The Liberal Stranger in J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54103/2037-2426/22456Parole chiave:
Vergogna di J. M. Coetzee, Liberalismo, Paura liquida, Straniero, Condizione umana, Ambiente multiculturaleAbstract
Titolo: Lo straniero liberale in Vergogna di J. M. Coetzee
Il romanzo Vergogna di J. M. Coetzee (1999) offre una potente rappresentazione della condizione umana nel complesso milieu del Sudafrica post-apartheid, caratterizzato da diversità etnica e da relazioni in continua trasformazione. Attraverso la travagliata parabola del professor David Lurie, uno studioso di letteratura intriso di umanesimo liberale, il romanzo esamina criticamente i limiti di quegli ideali quando messi a confronto con la realtà vissuta. Il percorso di Lurie, da figura intellettuale a emarginato in disgrazia, poi a ospite e a straniero, mette in luce il divario tra la sua formazione e l’ambiente radicalmente trasformato del post-apartheid, e dei suoi nuovi abitanti (gli stranieri). Le difficoltà di Lurie nell’attraversare queste dinamiche sociali alterate e il suo intreccio con la «paura liquida» evidenziano il fallimento della sua educazione liberale. Vergogna, comunque, non rappresenta soltanto un desolante quadro di disgregazione sociale. La posizione infine perturbante di Lurie come straniero, spogliato del suo status precedente, apre paradossalmente una strada verso la riscoperta di un «valore umano essenziale», la capacità di ‘dare cura’, lasciando intravedere la possibilità di una trasformazione morale, o di una rinascita.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sara Saei Dibavar, Hossein Pirnajmuddin

Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale.
Accettato 2026-04-02
Pubblicato 2026-07-21



