Disgrace by J M Coetzee - Sept 2020 Book Group discussion thread

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Peregrinator
Peregrinator
Oct 2020
10:53pm, 4 Oct 2020
700 posts
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Peregrinator
Yes, not a book about good and evil, but about power and powerlessness. It does ask to be analysed, and I take the point about the dogs being put down as the weakest of the weak.

The narrator stands very close to David - eg. passing on his frustration with what his daughter does, but nothing to make us accept David. Which I assume is deliberate: Coetzee doesn't want us to be sympathetic towards any of the characters, or even the dogs.
Serendippily
Serendippily
Oct 2020
9:21am, 5 Oct 2020
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Serendippily
On the nation front I thought Lucy was the symbol of hope - she is open to building a life, despite the hate, despite the threat, despite the suffering and pain. David cannot make a logical argument for hope, and thus rejects it. I was reminded of Salman Rushdie describing Pakistan as a failure of the dreaming mind in Shame, which coexists well with Martin Luther Kings “I have a dream” and I thought disgrace was about and not about South Africa in the same way
westmoors
westmoors
Oct 2020
12:21pm, 11 Oct 2020
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westmoors
Finished this last night. Struggling to find the words to describe my feelings and thoughts. I gave it an 8 as in some ways I enjoyed it (was keen to pick it up to find out what happened) but in other ways I found it quite disturbing.
Columba
Columba
Oct 2020
7:52pm, 11 Oct 2020
20,361 posts
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Columba
My feelings too, Westmoors.
Peregrinator
Peregrinator
Oct 2020
8:46am, 17 Oct 2020
716 posts
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Peregrinator
independent.co.uk

I thought this was interesting in relation to Disgrace 30 years on: problems, but also some hope.

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About This Thread

Maintained by McGoohan
Ooh ooh ooh Disgrace
Satin and perfume and lace
The minute I saw your face
I knew that I loved you

So sang The Tymes in 1974 with their only UK number one.

In 1999, that song was turned into a prize-winning novel by J M Coetzee. Probably.



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