Adriaan Van Zyl: Memorandum: Marlene Van Niekerk

Abstract

This article examines the textual relationship between the paintings of Adriaan van Zyl and the novel Memorandum: a story with paintings (2006) by Marlene van Niekerk. The traditional assumptions about what constitutes the narrative as genre are subverted by the inclusion of the so-called Hospital Series 2004-2006 by Van Zyl. The novel should not be read as a commentary on the paintings as such but rather as an accompaniment to the paintings – as suggested by the author herself. From the interaction between painting and novel the reader/viewer has to rely on certain codes and conventions to analyse the text under discussion. Genette’s notion of transtextuality and in particular his notion of the architext assists the reader in deconstructing the meaning of this collaborative project on human suffering.

In hierdie artikel word die tekstuele wisselwerking tussen die skilderye van Adriaan van Zyl en die roman van Marlene van Niekerk, Memorandum: `n verhaal met prente (2006) ondersoek. Wat ons tradisioneel bestempel as kenmerkend van die narratief as genre word gesuspendeer deur die insluiting van `n reeks skilderye, die sg Hospitaalreeks van Adriaan van Zyl. Die roman moet nie gelees word as synde kommentaar op die skilderye nie – soos wat die outeur self aangedui het. Uit hierdie interaksie tussen skildery en roman word die leser/kyker gedwing om sekere kodes en konvensies te gebruik om die teks te analiseer, maar wat noodwendig afwyk van sy bestaande opvattinge. Genette se konsepte soos transtekstualiteit en argiteks word ingespan om hierdie gesamentlike projek oor menslike lyding te dekonstrueer