A Question of Power (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Bessie Amelia Emery
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Work: Magical realism
- Time of Work: The late 1960’s and the early 1970’s
- Setting: Motabeng, Botswana
- Principal Characters: Elizabeth, Sello, Dan Molomo, Shorty, Tom, Eugene, Kenosi
- Genres: Long fiction, Magical Realism
- Subjects: 1960’s, 1970’s, Africa or Africans, Cattle, Race, Exile or expatriates, Education or educators, Religion, God, Mental illness, Imagination, Drugs, Hallucinations or illusions, Caste systems, Apartheid
- Locales: Botswana
The Novel
Bessie Head’s A Question of Power is a novel on two levels: On the literal level, it is the story of the woman Elizabeth, who has come to Botswana with her small son as an exile from South Africa. Elizabeth first teaches school and later becomes involved in a cooperative farming venture designed to boost the economy of the village of Motabeng and to instill some pride in the Batswana. On this level, the story has little action and few emotional hills and valleys. On another level, however, the novel is a record of Elizabeth’s mental breakdown and of her...
[The entire page is 1748 words long]
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