Abstract
The nature and function of Zulu folklore in Die ding in die vuur by Riano ScheepersThis article is concerned with how and why Zulu folklore and oral narrative traditions are absorbed in the literature of the writer Riana Scheepers. Scheepers does not use Zulu culture in her work to make it part of the struggle genre. The question therefore arises: Why does Scheepers, a modern, even postmodern writer, make use of the prehistoric, ancient Zulu oral narrative tradition?As starting points for this article the following issues are explored: What is the nature of Zulu folklore and how has it been applied in the texts concerned? What is the function of Zulu folklore in Scheepers’ work?In the oral narrative tradition, the ugogo (grandmother) is the narrator of the story and she tells her stories to the listeners (mostly children) to educate them in a very entertaining way, but also to adjure many social evils, symbolized by a variety of characters, such as animals, monsters and tricksters. Riana Scheepers uses the ugogo to create a story within a story in front of the reader's eyes, in other words, she uses the ugogo to create metatextuality. By writing stories, Scheepers also edifies her readers in an entertaining manner and like the ugogo, she adjures many social evils like violence, poverty, chauvinism and racism. By transforming truth into fiction (fictionalization), she makes the harsh realities of life tolerable and in this way protects herself and her readers against the horrific realities of modern life.
Highlights
In the oral narrative tradition, the ugogo is the narrator o f the story and she tells her stories to the listeners to educate them in a very entertaining way, hut to adjure many social evils, symbolized by a variety o f characters, such as animals, monsters and tricksters
Riana Scheepers uses the ugogo to create a story within a story in front o f the reader's eyes, in other words, she uses the ugogo to create metatextuality
Scheepers edifies her readers in an entertaining manner and like the ugogo, she adjures many social evils like violence, poverty, chauvinism and racism
Summary
Riana Scheepers is in Noord-Natal gebore en het grootgeword met die ryk Zoeloe-kultuur en -tradisie (Kannemeyer 1991:7). Terselfdertyd gaan die aard van Zoeloe-folklore in Scheepers se werk ondersoek word, met ander woorde, hoe Zoeloesprokies en -stories inslag vind in haar verhale en wat die flmksie daarvan is. Scheepers het verder ook die vermoe om, net soos die ugogo in baie van haar verhale, skielik in die vuur te spoeg sodat al die onregte waaroor sy skryf, besweer kan word. Hierdie erotiese vuur vlam ook hoog in Scheepers se derde kortverhaalbundel ’« Huis met drie en 'n h a lf stories (1994), waarin talle oervrese van die mens, maar veral die vrou se seksuele inhibisies, besweer word. In hierdie verhale word alledaagse stories of gebeurtenisse in die lewe van wit en swart volgens die Zoeloe-tradisie van storievertel aan die leser oorgedra deur middel van die ugogo. Daar word ook gedurig herhalings gebruik om spaiming op te bou, om die hoorders te betrek, om ’n bietjie kleur aan die vertelling te verleen, om sekere belangrike verhaalaspekte te beklemtoon en natuurlik sodat die kinders die storie makliker kan onthou. ’n Sprokieskarakter moet dikwels ’n aksie drie keer (magiese getal) herhaal, voordat dit die gewenste uitwerking het
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