Die skep van ruimte in ’n roman, met verwysing na die drie koepelromans van Hans du Plessis

Abstract

Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die toepassing van ruimte as skeppingselement in drie romans met dieselfde narratiewe ruimte te ondersoek. Dit gaan om die transformasie van 'n werklike geografiese ruimte na die narratiewe ruimte binne die teoretiese raamwerk van die skryfkuns as vakdissipline en met verwysing na die kulturele geografie en Andries Bezuidenhout se uiteensetting van die teoretiese skema van Wesley Kort en dié van die geograaf David Harvey, ten einde ruimtelikheid meer eksplisiet te teoretiseer. Die bespreking vind plaas teen die agtergrond van die sogenaamde "navorsing deur praktyk", wat deesdae 'n betreklik algemene model vir navorsing in die skeppende kunste is. Omdat die verband tussen die skryfteorie en -praktyk vooropgestel word, is dit logies dat die skrywer se eie prosawerk as verwysing gebruik word. Dit gaan om die drie Koepelromans van Hans du Plessis, naamlik Verbrande paradys (2009), Die pad na Skuilhoek (2012) en As die wind kom draai (2013). Die ruimte in die drie romans is die geografies identifiseerbare Vredefortkoepel naby Potchefstroom, die grootste en oudste meteorietimpakkrater ter wêreld. Dit is deur Unesco as wêrelderfenisgebied gelys. Die romans verskil in meer as een opsig van mekaar omdat eersgenoemde 'n eietydse roman is, terwyl laasgenoemde twee historiese romans is. Verder is die eerste twee oorgangsromans en die laaste 'n roman vir volwassenes. Die interaksie tussen mens en natuur word aanvaar en daarmee saam ook die feit dat verskillende mense (ook karakters in die roman) dieselfde omgewing verskillend sal ervaar. Die skep van ruimte in die roman is uiteindelik die skep van 'n sin van plek. Daar word uitgegaan van die standpunt dat die narratiewe ruimte die skep van 'n fiktiewe deiktiese sentrum veronderstel. Die deiktiese sentrum in die roman is per definisie dié van die fokalisator. In die artikel word aangevoer dat ruimte as skeppingsmiddel hanteer kan word soos wat die skryfkuns die skep van 'n karakter in drie fases hanteer. Ten slotte word hierdie teoretiese uitgangspunte geïllustreer deur voorbeelde uit die genoemde romans. ABSTRACT: The creation of space in a novel, with reference to the three dome novels by Hans du Plessis This article discusses the creation of space with reference to three Afrikaans novels by Hans du Plessis: Verbrande paradys (Burnt paradise) (2009), Die pad na Skuilhoek (The road to Skuilhoek) (2011) and As die wind kom draai (When the wind starts turning) (2013). The article investigates the novelist's use of space as a creative element in the transformation of a location that exists in reality to the narrative space in the said novels. This is done within the framework of the theory of creative writing as discipline and with reference to cultural geography and Andries Bezuidenhout's (2013) discussion of the theoretical scheme of Wesley Kort and of David Harvey, in order to achieve a more explicit theory of space. The research was undertaken within the framework of the theory of practice-based research, a model often used in research within the study of arts. Breed and Greyling (2010:86) are convinced that this research method recognises the link between theory and practice, as well as the relevance of the theoretical and philosophical paradigms for the contemporary arts practitioner. This is one of the main reasons why the novels written by the author of this article are used as illustrative material. The theory of space has been widely discussed in literary theory, philosophy, creative writing studies and environmental studies, and it is accepted as being a diverse wide-ranging issue, because there is a marked interaction between the human being and space. The issue of sense of place, it is argued, is in fact the data from reality that has to be transformed when writing fictional prose. Sense of place refers to features that are unique to a certain place, and these are experienced by the inhabitants of that place. Furthermore, it is theoretically accepted in the article that cultures are locatable and specific phenomena, whereas culture includes everything we do in our daily lives, and in which space is central. Against the background of cultural geography the growing interest in various forms of literature as a way of investigating the meaning of landscapes is discussed. Literature is not objective; instead, subjectivity speaks about the social meanings of places. This article takes intimate, social and extensive space through narrative space in literary texts into consideration. Through the use of absolute, relative and relational space, material and represented space offer a framework to bring abstract and symbolic issues together. Seeing that social space implies both inclusion and exclusion, there should be a connection between space of thought and social space. The texts referred to in the article are discussed as examples of moral agency.