Diary of a Bad Year

MariettaSG

Diary of a Bad Year: Text Classics | J. M. Coetzee

South African Australian

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MariettaSG

Diary of a Bad Year: Text Classics | J. M. Coetzee

pick

I ended up enjoying the non chronological three narratives of this text, one being an academic‘s text of opinions that he is writing, one being his experiences with having a female apartment neighbour type it up for him and one being the typist‘s experiences including her difficulties with her current partner. But I still felt that Coetzee‘s style is highly didactic (which can be fine) but there was a significant and obvious arrogance to it.

thereflectiveflaneur Arrogance? How so? 5y

MariettaSG @thereflectiveflaneur Have you read it? I guess it‘s the sections by the academic ā€JC‘ giving his opinions on all sorts of issues, they are too short to be essays, more stream of consciousness. And although I know this is a character, they are at times abstruse, at others quite contentious but then followed up with weak counter arguments that then feel as though they reveal Coetzee‘s opinion. Anya feels stereotyped and her contribution seems 5y

MariettaSG tokenistic. (edited) 5y

thereflectiveflaneur Yeah I read it when it first came out and I was taken by it. Loved the form and structure. I felt like they were little dalliances with ideas and not necessarily Coetzee being issues based or stressing his opinion. We can discuss more at work as I really liked this work. #i went to a second hand book store and they had Coetzee‘s Disgrace so I bought it for you as a new year/new office present! 5y

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MariettaSG

Diary of a Bad Year: Text Classics | J. M. Coetzee

Actually the protagonist isn‘t that unlikeable, he is just quite hopeless, in fact all three characters are presented as deluded and therefore quite humourous. The academic JC about his opinion on politics as well as sex, Anya on her sexual appeal and her partner Andy on both Anya and JC. Perhaps that is the point of the book, self importance = delusion. Not that this fact is anything new, just my discovery that this may be the tenet of the book.

MariettaSG *Alan* not Andy 5y

thereflectiveflaneur Have you read ā€Disgrace‘? I reckon it‘s his best work! (edited) 5y

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MariettaSG

Diary of a Bad Year: Text Classics | J. M. Coetzee

Even though there are two voices and one that is divided, and I‘m liking the actual text I‘m not liking the tone coming through from the author. I‘ll need to read at least two more Coetzee‘s before I am convinced that it‘s him and not his unlikeable protagonist. Any suggestions on Coetzee books you‘ve liked?

Billypar I've only read two, but I liked this one

Summertime: Scenes from Provincial Life

MariettaSG Thanks @Billypar 5y

thereflectiveflaneur Disgrace! 5y

MariettaSG Thanks @therelectiveflaneur (edited) 5y

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MariettaSG

Diary of a Bad Year: Text Classics | J. M. Coetzee

The narrative of this book is interesting, it is initially written in two parts on every page and then increases to three. Each page is sectioned, the top part is the narrator‘s text essays on politics that are being typed up, the second is his thoughts and the third are the thoughts of the woman he has employed to type up the first part. They do not align neatly. I‘m reading 10 pages of one section and then having to turn back to read the others.

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