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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
slow-paced
adventurous
reflective
An exploration of the power (and disillusionment) of authorship, and the impact of perspective upon reality. Coetzee highlights in particular the binaries of author/scriptor, voice/voiceless and experience/intellect, where in this instance, the author function takes precedence over the reader's interpretation; the 'real' author of Susan's story - Susan herself - is obscured underneath the power imbalance of author/scriptor in the world of literary storytelling. Foe, I would say, is a fundamentally important revelation of the distortion of the reality of a story when it comes to penning said story - so much so that even the author can begin to lose sight of the authentic when faced with different appealing aspects of cultural discourse. Foe is essentially the illustration of the struggle of subjectivity through specific narration; it draws particular attention to the blanks or silences that activate our wandering viewpoint, while enabling us to question the validity of each character's perception of a singular event. Overall, a provoking and engaging read. I recommend it to those particularly interested in the idea of authorship and the parallels we see throughout the complex and critical design of 'literature'.
A story within a story used to tell another story, or at least, dissect another story to tell the story of storytelling. What it means to write, to tell stories, to remember, or to be in this world. Coetzee at it once again.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Nothing about this book stood out to me as remarkably good or remarkably bad. I feel overall indifferent to it.
Der Anfang gefiel mir gut und ich fand auch interessant wie die Robinson Crusoe Idee auf den Kopf gestellt wurde, aber irgendwann habe ich den Faden verloren und war am Ende ziemlich ratlos. Es gab Ansätze von Metafiktion und auch irgendwie Kritik am Kolonialismus, aber so richtig konnte ich mir daraus kein stimmiges Ganzes formen. Wäre sicher hilfreich, das Buch mal im universalen Kontext zu lesen und zu diskutieren.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What does it mean to be a writer? What is at stake?