Maaberone deur G.H. Franz : 'n strukturele analise

Abstract

The aim of this research is to evaluate and analyse Maaberone against the background of the Northern Sotho Culture so as to determine if it meets with the requirements for a drama of a high literary standard. Maaberone should also be placed within the framework of Northern Sotho literature, but more specifically in Nothern Sotho drama within a given period, and according to determined classification criteria. In conjunction with the specified period and the determined criteria, the stature of G.H. Franz as dramatist can also be ascertained. Research procedure Because Maaberone is a written drama, it cannot be accepted without further evidence that it is modern. Consequently further proofs in support of, or against this conclusion should be sought for, in existing references. To place Maaberone within a determined period context, all the available sources published in the same year, should be consulted. In determining the stature of Maaberone as drama and Franz as dramatist within the framework of Northern Sotho Drama and Northern Sotho Literature, extensive use is made of the classification criteria of Lestrade (1956:291), supplemented by other sources. The approach by means of which Maaberone is analysed, is based mainly on the structural analysis model of Levitt (1971) and supported by other references. The effective interweaving and mutual relationships of the action in its totality, will determine the success of the drama. When Maaberone is compared with existing dramas and Northern Sotho Literature in its entirety, in the context of the year in which it was published, it becomes evident that it belongs to the beginning of the modern period. Because Maaberone is a Northern Sotho Drama written by a White, it cannot be classified within Lestrade's three-fold grouping criteria. Consequently the play finds itself in a "created" category which consists of White dramatists who write in an African language. Should the quantitative and qualitative building material of Maaberone be closely scrutinised, it becomes obvious that it has such a significant infrastructure, that it can be considered as an exceptional drama. The only criticism against it is that the sub-plot sometimes tends to dominate the main plot.