Meer dydelikhyt oor die punch en die vis: ’n Vergelyking van Niggie, Daar’s vis in die punch en Eilande

Abstract

More clarity about the punch and the fish: A comparison of Niggie, Daar’s vis in die punch and Eilande

In this article, three novels published in 2002 – namely Niggie by Ingrid Winterbach, Daar’s vis in die punch by Jackie Nagtegaal and Eilande by Dan Sleigh – are compared with reference to the perspectives the three texts furnish on the idea of creativity. The initial point of departure is the way in which language is used in the novels. This approach tangentially touches on the debate about “Engrikaans”, a form of code switching used by certain Afrikaans authors. The article illustrates how a certain kind of creativity can be associated with the consumer society and the culture industry, whilst a creativity which transcends the dictates of the culture industry proceeds from a position where the supposedly integrated subject is destabilised or put “in process”.