Aspekte van die genetiese proses by Opperman soos afgelei uit ’n variantestudie van 'Gedagtes by ’n sarkofaag'

Abstract

Aspects of the genetic process in the poetry of D.J. Opperman based on an analysis of different versions of the poem 'Gedagtes by ’n sarkofaag' (Thoughts on a sarcophagus)

A study of the genesis of a literary text reveals the systematic changes effected by the author during the creative process, and an understanding of these creative tendencies foregrounds structural principles of the final text. In studying a larger corpus of the author’s work, scrutiny of text development affords the means to gain insight into stylistic, semantic and thematic characteristics of the author’s oeuvre. This article focuses on the genesis of D.J. Opperman’s poem “Gedagtes by ’n sarkofaag” within the theoretical framework of Dutch edition theory as represented by Dorleijn (1984), Mathijsen (1997) and De Bruijn (2000) in particular. The different phases of development in the genesis of “Gedagtes by ’n sarkofaag” are identified and represented in a synoptic apparatus. In the analysis of the textual development particular attention is paid to the creation of a symbolic level.