The Construction of Utopia in J. M. Coetzee's “Jesus Novel Series”

Foreign Literature Studies ›› 2019, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 138-150.

• Studies of Oriental Literature • Previous Articles Next Articles

The Construction of Utopia in J. M. Coetzee's “Jesus Novel Series”

Cai Shengqin, Lu Yuewen

Online:2019-08-25 Published:2022-05-18
About author:Cai Shengqin is a professor at The School of Foreign Studies, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (Wuhan, 430073 China). His research is mainly focused on South African English literature. Email: caisqq@zuel.edu.cn Lu Yuewen, a PhD candidate at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, studies the Western theory of Marxism and African studies. Email: 1598330770@qq.com
Supported by:
“A Study on South African English Novels in the 20^th Century from the Perspective of Western Marxism”(14BWW075) sponsored by National Social Science Fund of China

Abstract

Abstract: J.M. Coetzee's “Jesus Series” novels, The Childhood of Jesus and The Schooldays of Jesus, take the protagonist David's childhood and growing experience in primary school as the axis in creating a utopian society without exploitation and oppression. Based on Ernst Bloch's philosophy of hope, this paper attempts to analyze the utopian world constructed in the “Jesus Series” from three perspectives: educational utopia, marital utopia, and religious utopia. Also, we wish to share our conclusion that Coetzee's construction of the utopia society in his novels is intended as a reflection and critique of various problems in the Western society today, and that he aims at arousing people's inner utopian ideal and encourage them to break through various shackles of the present world for a chance to not only become free and well-rounded individuals, but also accomplish the liberation of the mankind.

Key words: J. M. Coetzee, utopia, the philosophy of hope, The Childhood of Jesus, The Schooldays of Jesus

Cai Shengqin, Lu Yuewen. The Construction of Utopia in J. M. Coetzee's “Jesus Novel Series”[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2019, 41(4): 138-150.

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The Construction of Utopia in J. M. Coetzee's “Jesus Novel Series”

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