Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, as well as a useful introduction to the history of apartheid in South Africa. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 44-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of J. M. Coetzee
• Presentation of Disgrace
• Summary of Disgrace
• Character study
  • David Lurie
  • Melanie Isaacs
  • Lucy
  • Petrus
  • Bev Shaw
• Analysis of Disgrace
  • Narration
  • Context: apartheid
  • Theme: post-apartheid South Africa

About Disgrace

The “disgrace” to which this novel’s title refers is David Lurie’s dismissal from his university post after seducing a vulnerable student, which forces him to go live with his daughter Lucy, who owns a smallholding in the Eastern Cape. He must confront the social changes which have swept through South Africa after the end of apartheid (and which make him intensely uncomfortable), and before long his life is permanently turned upside down by a brutal attack.

Disgrace is one of Coetzee’s best-known works and won the 1999 Man Booker Prize.

About J. M. Coetzee

J. M. Coetzee is a South African writer of Dutch descent, and is a native speaker of Afrikaans, although he is best-known for writing in English. He worked as a computer scientist and a lecturer before turning his hand to writing, but he is now considered one of the most significant active English-language authors in the world. He has won a number of prestigious awards, including the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, and became the first person to win the Man Booker Prize twice in 1999. However, he is very reclusive and rarely makes public appearances or discusses his work.