Nadine Gordimer And Her Novel July's People

As the laureate of Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991 and the winner of many other prestigious literary awards, Nadine Gordimer (1923— ), a contemporary South African Jewish woman writer, has attracted much criticism and attention all over the world. Acknowledged and well received by the international readership, Nadine Gordimer demonstrates some unique characteristics in her works.There are three recurrent themes in Nadine Gordimer's works. The first is that Nadine Gordimer is concerned with the South African politics and society, and her writing is a continually evolving response to the political realities in South Africa. Living in the apartheid period, Nadine Gordimer addresses the suffering caused by racism and the way whites and blacks relate to each other under apartheid system. The second recurrent theme of her works is that the public or the society is always interacting with the private, and the individual fate is integrally related to the overall situation of the society. The third theme that Nadine Gordimer always pays attention to is the flawed family relationship and the betrayal of children against parents, especially daughters against dominant mothers. The reason why she explores this theme may be due to the unusual experiences in her childhood.In the respect of literary rhetoric devices, Nadine Gordimer uses ambiguity, symbols and ironies to make her stories more impressive and striking. As far as thestyle is concerned, Nadine Gordimer is known for her coldness and dispassion that pervade in her stories. The last feature, but not the least, observed in this thesis is on the limits and limitations in Nadine Goridmer's works. Though attempting to investigate the possible implications of the political and social process of her country, Nadine Gordimer is constrained not only by the external factor, i.e. the overall situation of the society, but also by the internal factor, i.e. her own identity in the society.Hopefully, this thesis will contribute to a better understanding of Nadine Gordimer and her works.