| The problem of confession is central to the works of J.M. Coetzee. For Coetzee, both writing and confession are driven by the pursuit of "truth." This truth, rooted in the self, is constructed and revealed through the process of writing. Writing and confession, then, share a similar dilemma; how can one reach a satisfactory conclusion when the truth remains ultimately unknowable? This thesis explores the problem of confession in three of Coetzee's post-Apartheid works: Boyhood, Youth, and Disgrace. These works, written out of a context in which confessional discourse had become increasingly prevalent, show the limits of and possibilities created by confession and by writing. To Coetzee, writing-as-confession is a way to approach truth, and while this truth alone may not be enough to provide the ultimate goal of confession---absolution---it is part of a movement toward a life of unstinting love for and service to alterity. |
