Reading in the in‐between: Pre‐scripting the “postscript” to Elizabeth Costello

Summary

By offering a close reading and analysis of “Postscript”, the text that concludes Coetzee's collection of “lessons” in his 2003 book Elizabeth Costello, in conjunction with Hofmannsthal's 1902 “Chandos Letter” (including brief reference to the Nobel Address “He and His Man"), the essay demonstrates the implications of palimpsestuous reading. Informed by Gérard Genette's study of the palimpsest as a mode of literary presentation particularly suited to poststructuralist understandings of the disassociation between author and protagonist, the essay argues, furthermore, that palimpsestuous writing articulates the conjunctive double of language and fiction as, philosophically speaking, the general and every single person's writing/reading as particular at the point where mutually historicising and historicised imaginings intersect along an elliptical axis connecting diachronic distance and synchronic proximity.

Opsomming

Die opstel bied ‘n dieptelesing en ‐ontleding van “Postscript”, die teks wat Coetzee se versameling “lesse” in sy 2003‐werk Elizabeth Costello afsluit, tesame met Hofmannsthal se “Chandos Letter” van 1902 (met inbegrip van ‘n vlugtige verwysing na die Nobel‐toespraak “He and His Man"), en toon die implikasies van die palimpsestiese lees van ‘n teks. Geïnspireer deur Gérard Genette se studie van die palimpses as ‘n literêre aanbiedingsvorm wat veral geskik is vir poststrukturalistiese begrip van die disassosiasie tussen outeur en protagonis, voer die opstel voorts aan dat palimpsestiese skryfwerk uiting gee aan die konjunktiewe dubbelwerking van taal en fiksie as, filosofies gesproke, die algemene en elke enkele persoon se skryf‐of leeswerk as partikulier op die punt waar onderling historiserende en gehistoriseerde verbeeldinge mekaar sny op ‘n elliptiese as wat diachroniese afstand en sinchroniese nabyheid verbind.