually lax and in many ways there is a bias to protect men. Victims are represented, although from an onlooker's perspective- that of Lurie himself, and we recognise marked symptoms of sexual harassment and trauma, such as despondency, distractedness, lack of motivation and animation. Alongside this we not only see rapists as aggressive monster-characters but also as people with friends and family, who do not all necessarily condemn such behaviour. We are given an insight into a rapist's potential reasoning and worldview, his sense of entitlement. Also, crimes, including rape, are not punished severely in the novel, which is probably the most disturbing element. There are sometimes repercussions for the rapist but it seems that the sense of entitlement or "rightness" isn't rectified and this allows the culture of the objectification of women to flourish.

There are also disturbing undertones of paedophilia, as descriptions of attractive women often include child-like qualities. There is a sort of obsession with the young girl, innocent and not yet fully mature. Arguably this representation is just another reference to common images splattered across the media of what beautiful women ought to be, a culture of fetishisation of the extremely young female, disregarding the value and beauty of older women as objects that have passed their best.

My eco-critical analysis means that I can make the connection between the subjugation of women and that of nature. This is more specifically an eco-feminist approach that illustrates how women and nature are both subject to the fleeting desires of men and their demands. The value of nature and of women is determined by their usefulness to men and what they can offer to men. This novel provokes questions as to intrinsic value of the two (women and nature) independent of men. Themes from deep ecology also make an appearance in the notion of population control, demonstrated through the metaphor of dogs and the need to consistently reduce their population size.

What I found most striking in the novel, considering the events that took place, was the tone. The narrative voice was rather calm and matter-of-fact. There was perhaps one episode where there appeared to be an emotional expression of violence and rage but otherwise the tone was clear and collected for the duration of the novel. This conveys the feeling that Lurie lives in his own bubble, which cannot be penetrated by others. Despite the events around him, he lives in a world that is male-centred and his white privilege and academic background means that he is self-confident and hardly feels any sort of remorse or regret. In many ways he is quite cold and frank, yet we see he does have a heart and a great interest in passion and the idea of fulfilling desires.

David Lurie's character is counter-balanced by that of his daughter, who appears to be the complete opposite to him. While he is a man of the city, she is drawn in by the country, while he is heterosexual, she is homosexual. Their views on life and many issues, including animal rights, differ greatly. She is subject to male-subjugation and her father benefits from it. She is the strong-willed woman living alone in a society that values male strength and takes advantage of female compassion. Lucy is an interesting character that I would have liked have known better but Lurie's limited insight into the workings of his daughter's mind meant that we too can only decipher so much. Her character is rich and seemingly experienced in ways her father's never could be.

Overall, Disgrace was a rather quick read (I read it within 24 hours) and easy to follow. The issues are still relevant to us today and it didn't feel like a novel that was "old". I felt the ending was quite open and I would have liked a better  (or different) conclusion but otherwise it was an interesting read with an insight into South Africa that I may never have had otherwise. I gave it a 3-star rating on goodreads.