"[O]p die groter doek van menslike inspanninge" : 'n eudaimoniese perspektief op die werke van Marlene van Niekerk met spesifieke fokus op Die sneeuslaper

Abstract

Friendship is important in Marlene van Niekerk's Die sneeuslaper, not only thematically, but also textually. The text converses with the reader both in relational (Silverman, 2009) and eudaimonic terms (Pawelski & Moores, 2013), with each one of the short stories creating a situation of playful but evocative interpersonal communication. Die sneeuslaper challenges the reader and the critic to question their own ideas regarding the roles of writers, readers and friends. In this article Van Niekerk's works are discussed within the broader debate surrounding postmodernism and eudaimonia. Die sneeuslaper is read eudaimonically by firstly re-evaluating it in terms of that which is positive and inspirational, secondly by studying it as a conflict based narrative wherein the characters experience favourable transformations following suffering, and lastly by deliberating on the positive impact that Die sneeuslaper as an aesthetic object can have on readers (following Pawelski & Moores, 2013:47).