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Inthislight,itisinterestingthatthebookstartspreciselywith
somethingthat,withintheboundsoftheMagistrate’sworld,istan-
tamounttotheentranceofSatanintotheGardenofEden,thatis,
withthearrivalofJollandhiscommittingthesinoftorture–which
isconceivedasasinagainsthumanity(Kwearethegreatmiracle
ofcreation!”shoutstheMagistratelaterinthenovel(107)).Until
thismomenttheMagistrate’slifehassupposedlybeenhappyand
satisfying,whichheexplicitlysaysatthebeginningofthememoir
hewritesinthelastpagesofthenovel:KNoonewhopaidavisit
tothisoasis[ł]failedtobestruckbythecharmoflifehere.we
livedinthetimeoftheseasons,oftheharvest,ofthemigrationsof
thewaterbirds.welivedwithnothingbetweenusandthestars.we
wouldhavemadeanyconcession,hadweonlyknownwhat,togoon
livinghere.Thiswasparadiseonearth”(154).Althoughheexplicitly
qualifieswhathehaswrittenasKequivocal”(Kamessageasdevious,
asequivocal,asreprehensibleasthis”(154)),allofhisretrospections
ofthelifeKbeforeJoll”bearpreciselythismelancholicstampofthe
lostfullnessandhappinessofexistenceintheorganiccommunity
whichisatpeacewithitselfandcontentwithlivingthecyclicaltime
ofseasons,whilethearrivalofJollisretrospectivelysummarisedas
thedisasterbywhichKtimehasbroken”(43);thatis,thetimeless
paradiseoftherepetitivehappyprogressionoftheseasonswaslost.2
2
Onecanevendiscernahumorouscounterplotwhichparallelsthestoryof
lifeintheGardenofEden(butsinceallofCoetzee’sbooksaresingularlydevoidof
humour,wecanassumethatthisspecimenisunintentional):while,untilthearrival
ofJoll,theMagistratewasinfullcontrolofhispenis,distributingitliberallyamong
theattractivefemaleinhabitantsofthefort,andwithagesublimatingpartofthis
powerintoculturalactivities(KForyearsIworethewell-fedlookoftheprizeboar.
Laterthatpromiscuitymodulatedintomorediscreetrelationswithhousekeepers
andgirlslodgedsometimesupstairsinmyroomsbutmoreoftendownstairswith
thekitchenhelp,andintotheliaisonswithgirlsattheinn.IfoundthatIneeded
womenlessfrequently;Ispentmoretimeonmywork,myhobbies,myantiquarian-
ism,mycartography”(45)),thebreakintimecoincideswiththelossofcontrolover
thispartofthebodyaswitnessedbyhishelplessnessinfrontofthebarbariangirl
(KItseemsappropriatethatamanwhodoesnotknowwhattodowiththewoman
inhisbedshouldnotknowwhattowrite”(58))andlaterbyrandomanduncontrol-
lableerectionsthatplaguehim.Asitiswellknown,man’slackofcontroloverhis
penisisforAugustinethesignoftheFall,oftheexpulsionfromparadise.
Thisfailureoftheorgancanalsobelinkedtoanalteredsymbolicorganisation
ofthebodywhichtheencounterwithJoll(asthemasterofthebodyintorture)and
laterthebarbariangirl(Joll’sKwork”)evokeintheMagistrate:KwhenIlookather
nakedbodyandmyown,IfinditimpossibletobelievethatonceuponatimeIimag-
inedahumanformasaflowerradiatingfromakernelintheloins.Thesebodiesof
herandminearediffuse,gaseous,centreless,atonemomentspinningaboutavortex
here,atanothercurdling,thickeningelsewhere;butoftenalsoflat,blank”(34).The
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