Classification of Setswana short stories

Abstract

The aim of this article is to reclassify Setswana short stories according to their treatment of female characters. Critics such as Ranamane have classified Setswana literary works according to year of publication, without giving any valid reasons for this type of classification. This article, focusing on the development of the characterisation of women in Setswana short stories, classifies stories based on three periods, namely the phase of womanism, the experimental phase and the phase of feminism. In the phase of womanism, the outstanding features of characterisation of females include oppression and ill-treatment, discrimination and segregation, ignorance, physical violence against females and limitation of the role of women to caring for the extended family. In the experimental phase, features include liberation of a female character, freedom of the whole society, agreement on marriage and working together as a team to solve the problems of society. The phase of feminism is identified by features of characterisation of females such as eradication of oppression, the fight for equality between women and men, removal of segregation and discrimination and also change across the whole of society. AFRIKAANS: Die doel van hierdie artikel is om Setswanakortverhale te herklassifiseer volgens die aard van hulle vrouekarakters. Kritici soos Ranamane het letterkundige werke in Setswana volgens hulle publikasiedatum geklassifiseer sonder om geldige redes vir hierdie soort klassifikasie te gee. Hierdie artikel fokus op die ontwikkeling van karakterisering van vroue in Setswanakortverhale. Hiervolgens word verhale geklassifiseer op grond van drie periodes, naamlik die fase van vrouebewussyn (womanism), die eksperimentele fase en die feministiese fase. In die fase van vrouebewussyn sluit die belangrikste kenmerke van vroulike karakterisering in: die onderdrukking en slegte behandeling, diskriminasie en segregasie, onkunde, fisiese geweld teen vroue, en die beperking van die vrou se rol tot die omsien na die uitgebreide gesin. Die kenmerke van die eksperimentele fase sluit in: die vrywording van 'n vroulike karakter, vryheid van die hele gemeenskap, ooreenkoms oor huwelike en mense wat as 'n span saamwerk om die probleme van die samelewing op te los. Die feministiese fase word gekenmerk deur eienskappe van vroulike karakterisering, soos die uitwissing van onderdrukking, die stryd om gelykheid tussen mans en vroue, afskaffing van segregasie en diskriminasie en ook die verandering in die hele gemeenskap.