South African novelist Dalene Matthee's last forest novel, Dreamforest, was published in 2003. This novel concludes her tetralogy of historical fiction novels focusing on the poor white timber community living in the Eastern Cape's tropical Knysna forest. Initially the representation of a human-nonhuman relationship in Dreamforest suggests a connection between the sexist and classist treatment of the protagonist, Karoliena, and the deforestation of the Knysna forest. When Karoliena rejects the town's prescript of Afrikaner nationalist volksmoeder identity, which South African theorist, Elsabé Brink (1990: 280), describes as an emulation of characteristics including a 'sense of religion, bravery, a love of freedom, the spirit of sacrifice, self-reliance, [and] housewifeliness', it is suggested that she opposes homogenous, monolithic racial and gender classifications. However, the reunion of Karoliena and Johannes at the end of the novel initiates Karoliena's acceptance of the volksmoeder identity, and by implication, her rejection of the forest. Her return to Johannes therefore suggests that the nonhuman is only ever an instrument in the poor white Afrikaans woman's search for identity and her feminist upliftment project(s). The following article analyses the depiction of this human-nonhuman relationship, primarily utilising Tiffany Willoughby-Herard's work in whiteness studies.
Rabie voltooi in 2020 haar Meestersverhandeling, "'n Mensboom in olifantskoene: 'n postkoloniale ekokritiese analise van Dalene Matthee se Moerbeibos (1987) en Toorbos (2003)", aan die Departement Afrikaans by die Universiteit van Pretoria waar sy ook deeltyds Afrikaanse letterkunde doseer. In haar MAverhandeling analiseer sy die uitbeelding van die mens-niemenslike-verhouding in Matthee se laaste twee bosromans. Haar navorsingsbelangstellings lê hoofsaaklik by die oorvleueling van witheidstudies en die ekokritiek. Sy is tans besig met navorsing vir 'n doktorsgraad met die oog op 'n vergelykende studie tussen Nederlandse en Afrikaanse letterkunde. Sy is ook deel van Samespraak (2021), 'n nagraadse studiegroep vir Afri kaans en Nederlands. * Die navorsing in hierdie artikel is gebaseer op my MA verhandeling "'n Mensboom in Olifantskoene: 'n postkoloniale ekokritiese analise van Moerbeibos (1987) en Toorbos (2003) deur Dalene Matthee (2020)", 'n studie wat befonds is deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns en die Universiteit van Pretoria.
iets van die onopgeloste en gekompliseerde verhoudingsdinamiek tussen die karakters.My enigste kritiek is dat die slot van die drama effens gejaagd voorkom, maar dalk effektief die steeds moeilik-oorkombare trauma wat oor generasies heen strek suggereer, trauma wat as gevolg van toksiese manlikheid nie geverbaliseer kan word nie. Die karakters maak die oggend ná die partytjie asof daar nie regtig enige konfrontasie plaasgevind het nie en val weereens in die strik van begriploosheid as gevolg van gebrekkige kommunikasie. Die teks laat 'n diep indruk en kan gesien word as 'n kritieke, empatiese ondersoek na 'n eietydse (wit) Afrikaanse manlikheid, en suggereer die denkpatrone wat daaromtrent moet verander.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.