Zungu, shattered dreams and a multiplicity of readerships in Sol Plaatje's Mhudi

Abstract

Summary In this article I present two main arguments. The first argument addresses aesthetic concerns, namely Sol Plaatje's complex use of oral narratives‐as‐allegories in his novel, Mhudi. I argue that these allegories, while partly serving similar purpose to that of proverbs, are complicated by the fact that they are self‐reflexive. This self‐reflexivity often lays itself open to multiple interpretations, which in turn tend to make the overall political meaning of the novel complex and rather ambiguous. The second argument, which is inextricably linked to the first, addresses itself to questions of readership. Here I argue that the use of oral narratives‐as‐allegories serves to suggest and project multiple readerships ‐ both national and international. I further argue that Mhudi's projected national readership cannot simply be reduced to white, as some critics seem to suggest. There are small, but significant, hints that suggest that the novel is addressed to various racial and ethnic groups. I engage in a close reading of the story of Zungu of Old to support my arguments.