Abstract
Life-writing, and specifically autothanatographical life-writing, is described in
this study in terms of its development and nature as a genre and emerging
literary-theoretical perspective. Core aspects of autothanatographical life
writing are identified and related to the poetry in Antjie Krog’s collection
Plunder (2022). The investigation focuses on how an awareness of mortality,
aging and transience, which – in line with the theory of life-writing – results
in an increased awareness of disruption and, paradoxically, leads to
productivity.
In contemporary life-writing theory, views of self as a fixed entity are
destabilized. Identity is reconceptualized as a dynamic construct of multiple,
fragmented selves that are constantly re-performed and negotiated.
The study investigates how multiple self-constructs, in contrast to the fixed,
central self of autobiography, are formed and ultimately influence ethical
reflection on self-other interactions. The analysis demonstrates how death
consciousness causes disruption that is heightened by external contingencies
and how this heightened disruption manifests in the representation of
multiple self-constructs and the re-evaluation of personal and ideological
narratives, especially regarding ethical responsibility towards others.
Through selected poems, the study illustrates the self’s negotiation of
personal, social, political and existential complexities through a dialogical,
multiple self that prioritizes vulnerability, transformation and collective
responsibility. Referring to Emmanuel Levinas’ philosophy of face-to-face ...