Space as theme and metaphor in the poetry of selected female poets in Afrikaans: 1994-2005
This article illustrates that the representation of physical and abstract space is exceptionally prominent in the work of female poets in Afrikaans who published poetry between 1994 and 2005. The possibility that a “female consciousness” influences the use of spatial metaphors is put forward (but not proved).Following the theoretical insights of Pierre Bourdieu, the relationship between society and art is explored, and consequently the importance of the postcolonial context of Afrikaans poetry published between 1994 and 2005 forms part of the analyses of the thematic and metaphorical aspects of the selected poems. Examples of the salient aspects of representations of space,both as theme and as metaphor, in the work of female Afrikaans poets are discussed in more detail before some preliminary conclusions are put forward.
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom