Empathy, Sympathy and Witnessing Suffering in Damon Galgut's Small Circle of Beings and The Guardian

This article offers a close reading of Damon Galgut's Small Circle of Beings and The Guardian from the perspective of affect studies, specifically the theories that concentrate on emotions experienced as a result of empathy and sympathy. I argue that in both novellas, Galgut explores the power...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of southern African studies Jg. 51; H. 2; S. 257 - 273
1. Verfasser: Pawlicki, Marek
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Oxford Routledge 04.03.2025
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Schlagworte:
Closeness
Damon Galgut
Disengagement
Emotions
Empathy
Heroism & heroes
Novellas
Participation
Small Circle of Beings
Suffering
Sympathy
The Guardian
witnessing suffering
ISSN:0305-7070, 1465-3893
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:This article offers a close reading of Damon Galgut's Small Circle of Beings and The Guardian from the perspective of affect studies, specifically the theories that concentrate on emotions experienced as a result of empathy and sympathy. I argue that in both novellas, Galgut explores the power and the limits of empathy and sympathy by describing moments of emotional closeness and distance between his protagonists. Galgut's novellas not only examine empathy but also elicit a readerly response that involves both empathic involvement and reflective detachment. This combination of involvement and detachment makes it possible for readers to appreciate the intricate emotional dynamic of relationships between protagonists. While emotional involvement, achieved through empathy, enables readers to understand the viewpoint of Galgut's narrators, detachment makes them capable of transcending their perspectives to better understand those whose physical and mental suffering is described indirectly. This combination of empathic involvement and reflective detachment is necessary to appreciate the complexities of the protagonists' interactions, in which empathy is tested to its limits.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0305-7070
1465-3893
DOI:10.1080/03057070.2025.2548663