Monthly Archives: March 2011

Coetzee sets up a parallel between the magistrate’s understanding of his life and circumstance and his relationship with the girl.  “It seems appropriate that a man who does not know what to do with the woman in his bed should … Continue reading →

Matt Pura Blog Post Waiting for the Barbarians, pages 56-107   In class last Wednesday, Professor Gruner proposed the following question: “Are the barbarians in this story treated like animals because they act like animals, or do they act like … Continue reading →

Though difficult to dwell on because of it’s extremely violent and disturbing content, Coetzee includes the episode of the twelve captured barbarians being beaten so that his protagonist can no longer hide in the shadows of non-action and passive aggression, … Continue reading →

When we begin I am sure that the time is right; I embrace her in the most intense pleasure and pride of life; but halfway through I seem to lose touch with her, and the act peters out vacantly. My … Continue reading →

Reader, perhaps you would agree, that the he affair between the Magistrate and the blind girl was interesting to say the least. While reading it I could nott help feel that there was something in the way of their intimacy; … Continue reading →

The separation between the barbarian society and the frontier society seems to be mirrored by the separation between the empire and the same frontier society. There are miscommunications between the groups, and there is an undeniable separation between the frontier … Continue reading →

Once you know, you can never ‘un-know.’ Once you see, you can’t simply shut your eyes without having to live with the knowledge of what you saw. This is what Coetzee seems to be reminding us of: the burden of … Continue reading →

As I was reading the first two sections of J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians, I kept noticing how the narrator’s descriptions of the barbarians make it seem as if they are actual animals.  When the barbarian prisoners are first … Continue reading →

As the second half of the novel unfolds, Jenny is more and more honest with her audience, and I began to get a clear idea of not only her selfish snobbery but also her intense jealousy for a relationship that … Continue reading →

As I read this novel, I could not wrap my head around Jenny and Chris’s past relationship.  It did not make sense to me because it does not make sense to her.  It was not until looking back and reflecting … Continue reading →