The development of political consciousness in the novels of Alex La Guma

Abstract

The fundamental concern of this thesis is to give a critical attention to the works of Alex La Guma as an artistic continuum which examines the South African political whirlpool. The continuum is a subtle reflection of the thematic continuity that lends coherence to all the works of La Guma under consideration in this thesis. Indeed, it mirrors the progression in the development of political consciousness that forms the basis of this work. While it is true that the thesis adopts a thematic approach to La Guma's fiction, it does not ignore the centrality of the form to the aesthetic realization of the content. This is in line with the Marxist approach adopted in the thesis which acknowledges the complementary existence of theme and style. Preoccupation with content at the expense of form would be debasing art to social commentary and, equally, obsession with form at the expense of content would be art for art's sake. This thesis attempts to achieve a critical equilibrium between form and content, albeit slightly inclining towards content. The thesis traces the ideological development of La Guma as a socialist artist with a well-defined vision. This development finds sufficient expression in the depiction of the development of political consciousness of his characters. What emerges at the end of the thesis is the author's artistic worldview, a deep belief in the establishment of a culture that transcends class and race.