Waiting for the Barbarians (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: J. M. Coetzee
- First Published: 1980
- Type of Work: Psychological realism/political allegory
- Time of Work: Probably the early twentieth century
- Setting: A settlement on the frontier of an imaginary empire
- Principal Characters: The Magistrate, Colonel Joll, Warrant Officer Mandel, A young barbarian Woman
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Political fiction
- Subjects: Values, Power, personal or social, Racism, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Violence, Good and evil, Cruelty, Government, Torture, Frontier or pioneer life, Apartheid
The Novel
Waiting for the Barbarians is the meditative and melancholy tale of an aging colonial magistrate’s futile struggle against the stupidity, brutality, and racism of a government which he has served complacently all of his life. The unnamed magistrate is reluctant to take any action which would disrupt the pleasant and secure course of his life; he wishes to serve out his days “on this lazy frontier, waiting to retire,” spending his time engaged in “hunting and hawking and placid concupiscence.” Yet he goes gradually from being the reluctant associate of...
[The entire page is 3202 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
