"By sy oë uit, by jóúne in": relasionaliteit, visie en die dood in Die sneeuslaper (2010) van Marlene van Niekerk

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore aspects of relationality in Die sneeuslaper (The Snowsleeper) by Marlene van Niekerk. This analysis of Die sneeuslaper includes the insights of Kaja Silverman as set out in Flesh of My Flesh (2009). In Die sneeuslaper, reflection on art theoretical and authorship issues is simultaneously a reflection on relationality. Relationality manifests in different ways in the text, namely through the fact that characters are depicted as pairs that occur throughout, as well as through frequent references to vanished people. Retrovision is foregrounded in each narrative: a turning back to or looking back on people who have "vanished" whether as a result of death, denial or rejection. My point of departure in this argument is that relationality manifests in a number of ways in Die sneeuslaper, but it is two aspects that I will discuss: namely, relationality and ontological affinity on the grounds of mortality and relationality and vision.