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Introduction
MostofthenovelsofJ.M.Coetzeearefoundedonthesamestruc-
turalprinciple:withintheboundsofthenarrativeanemptyspace
isintroduced,anenigmathatthenarrativewilltrytounravelbut
bywhichitwillbeultimatelydefeated.Inhisearliernovels,the
confrontationbetweentheenigmaandtheexplanatorynarrativeis
playedoutwithinthespaceofthecolonialdiscourse,usuallyfig-
uredintherelationbetweenavictimandaliberalrepresentative
ofthecolonialpowerabhorringtheKeveryday”methodsofcontrol
usedbytherulers.Infact,inCoetzee’swritingtheinabilityofthe
subjugatedtoexpressthemselvesbecomesprogressivelymoreand
moreacute:whilethebarbariangirldoesnotknowhowtoanswer
theMagistratebecauseshedoesnotknowwhathewantsfromher
(WaitingfortheBarbarians),inMichaelKthisinabilitybecomes
somehowKnaturalised”asheishare-lippedandKnotcleverwith
words”(LifeandTimesofMichaelK),andultimatelyFriday(Foe)
isnotabletospeakbecauseoftheparadigmatic(andmetaphoric)
colonialmutilationofthecuttingoutofhistongue.
withinthecontextoftheliberalnoveldiscoursethisattitudeis
quitefamiliarandcanbesubsumedundertheLevinasianapproach
promulgatedbythemulticulturalistdiscourseasanovelisticversion
oftheKrespectfortheother.”Asthevictimofcolonialismisdisad-
vantagedinallrespects,notonlybeingthesubjectofnakedviolence
andculturalsubjugationbutalsohavingnomeansofexpressinghis
predicament(lackofintellectualKtools”toKgivevoice”tohimself),
theonlyrespectfulattitudetowardsthevictimthattheliberalwrit-
ercantakeistotrytopresenttheunfortunateprotagonistasthe
unsurpassablechallengethatcannotbeovercomebythediscourse
~9~
