Tsotsi

by Athol Fugard

Tsotsi: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Tsotsi is both a colonial/postcolonial novel and an example of a trauma narrative. These two genres often coincide with each other, given the fact that many colonial or post-colonial novels deal primarily with the traumatic effects of imperialist violence and occupation. South African apartheid is a prominent example of colonial violence, fracturing society along racial lines. As such, a narrative like that of Tsotsi, which contends with apartheid, must also contend with colonialism's various traumas and after-effects, which continue to be felt even in modern South African society.