The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner


finished 5/14 ............ classic South African ........... rating 8

Written in 1883 this is the powerful and strongly feminist story of life, death and love on an 19th century African farm. In following the very difficult lives of two Boer (white farmer) children, one female with money, the other male without status or money, through adulthood, Schreiner also examines imperialism, God, good and evil, nature and science and probably more I didn't catch. It's written in naturalist prose, almost edgy, angry, terse, but there are places where it becomes quite choppy. There is a center section, just into Part 2, which really breaks the flow although I think I know what Schreiner was trying to do. The story is told from the pov of the author which is just barely beyond, distanced, from that of a narrator but explores the issues involved. I think this was the point of the central very philosophical section.

Posted: Tue - May 15, 2007 at 06:38 AM        

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