POSTCOLONIALISM It is a period of time after

POSTCOLONIALISM It is a period of time after colonialism. Postcolonial literature is generally characterized by its opposition to the colonial

Period It appeared in the context of decolonization that marked the second half of the 20 th century

Features Postcolonial literature focuses on race relations, the effects of racism including slavery, apartheid, and the mass extinction of peoples.

Other Features It includes a vast array of writers and subjects. The difference between the ex-colonies dictates a wide variety in the nature and subject of most postcolonial writing.

Exponents: J. M. Coetzee: • He wrote “Foe” 1986 a re - writing of D. Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

J. M. Coetzee In his writings Coetzee reflects on the problems created by the boundaries and divides within South Africa.

Foe It is a re - writing of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe that is a classical colonial text where the hero is a self-made man, able to survive on a desert island.

Innovations in Foe: • In Foe, Coetzee introduces a fundamental change: the narrator is a woman (Susan Barton). • The character of Friday becomes very important.

Susan Barton: • Coetzee uses the perspective of a character that finds itself in a marginal position in the 18 th century. • Susan Barton's narrative introduces the feminist self-affirmation

Friday • He had his tongue cut out by slave traders so he can’t communicate. • The inaccessibility of his world to the European world is a consequence of colonialist oppression and racism.