Coetzee's Country Ways

This essay examines Disgrace in the light of Coetzee's critical intervention in and contribution to the tradition of the South African pastoral. The discussion focuses on two intertextual conversations: first, between Disgrace and Life & Times of Michael K and, second, between Disgrace and Charles van Onselen's oral history, The Seed is Mine . The essay reflects on the novel's lexicon (the meaning of basic words like 'friend', 'neighbour', and the like) and suggests that a crisis of definitions, relationships, and responsibilities lies at the heart of this troubling post-apartheid work.