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The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613803764514816 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Dube, Nhlanhla |
| author2 | Jones, Megan |
| author_browse | Dube, Nhlanhla Jones, Megan |
| author_facet | Jones, Megan Dube, Nhlanhla |
| author_sort | Dube, Nhlanhla |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130547 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:57.021Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130547 The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction Dube, Nhlanhla Jones, Megan Bangeni, Nwabisa Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. English Literature Zimbabwean literature -- History and criticism African diaspora in literature Zimbabwe -- In literature Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) Short stories, Zimbabwean (English) UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My study investigates the ways in which Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, is represented on the page. By reading fiction authored during the ‘lost decade’, I explore images of the city which emanate from novels and short stories from writers in Zimbabwe and abroad. I answer the question, what argument about place is being made when a character is in a particular locale? Theoretically, I deploy Geocriticism in order to show that space is made up of places. This is done by reading sections of the literary city such as the suburb, the Location and the diasporan constituency as parts of a larger whole. The fact that all narratives have to happen somewhere is at the core of the idea that the geographical location ‘where’ narratives occur, is more than just background setting and aesthetic. My exploration of the literary suburb is concerned with concepts of belonging and the racial aspects of city space. I show the importance of walking the suburb and the significance the process of losing home has in defining the 21st century suburb. Through studying the Location, I privilege the importance of places of drink and construction activities in high density living areas, to show how they indicate a spirit of place. To add to this, I also account for the diasporan view in order to see how the idea of the literary city is complicated by the act of diasporic return. Diasporic return unearths versions of the city that exist outside national borders and it highlights that Bulawayo is in conversation with other cities. My project demonstrates the existence of a Bulawayo literary city which has intricate local political realities and socio-economic conditions. This thesis also establishes that readings of the city have to take into account history, politics and geography in order to gauge the conditions under which unique literary cities are formed. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: My studie ondersoek die maniere waarop Zimbabwe se tweede stad, Bulawayo, op die bladsy verteenwoordig word. Deur fiksie te lees wat gedurende die ‘verlore dekade’ geskryf is, verken ek beelde van die stad wat voortspruit uit romans en kortverhale van skrywers in Zimbabwe en in die buiteland. Ek beantwoord die vraag, watter argument oor plek word gemaak wanneer 'n karakter in 'n spesifieke plek is? Teoreties gebruik ek Geokritiek om te wys dat ruimte uit plekke bestaan. Dit word gedoen deur gedeeltes van die literêre stad soos die voorstad, die Ligging en die diasporaanse kiesafdeling as dele van 'n groter geheel te lees. Die feit dat alle narratiewe iewers moet gebeur, is die kern van die idee dat die geografiese ligging 'waar' narratiewe voorkom, meer is as net agtergrondopset en esteties. My verkenning van die literêre voorstad is gemoeid met begrippe van behoort en die rasse-aspekte van stadsruimte. Ek wys die belangrikheid daarvan om in die voorstad te stap en die betekenis wat die proses van huisverlies het in die definisie van die 21ste eeuse voorstad. Deur die ligging te bestudeer, bevoorreg ek die belangrikheid van drinkplekke en konstruksie-aktiwiteite in hoëdigtheid leefareas, om te wys hoe dit 'n gees van plek aandui. Om hierby te voeg, reken ek ook die diasporiese siening om te sien hoe die idee van die literêre stad bemoeilik word deur die daad van diasporiese terugkeer. Diasporiese terugkeer onthul weergawes van die stad wat buite nasionale grense bestaan en dit beklemtoon dat Bulawayo in gesprek is met ander stede. My projek demonstreer die bestaan van 'n Bulawayo literêre stad wat ingewikkelde plaaslike politieke realiteite en sosio-ekonomiese toestande het. Hierdie tesis stel ook vas dat lesings van die stad geskiedenis, politiek en geografie in ag moet neem om die omstandighede waaronder unieke literêre stede gevorm word, te peil. Doctoral 2024-01-08T16:47:57Z 2024-04-26T21:35:04Z 2024-01-08T16:47:57Z 2024-04-26T21:35:04Z 2024-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130547 en Stellenbosch University ix, 227 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | English Literature Zimbabwean literature -- History and criticism African diaspora in literature Zimbabwe -- In literature Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) Short stories, Zimbabwean (English) UCTD Dube, Nhlanhla The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title | The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title_full | The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title_fullStr | The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title_full_unstemmed | The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title_short | The city that billows smoke : a spatial reading of Bulawayo in prose fiction |
| title_sort | city that billows smoke a spatial reading of bulawayo in prose fiction |
| topic | English Literature Zimbabwean literature -- History and criticism African diaspora in literature Zimbabwe -- In literature Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) Short stories, Zimbabwean (English) UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130547 |
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