Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses 18
(2005):
7-24
'Fa he o my s o y": W i ing Foe, De-Au ho izing (De)Foe
Manuel Almag o Jiménez
Uni e si y o Se ille
[email p o ec ed]s
ABSTRACT
Foe is p obably no J.M. Coe zee's bes known no el, al hough i is a ex o
g ea impo ance because o he way in which i s poli ical, li e a y and
heo e ical alúes a e in e ela ed.
The
no el add esses
a
ounda ional my h o
Wes e n socie ies in he igu e o Robinson C usoe, and d aws a en ion o i s
ex ual quali y. This conce n wi h he p ocess o ep esen a ion and he
na a i e quali y o ou belie s
is
also mani es ed h oughou
he
no el in o he
issues. Thus, in
he
ex he e
is a whole
panoply o e lec ions abou
he
cen al
issues a ec ing
he
e y mechanics o cons uc ing a ex ,
such
as,
o example,
he p ope way a s o y should be w i en, he ela ionship be ween
ep esen a ion and i s e e en in he eal, he p oblem o ealism, o he
ques ion o au ho ship.
1.
J.M. Coe zee has become an e en be e known w i e a e he concession o he Nobel
P ize o Li e a u e. Among bis mos amous no éis a e Wai ing o he Ba ba ians (1980)
and Disg ace (1999). His la es no el, Elizabe h Cos ello, appea ed in
2003.
Be ween
Wai ing o he Ba ba ians and Disg ace he published Foe (1986), a no el which c i ics
ha e conside ed as some hing apa om he o he no éis, a ansi ional wo k, bo h in
e ms o i s hemes and i s echnique, some hing like
a
hal in
his
ca ee . As a ma e o ac ,
Foe seems o possess a di e en quali y o in i one does no ind ha openly poli ical
elemen which is o en he hallma k o p e ious and la e no éis. Bu ha would be an
accep able iew only i we es ic ou eading o a e y supe icial le el and see i as a so
o li e a y di e imen o, he ypical pos mode n a i ac which akes he usual guise o
8
Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
li e a u e
abou
li e a u a (al hough
one could ask
i
he e is a
li e a u e ha
is
no ul ima ely
abou li e a u e).
I would like o sugges
ha Foe
is,
in ac ,
a
poli ical no el
as
much
as
any o his o he
no éis, no only because o
he
ame o e e ence which es ablishes i s o igin ( he igu e
o Robinson C usoe and wha i means in he Wes e n cul u al imagina y), bu also in a
deepe
sense
because,
beyond speci ic poli ical p oblems, he no el deals wi h issues ha
ha e o do wi h he way in which language is used o gené a e a abula ion ha can be
o e ed and accep ed as eal, as an objec i e ep esen a ion o an unques ionable eali y.
The no el highligh s he deg ee o which w i ing a s o y is ac ually an ac i i y which
implies manipula ing he o iginal elemen s in o an accep able ex , e en i
in
he p ocess,
which culmina es in a my hological c ea ion, some ac ual de ails, as impo an as hose
included in he ep esen a ion, a e le ou . The no el also emphasizes how his p ocess
de e mines
he
quali y o
he
ep esen a ion
and how he
c ea ion o
he my hos can only
be
done a he expense o sac i icing, a leas pa ly, ideli y o he o iginal expe ience o
ma e ial.
2.
The i s p oblem ha he eade aces in his no el has o do wi h deciding, a leas
app oxima ely, wha i is abou , i s main conce n. Ve y o en his is sol ed by simply
saying
ha Foe is a
e-w i ing o , o
a
a ia ion
on,
Robinson
C usoe,
o e en
a
pa ody
by
means o pos colonial in e ex uali y
(Hi sch,
1999:8). Bu i his isa
a ia ion,
in"Heand
His Man", his Nobel P ize lec u e, Coe zee p esen s ye ano he a ia ion on C uso and
F iday in a ex which conside s he ela ionship be ween ac and ic ion, he eal and he
ep esen ed, and
he
ques ion o w i ing and
au ho ship.
Tha
Coe zee is
in e es ed
in
hese
issues
is
mani es ed
also
in
how his
la es
no el,
Elizabe h
Cos ello,
e lec s, some imes in
sub le ways, on he ela ionship be ween li e a u e and eali y. The p o agonis , o
example,
is a
w i e
who has
w i en
a no el
abou Molly
Bloom,
he
well-known cha ac e
in James Joyce's Ulysses. Bu he e is a coincidence he e which is oo good o be
unin en ional, and i
is
ha he las
ñame
is he same
as
ha o
a
eal c i ic, Pe e Cos ello,
who has w i en a eal "biog aphy" o Leopold Bloom.1 In iew o hese in e ex ual
connec ions, I would like o
my
pa
o
sugges
ha Foe is
ano he case
in
poin ,
o e ing
mo e han simply a e-w i ing o an ea lie ex . Mo e speci ically, I would say ha
Coe zee's no el p esen s us wi h a so o "in es iga ion" o
a
possibly
silenced
o igin o
De oe's
ex ,
in an
exe cise no o science- ic ion bu o li e a u e- ic ion, i
such
edundan
e m
can help
o
he
momen .
And
I
would add ha
his
exe cise, ac ually a sophis ica ed
game wi h he his o y o li e a u e, is ca ied ou h ough a disguised a ia ion on he
s a egy o
he
ound manusc ip . Coe zee migh
ha e
an eceded Susan's na a i e wi h a
p e ace
(a
pe e se possibili y o
a
u u e
edi ion),
indica ing ha his no el
was
in eali y
a ound manusc ip , w i en be o e De oe w o e his no el. This would ob iously change
ou iew o De oe's ex , in a simila manne in which he Qum an manusc ip s may
ques ion he "o iginali y" o ce ain aspec s o Ch is ian my hology, e en i he e is an
on ological di e ence be ween
he
eal Qum an manusc ip s
and he
ic i e
Foe,
o while
"Fa he
o my
s o y ": W i ing
Foe,
De-Au ho izing (De)Foe
9
he o me a e conside ed au hen ic, he la e belongs o he ca ego y o ic ional
biog aphies and in en ed memo ies.
Playíng
his
a ia ion o he ound manusc ip
is
an in insic s a egy o his no el and
i uses
i empha ically, because om
he
e y i s
wo d,
ha
is
om he i le i sel (which
in his as in he case o he au ho ship is key o
his
aspec o ou
eading),
he no el calis
he eade 's a en ion o he ela ionship be ween Coe zee's and De oe's ex s, o he
peculia and speci ic way
in which
hey in e ac
in an
opposi ional
dialec ic.
This could be
de ined as "al e a ion", a e m ha subsumes he opposi ion be ween iden i y and
di e ence, alludes
o he
possibili y o becoming
o he ,
e en he O he , includes
all
manne
o in e sions and sub e sions o ñames and s o ies, and echoes he ela ed e m o
"al e i ies".
The i le is, hen, he i s ins ance o he al e a ions which Coe zee's no el makes
explici : Foe, and no De oe. Simila ly, la e we will ind C aso, no C usoe. Bu o he
al e a ions can
be
men ioned a di e en
le éis.
Susan'
s
las
ñame was
o iginally Be on bu
"i
became
co up ed in he mou hs o
s ange s"
(10) and inally became
Ba on.
And a
ano he poin she changes he ñame o become M s C aso (47). Ñames (and naming) a e
impo an o Susan, especially conside ing he awa eness o how wo ds acqui e new
meanings depending
on
whe e you
a e (108)
o
how he local
cul u e iden i ies
you wi h he
w ong
ñame.
In Bahia she
"was
hough
a
who e.
Bu he e
a e so
many who es
he e,
o ,
as
I
p e e
o
cali hem, eewomen, ha lwasno daun ed" (115). Bu i
is no only a
ee
woman who can be
conside ed
a
who e.
Also he Muse/Susan
is
seen unde
he
same ligh
(145),
and e en Foe sees himsel
as
"an oíd who e...who should ply he ade only in he
da k" (151).2
In o de
o
a oid sexual a acks while hey a e
on he
oad o B is ol,
Susan decides
o
disguise he sel
and
change he appea ance "hoping o pass o a
man"
(101). This
is
jus
one ins ance o
he
a ious subsequen changes and e en in e sions o
oles
conce ning
Susan and he ela ionship wi h Foe. This in e sión eaches i s climax in he desi e o
become " a he o my s o y" (123) and o exchange oles wi h
Foe,
bo h li e ally in hei
sexual encoun e (139-40), and in hei li e a y ela ionship: she will be he Muse ha
"mus
do
wha e e lies
in
he powe o a he he o sp ing" (140), while Foe will be he
mo he who is seen "a his labou s" (145), as a esul o
his
ha ing been isi ed by he
Muse.
And he will also
en e
a ma i al
ela ionship
wi h Susan in
which again
he oles
will
be e e sed
so
ha Foe will be no only he "in ended" (126) bu much
mo e:
"I hink o
you as a mis ess, o e en, i
I
da é speak he wo d, as a wi e" (152).
In he
same
way ha Foe al e s
his
own
ñame o
make i De oe, he al e s Susan's s o y
o
make i C uso(e)'s s o y in spi e o he a emp s o con ol he w i ing o he
s o y.
And
one o he impo an changes be ween De oe'
s
na a i e and Susan'
s
alleged o iginal lies
p ecisely in he igu e o Susan, which is comple ely omi ed, so ha i is no only he
"linguis ic" silence o F iday ha is highligh ed bu also he implici silence abou he
exis ence o
a
woman on he island. Likewise, he ela ionship be ween C aso and F iday
is somewha
al e ed.
C aso did no ind
a
oo p in
on he
sand and la e
on
F iday,
bu he
wo men ca ne oge he o he island, as hey managed o su i e he w eck o he ship on
10
Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
which hey
we e
sailing
(54).
Las ly, ano he impo an
al e a ion,
which
may be
explained
as
a
poli ical mo e on
he
pa o he au ho
himsel ,
has o do wi h Coe zee's al e ing he
o igin o F iday, no a Ca ib as in De oe's ex bu a neg o o A ican o igin.
Th ough
he
i leo
he
no el,
hen, Coe zee in okes
he
ques ion o o igins, so ha an
analogy
may be
es ablished in which
Foe is
he o iginal o De oe in
he same way ha Foe
would be he o iginal oí
Robinson
C usoe.
Thus, we come o he pa adoxical si ua ion in
which
Foe,
which
is
con en ionally ead as
an
al e a ion o he o iginal
Robinson
C usoe,
ies o show ha i is
Robinson C usoe
ha is ull o al e a ions: in o he wo ds, he
supposedly al e ed ex (because i is close o an imagined eal) se s i sel up as mo e
au hen ic and o iginal han
he
li e a y o iginal (which
is
p esen ed as simply
a
e sión o
he o me ).
3.
One o he mos e iden al e a ions in
Foe
conce ns he
igu e
o C uso.
To
begin
wi h
he
is
only
a
seconda y igu e
in
Coe zee's
no el,
almos
an excuse
o
he
e-e alua ion o he
C usoe
my h.
Also, he
is
depic ed
wi h nega i e
ea u es
which
highligh
his lack
o in e es
and his unhe oic inac i i y. Acco ding o Susan, when she ells him he s o y he simply
wa ches
in
silence
(10),
showing
no
u he cu iosi y and asking no hing
(13).
He does
no
wan o lea e he island (13) and is indi e en o sal a ion (14); he does no ca e abou
escuing ools (16) and does no keep a jou nal ei he . He is also di y and oo hless (19),
does no each F iday English
(21),
is ang y a seeing his ealm in aded
by a
woman (25),
and will no allow changes
(27).
He is
a
dull,
bo ing man
(34)
wi h
no
s o ies o ell o his
own li e and no in e es in he li es o o he s (34), someone who would be "a deep
disappoin men o he wo ld", al hough a be e hing on his island (34-35). Being
conce ned only wi h he island, he imposes on Susan and F iday a "mo óse silence" (36)
which e en caused F iday's memo ies o die "unde C uso's ule" (59). Looking back o
ha ime on he island, Susan belie es ha "li e wi h C uso pu lines on my b ow" (93).
Also,
C uso
is
p esen ed
as
manipula i e when
she
ecalls
how
he leads he
o
belie e ha
F iday is a cannibal (106). Bu p obably he mos ele an c i icism o C uso's igu e has
o do wi h his symbolic quali y as a man ep esen a i e o Wes e n socie y and as he
epi ome o capi alis e iciency. Fo Susan his sense o e iciency is comple ely absu d, as
is e lec ed in he useless oil o building e aces o no hing (18), some hing ha she
conside s "s upid labou " (35). I onically enough, Susan will embody he wo k e hic
cha ac e is ic oí
Robinson C usoe
when she ies o u n F iday in o a laund yman " o
o he wise idleness will des oy him" (56); o when she c i icizes his lack o in e es in
lea ning o play mo e han jus one une on a lu e: "I
is
a o m o incu iosi y, is i no , a
o mo slo h"(95).
The e sión which Susan gi es he eade o he igu e o Robinson C uso is no e y
posi i e. Beyond
his
abili y
o
su i e
and ec éa e an
en i onmen o su i al
and
secu i y,
his igu e is beli led by an a mosphe e o apa hy when i comes o he possibili y o
c ea ing a ch onicle ha bea s es imony o his deeds. As Susan w i es o Foe, he e is
no hing ex ao dina y abou
he
island
(43)
and
so
C uso's dullness
is
in ima ely connec ed
"Fa he
o my s o y":
W i ing
Foe,
De-Au ho izing (De)Foe
11
wi h he dullness o he s o y abou he island because C uso lacks he will o do any hing
excep spend his days wi hou much hope o ambi ions, and dies, no eally awa e o
his
si ua ion, when he ship which escued
him is
only
a
h ee-day oy
age
away om
he
coas
o England. Henee, he dies wi hou seeing he p omised land which he ec ea ed on he
island wi h he help no eally o ma e ial ins umen s bu wi h
he
ideological ools o his
bou geois men ali y, as shown by he example o " C uso's s o e, which was buil e y
nea lyo
s one"
(14).
4.
Ano he al e ed pa allel be ween
he wo
no éis
can be
seen
in he
simila i y be ween
bo h
i les bu wi h an impo an di e ence. Thus, "Robinson C usoe" is bo h he i le o he
no el
and he ñame
o
he main
cha ac e ,
while
"Foe"
is he i le
o
he
no el
and he ñame
o
an
au ho
who,
i
has
o be admi ed, is also a cha ac e in his pa icula ex . Tha he
i le
o Coe zee's no el alludes
o he
au ho o
Robinson C usoe is
e y impo an because
i conju es up he ques ion o au ho ship (and indi ec ly au ho i y), which is also a e y
ele an issue in Foe. Indeed in his no el he choice o he i le is an indica ion ha
au ho ship will also be unde sc u iny. Bu i will no simply be he ques ion o
who
he
au ho o his na a i e is bu
also,
in a mo e gene al sense, i will be a ques ion abou he
o igin
o
he
s o y
we a e
eading,
an
o igin
which seems o
ecede u he
and
u he back
in o an inapp ehensible eal. A numbe o possibili ies a e open o he eade as o he
o igin o
he
na a i e: we may hink o C uso and F iday's expe ience on he island bu
C uso's s o ies we e "so a ious and so ha d o econcile one wi h ano he " ha Susan
ca ne o
belie e ha
he
"no longe knew wha
was
u h, wha aney" (11-12); and F iday
canno speak
and
appa en ly canno e en lea n
o
speak.
Ano he possibili y
is
Susan, who
claims au ho i y o e " he his o y o
his
singula C uso, as I hea d i om his own lips"
(11),
and who is empha ically obsessed wi h he e ish o u h. Then he e is Foe, a
Godlike au ho bu also a "ghos w i e ", and someone, who gi en his p o essional
expe ience, sees he na a i e as an a i ac ha has o be cons uc ed. And we mus no
o ge J.M. Coe zee, a Sou h-a ican w i e who is decidedly connec ed wi h o he ex s
ela ed
o he
igu e o C usoe.
Among hose
ex s,
he e is
ano he
candida e in his
con es
o
he
o igin
and
i
is,
ob iously,
Robinson
C usoe,
he no el
o which Coe zee
w i es
an
In oduc ion
in which he
commen s
on he
ques ion o
he
ealness o he "au ho " (C usoe
himsel
in his
case) be o e he wen
on o
become a my h
in
Wes e n cul u e ( )
.3
And we
can hink o Daniel De oe whose eal ñame was Foe and who knew o he s o y o one
Alexande Selki k, a sailo who a e a mu iny had been le on he island o Juan
Fe nández
and
whose ad en u es
we e
published in
1713
by Si Richa d
S eele,
like o he
accoun s o ad en u es and oy ages o ha
ime.
This s o y, appa en ly, inspi ed De oe in
he
same way
ha
he
o he s o ies which
Foe,
acco ding o Susan, is used o lis ening o.
And o cou se we can in e p e he na a i e in
a
pos colonial key, gi en he o igin o he
au ho and his speci ic his o ical and poli ical backg ound, as Robe
M.
Pos does.
Tha i may be so di icul o decide a s able si e o he o igin o he ex seems
comple ely in en ional on Coe zee's pa . By doing so, Coe zee ies o unde mine a
sel -

12
Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
sa is ied no ion o au ho ship and b ing his no el in o
a
mo e di icul , and iche , e ain
in which he wo k ansmu es i sel
in o
a ex . To say i wi h (a ansla ion o ) he wo ds
o RolandBa hes(1977: 160-161):
The
au ho
is
epu ed
he
a he
and he
owne o his
wo k:
li e a y
science
he e o e eaches
ésped
o he manusc ip and he au ho 's decla ed in en ions, while socie y asse s he
legali y o
he
ela ion o
au ho o
wo k....
As
o
he
Tex , i
eads
wi hou
he
insc ip ion
o
he
Fa he .
Au ho , a he , God, phallus, ull P esence, T u h, Wo d, Law: all o hese
e ms
a epa
o Susan's desi e o be " a he o my s o y" (123). Bu "my s o y" has i s sou ce in an
o iginal momen o
chaos:
i C aso's e aces a e absu d and ha e o de bu no pu pose,
so oo his s o ies a e chao ic and hey a e i s manipula ed by Susan o u n hem in o an
o de ed hís o y, as she eels o be he only hei o C uso's memo y: "I who ha e disposal
o
all
ha C uso lea es behind, which is he s o y o his island" (45).
Susan, who wan s o be " a he o my s o y", has o deal in he p ocess wi h a
mys e ious gi l, who in con as is " a he -bo n" and eels " he pain o
lack,
no he pain
o
loss"
(91). The a he o his gi l is Daniel Foe,
who
bege s his lesh-and-bone
gi l,
as
an echo o De oe's quali y as a ounda ional a he o English p ose. Thus, he ini ially
ambiguous wo d " oe" alludes di ec ly o he ques ion o au ho ship and
o he
p ocess o
a he ing a na a i e. In ano he ins ance, Susan disag ees abou he s o y o he
I ishwoman ha
Foe ells
he .
Fo
Susan he
mo al o he s o y
is
" ha
he has he las wo d
who disposes o e he g ea es o cé" and ha he impo an hing is eally " o wha
in e p e e
he
s o y o my
las hou s has been
consigned" (124), s essing
hus ha i is
no
a
ma e o wha
he
s o y
is
abou bu o
who
ells i , calling a en ion again
o he
ques ion
o au ho ship and all ha i
implies:
ep esen a ion, poin o
iew,
o selec ion.
5.
The idea ha
he
o igin o he s o y lies
in
Susan
is
also subjec
o
ques ion, o
as
" a he "
o au ho o a na a i e Susan also su e s he same p oblems as any o he au ho . He
in en ions and he e sión could be simila ly doub ed by a eade who in he ligh o he
e idence
migh wan o ques ion he eliabili y
as
na a o
and he deg ee o
which
he s o y
co esponds wi h eali y. In e ec , his is ano he aspec which is p oblema ized in his
na a i e, and e en ually,
i
cons i u es ano he ins ance o he silence o Coe zee's no el,
ha
is,
he way in which i eludes all a emp s ( om all angles, a all le éis) a making i
meaning ul.
Susan's na a i e could be ques ioned o a numbe o easons. To begin wi h, he
"s o y o C uso's island", which Foe is w i ing, "will lie wi h a heap o o he pape s",
among
hem
"a mul i ude
o cas away
na a i es,
mos
o hem,
I
would
guess,
iddled wi h
lies"
(50) .Susan ea s ha C uso'
s
s o y
will
also
be
seen as simply ano he s o y in en ed
by some s o y elle , a no ion ha could only be coun e ed by C uso
himsel :
"Who bu
C uso, who is no mo e, could uly ell you C uso's s o y?" (51). Bu
also,
he eliabili y
"Fa he
o my s o y":
W i ing
Foe,
De-Au ho izing (De)Foe
13
can be ques ioned i we pay a en ion o all hose momen s when we ealize ha he
commen s a e based on he p ejudice o in w ong in e p e a ions o eali y. She, o
example, imagines Foe
in he
p ocess o w i ing ("I hink o you labou ing
in
you a ic",
52),
bu she imagines hings ha u n ou
o
be di e en ("I
is
no wholly as I imagined i
would
be",
65).
Tha
hings may
no be
as she
imagined
is
eally no impo an o someone
like he
who
belie es ha "li e is ne e as we expec i
o
be"
(113), and who is awa e o
he way
in which ecei ed
ideas,
whe he
hey
conce n dese
islands
(7),
o
cannibals (54),
o sa ages sleeping wi h one eye open (104), imply a use o s e eo ypes which do no
al way s co espond wi h he eal, and which may lead o w ong in e p e a ions o his o y
(54).
Also impo an in connec ion wi h
he
ques ion o Susan's eliabili y
is
wha
we
migh
cali he u h abou F iday, some hing ha Susan accep s ha will be impossible o
disco e . Talking abou
his
mu ila ion
she
says:
"How will wee e know
he
u h?"
(23).
And his is some hing which mo e and
mo e
becomes pa o he a i ude owa ds F iday.
And, hus, since she canno know he u h, he only hing le o he is guessing, o
example abou he meaning o his sca e ing whi e lakes o e he wa e (31), o his
bloodlus
(106),
o
whe e his
homeland
is
(107).
She
sugges s
ha i was
C uso
who
cu ou
F iday's ongue ou o ea o F iday 's cannibalism (ac ually
a
ecei ed idea
on he
pa
o
C uso, 81-82), and hen she goes on o insis on ha idea, guessing in a a he de ailed
manne , wi hou e enlooking: "I guess me ely,
I
ha e no looked in oyou
mou h"
(85).
This
a i ude
on
Susan'
s
pa u as F iday in o some hing e en mo e my s e ious. A one
poin
she
su p ises he sel admi ing ha F iday may ha e "a spi i o
soul"
(32), bu his
shows ha
he p oblem
is
basically
one
o unde s anding
and
o using
he
w ong app oach.
Thus,
she wonde s i he knows he meaning o dea h (45) when she should a he wonde
i F iday, o whom C uso had only augh as many wo ds as he needed (21), knows he
meaning o he (English) wo ds: "You mas e is dead, F iday" (44). In o he wo ds,
Susan is making a commen abou cul u al issues when i is all a ma e o linguis ic
compe ence. Tha
she
some imes does no unde s and wha
is
going
on can be
clea ly seen
in he scenes in which F iday is dancing wha seems o be a de ish
dance:
"I shi e as I
wa ch F iday dancing in he ki chen" (94), especially because she hinks ha his dance
akes his hough s o a ime "when he was a sa age among sa ages" (95), o ha " he
pu pose o
his
dancing
was o show
o h
he nakedness
unde nea h"
(118).
As he
example
shows, some imes Susan
p esen s
he in e p e a ions o F iday 's beha iou
as
u h, as an
accu a e desc ip ion o
how
he eels o eac s, how he has los all humani y (70), o how
he is laughing a he (146). When aced wi h he p esence o he my s e ious gi l, Susan
wonde s abou he and he o igin, which she canno unde s and ei he : "Does [Foe] send
he
as a sign?
Wha
is she a sign
o ?"
(79). Gi en F iday 's loss o his
ongue,
he also
s ands
o is g ounded on a oid and he himsel becomes a signi ie o which Susan adds a
signi ied.
Susan admi s ha only C uso could ell his
s o y
and how
di icul
i is o
know any hing
abou F iday. S ill,
she
decides
o
ell C uso's
s o y,
e en
i "in
he end I did
no know wha
was u h, wha was lies, and wha me e ambling" (12). Howe e , o he only a e y
14
Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
simple ule applies: "All I say is: Wha I saw, I w o e" (54). Bu seeing does no imply
unde s anding
(as he
de ish
dance
episode p o es); mo eo e ,
a
s o y needs
o be
w i en
down:
i
mus
ha e
no only u h in i bu
also
a , in
a
p ocess in which some hing is los
and some hing
gained:
"A
li eliness
is los
in w i ing
down
which mus be supplied
by
a ,
and I ha e no a " (40). She will hen igh o p ese e he eali y o he s o y om he
a i ice o
a
s o y elle whose ade may be "in
books,
no in u h" (40). I no u h, a
leas u h ulness migh be achie ed by he he o ic o
w i ing,
ha "a " which she may
lack bu
Foe
migh supply
so
ha
a
ic ional
lie may
e en ually p oduce wha Hen y James
migh cali an "ai o eali y".
6.
And wha is he
s o y ha
she
inally
ells
and
we ead? Is
i C uso's s o y o a he Susan's
s o y ying o ell his s o y? We migh de ine
Foe
as a ep esen a ion o
he
desi e o ell
a s o y, bu wha s o y ha is is no so easy o disce n since we may conside di e en
op ions, as, o example, ha his is he s o y o
an
eccen ic woman among de-cen e ed
subjec s; o ha his is a s o y abou publishing a s o y, abou u h in a s o y, e en abou
he possibili y o elling/w i ing a s o y (bu hen
again,
whose s o y?). As i
is,
all we a e
ce ain abou is he peculia ci cums ances o somebody who wan s o ell a s o y o
somebody who c ea es all so o di icul ies o he p ocess o elling a s o y, abou
somebody
who does no
wan
o ell his
s o y
o
canno
ell he
di e ence be ween ac
and
ancy, o abou somebody who canno ell his own s o y because he
is
no
e en
physically
"au ho ized".
The o igin o his s o y lies in
he
expe ience o
he
island,
as
li ed
by
C aso
and
pa ly
sha ed
by
Susan,
and
e ie ed h ough
he s o ies
which C aso
ells
Susan and he memo y
o hem. Fo C aso memo y
is
no some hing especially
impo an .
When
ad ised
by
Susan
o ake measu es o p ese e some eco d because "ou memo ies g ow less ce ain" (17)
he emains unmo ed: "No hing I ha e o go en
is
wo h emembe ing" (17). Bu Susan
sees i di e en ly, she belie es ha memo y is some hing essen ial and one o he main
ing edien s o
" he
weal h s o ed
in
s o ies"
(59).
She
e en wonde s i
" he
sec e meaning
o he wo d s o y" is "a s o ing-place o memo ies" (59), and de ines he "phan oms"
which she
inds
in
he
d eams
in e ms o "memo ies o
my waking
hou s,
b oken, mingled
andal e ed" and "as
eal,
o asli le eal,
as
he memo ies
hemsel es"
(138).4Bu memo y
is no enough o c éa e a s o y: i mus be gi en shape and, in pa icula , be u ned in o a
w i en
s o y,
o namen ed
wi h all
so s o de ails ("a housand
ouches",
as
Susan
says,
18)
o make
i unique
and
di e en om
any
o he ,
and
i
is
he e,
in
his
p ocess o w i ing, ha
a new se o p oblems appea . In he discussions be ween Susan and Foe hey go o e he
many aspec s o he p ocess o se ing a s o y down, and one o he main p oblems wi h
C uso's expe ience on he island seems o be, no he e en s which make up ha
expe ience, bu
he way o
ná a e
hem:5
he o m in which
hese
e en s a e linked
is
wha
will uly u n ha expe ience in o
a
na a i e, no only wi h a li e a y alué bu also wi h
a igh
o
claim i s s a us o e isimili ude.
Thei discussion oscilla es be ween wo opposing pe spec i es: Susan's desi e o ell
"Fa he o
my
s o y ": W i ing
Foe,
De-Au ho izing (De)Foe
15
he
u h,
and
Foe's desi e, gi en
his
expe ience
in he
a o w i ing, o cons uc
a
u h.6
Susan
ies
o coun e
he
idea ha only C uso could
ell
his s o y wi h he ac uali y o he
own e sión
as
an
eye-wi ness:
she would only include wha she saw. And because she is
awa e o he lack o "a " o p esen a gi en ma e ial she is willing o o e Foe de ails
abou F iday and C uso, "as a as I can supply hem; and all hese pa icula s M Foe is
wea ing
in o
a s o y"
(58).7
She
is
able o
p o ide
Foe
wi h
he
pa icula s
bu ,
again, ha
will
no be
enough:
" hough
my
s o y gi es he u h, i does no gi e he subs ance o he
u h" (51). And he eason o his is ha hei s o y is dull because no hing eally
happened, and e en " he sun
was
mild" (81). The e a e " ouches o mys e y" bu hey a e
eally unin e es ing, like he e aces (83), o unsol able, like F iday's mu ila ion o
submission, o his sca e ing o
pe áis
on he wa e (84-87). These mys e ies will no be
included in Foe's inal e sión, bu she wonde s abou hese mys e ies, aking he
pe spec i e o
he
eade
(86),
and
in
ha
sense
echoing
he
ques ions posed
o
he
by
Foe.
She,
hen, dependson
Foe
o um he na a i e in o anin e es ing, sellable, s o y, ha
can
sol e
hei inancial p oblems
(81),
being
awa e
ha
in he
p esen si ua ion "we
will
ne e
make ou Fo unes, F iday, by being me ely wha
we
a e, o we e" (82).
This
is
ano he indica ion o
he
di e ence be ween
he
ac ual expe ience
and i s
ex ual
exis ence, bu on he o he hand Susan insis s epea edly on he desi e o s ick o he
ac uali y o he s o y. When asked by Foe o include some de ails o he own pe sonal
s o y, she simply eplies: "Bahia is no pa o
my
s o y" (114). Al hough she admi s ha
De oe's na a i e mus ell he u h and please i s eade s (63), and ha "wha we can
accep in li e we canno accep
in
his o y"
(67), she also ejec s he need o in en s ange
ci cums ances o make
a
good s o y
(67).
Mo eo e ,
she
ul ima ely disag ees abou Foe's
concep ion o
he
s o y, s uggling o emphasize he s o y she is in e es ed in elling, one
in which he di e en elemen s make sense wi hin he la ge whole, e en he s o y o
F iday, "no
a
s o y bu a
puzzle
o holein
he
na a i e"
(121). Also,
she wan s o
exelude
elemen s which migh be a ac i e om he poin o iew o plo o inciden bu which
simply "we e no he u h" (121). Bu al hough
she
knows ha
he
wo ld is always la ge
man i s ep esen a ion in wo ds (122), she is eluc an o accep ha some measu e o
my s i ica ion
is
ine i able
in he
ep esen a ion o
he
eal.
She wan s he
s o y o he island
o be he s o y she chooses o ell he way she chooses o ell i : "I am a ee woman who
asse s
he eedom
by
elling he s o y acco ding
o
he
own
desi e"
(131), o ge ing ha
he s o y, w i en
by
Foe, old by Susan, li ed by C uso, mo es u he and u he away
om i s o igin.
Susan conside s ha he li e will be "d ea ily suspended" ill Foe's w i ing is done
(63),
a
w i ing which
will se
he " ee o
C uso
and F iday" (66). Fo he , he ole o he
s o y elle is o di ine he "p omise o ullness" in he episodes o
a
li e. This p ocess o
di ina ion can only be e ec ed h ough " he g ace o illumina ion". Bu al hough,
acco ding o Susan (72), Foe could no ha e possibly in en ed he s o y, he admi s he
possibili y o subs i u ing he inspi a ion o
he
muse by he imagina ion o
he
au ho as
conju e
(135).
She hinks
ha being
an
au ho
is an easy
hing
(93),
bu
Foe ells
he o his
o en being "los
in he maze
o doub ing"
(135) and
abou
his icks o
su i e.
Thus, when
22 Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
No es
1.
Implici
he e also is a
pa allel wi h Coe zee
and Foe
and
a
a he humo ous commen on he
business o li e a y c i icism in gene al, o Elizabe h Cos ello is p esen ed
as
ha ing "made he
ñame wi h he ou h
no el,
The House on Eccles S ee
(1969),
whose main cha ac e
is
Ma ión
Bloom, wi e o Leopold Bloom, p incipal cha ac e o ano he no el,
Ulysses
(1922), by James
Joyce.
In he
pas decade he e has g own
up
a ound he a small c i ical indus y; he e
is
e en an
Elizabe h Cos ello Socie y, based in Albuque que, New México, which pu s ou a qua e ly
Elizabe h Cos ello Newsle e " (1-2). La e on an explici connec ion be ween he and Daniel
De oe
is
made:
"The blue
cos ume,
he g easy
hai ,
a e
de ails,
signs
o
a modé a e
ealism.
Supply
he
pa icula s,
allow he
signiñca ions
o
eme ge o hemsel es.
A
p ocedu e pionee edby Daniel
De oe" (4). And he ela ionship wi h Joyce's no el is also an explana ion o Coe zee's a i ude
owa ds
Robinson
C usoe.
While discussing he no el wi h an in e iewe Cos ello says "No, I
don' see mysel
as
challenging
Joyce.
Bu ce ain books a e so p odigally in en i e ha he e is
plen y o ma e ial le o e a he end, ma e ial ha almos in i es you o ake i o e and use i o
build some hing o you own" (13).
2.
Tha ñames may ha e o do wi h
a
ce ain social epu a ion
is
one example, among o he s,
o his no el's in e ex ual ela ionship wi h ano he no el by De oe,
Molí
Flande s,
in which he
ñame o he p o agonis is also indica i e o he p o ession as p os i u e. Tha no el is also
indi ec ly p esen in Susan's allusion
o
Foe's "g enadie s in Flande s" (66).
3.
In e es ingly enough, Coe zee s a s his "In oduc ion" by es ablishing an in e ex ual
ilia ion: "Like Odysseus emba ked o I haca, like Quixo e moun ed on Rocinan e, Robinson
C usoe wi h his pa o and umb ella has become a igu e in he collec i e consciousness o he
Wes ...", ( ).
4.
The s a us o eali y gi en
o
memo ies connec s he wo k o Coe zee wi h ce ain
ends
in
pos mode nis ic ion. Thus, Susan's commen ha
he e is
"noshamein o ge ing: i isou na u e
o o ge " (17-18) can
be
ead in pa allel wi h Jo ge Luis Bo ges's "Funes el Memo ioso". Also
we should keep in mind Coe zee's c i ical wo k on Samuel Becke , in whose
The Unnamable
he
oicewhospeaks
says a
one poin :
"I
in en edmy memo ies"
(364).
In a
ca neo
appea ancein he
ñlmLisbon
S o y by Wim
Wende s,
he
Po uguese di ec o Manoel
de
Oli ei a
s a es:
"The only
u h is memo y, bu memo y is an in en ion".
5.
One canno
help
hinking
a his
poin o Linda Hu cheon' s opposi ion be ween ( eal) e en
and (his o ical) ac , and Hayden Whi e's commen s on he ic ionaliza ion o His o y.
6. Ano he ins ance o his no el's and Coe zee's pos mode nis ilia ion. C . Don DeLillo's
"I cons uc sen ences".
7.
Pe haps Susan
is
unawa e ha
he e
is a sha ed language be ween wea ing and w i ing and
ha he use o "wea e" as a e m o e e o w i ing has a long adi ion, o example in he
connec ion be ween he G eek
hapsodós
( he singe o epic poems) and
hap o
( o sew, mend,
wea e, a ange). The e m "wea e" emphasizes he a i icial quali y o he ex , i s ab ica ed
ex u e.
8. And ob iously in he case o De oe's no el, he ex is no simply a ale o ad en u es bu
i has
meaning wi hin
a
la ge s o y, which is no li e a y bu which
has
o do wi h
he
ideological
discou se o capi alism and bou geois alúes in
he
eigh een h cen u y.
9. Susan
engages
in
a
simila ope a ion when conside ing
he
dissimili ude be ween he sel and
he unknown gi l (76).

"Fa he o my s o y
":
W i ing Foe, De-Au ho izing (De)Foe 23
10.
Among o he s, a by now classic ex in his ega á is ha by Gaya i Spi ak, "Can he
Subal e nSpeak?"
11.
This is ano he example o he in e ex ual quali y o his no el, o Susan's commen
ankly ecalls he si ua ion o a g oup o cha ac e s in Flann
O'B ien's
A
Swim-Two-Bi ds,
ano he
no el in which he
p oblems inhe en
o
w i ing and au ho ship a e deal
wi h
ex ensi ely.
12.
In line wi h he allusion o
O'B ien
in no e 11, he e is he possibili y o in e p e ing
Susan's
wo ds o he
daugh e (" You
a e
a he -bo n.
You ha e no
mo he ")
as an ins ance
o wha
inA
Swim-Two-Bi ds is
p esen ed
as he
" heo y o aes ho-au ogamy ", which
aims
a "p oducing
a li ing mammal om an ope a ion in ol ing nei he e iliza ion ño concep ion", and which is
"a e y
amilia phenomenon in li e a ee" (40). Aes ho-au ogamy explains
why a
gi en cha ac e
may be
"bo n a
he age
o wen y- i e" and en e " he wo ld
wi h
a memo y bu wi hou a pe sonal
expe ience o accoun o i " o how his well- o med ee h may be "s ained by obáceo, wi h wo
mola s illed and a ca i y h ea ened in he leñ canine" (9). This "scien i ic" heo y is used in
O'B ien's
no el o emphasize
he
pu ely ex ual o igin o he cha ac e s,
in une
wi h
he
idea ha
"exis ing li e a u e should
be
ega ded
as a limbo
om which disce ning au ho s could
d aw
hei
cha ac e s as equi ed" (25), bu also o emphasize he poie ic quali y o language and he
demiu gic powe o he God-like igu e o
he
au ho , while a he same ime de-s abilizing any
no ion o
a
clea -cu sepa a ion be ween
he
ic i e and he eal by p esen ing
a
ex in which bo h
au ho s and cha ac e s inhabi an on ologically iden ical space.
13.
O cou se, Chap e 4, once mo e, dis up s he gene al pa e n wi h i s hi d-pe son
na a o . On he o he hand,
aElizabe h Cos ello
(45),
someone
says:
"The A icanno el, he ue
A ican
no el,
is an o al no el".
14.
Manguel (2001) ells he s o y o
a
ce ainp ies in he eig h een h cen u y who, showing
a copy o he King James Bible, would
ease his
audience saying ha wha
he
held
in his
hand was
no eally
he
wo d o God, bu
a
ansla ion o i . Bu appa en ly no e e ybody
knows
his.
Thus,
K is o ells he s o y o how "a Texas go e no , Mi iam 'Ma' Fe guson, ba ed he eaching o
o eign languages abou 80 yea s ago, saying, T English was good enough o Jesús Ch is , i 's
good enough o us.'" Also Manguel (1997) gi es an in e es ing accoun o he p ocess o
ansla ion o he King James e sión o
he Bible in
which again
he
weak posi ion o he o iginal
is
s essed:
"One
o
he bishops
on he schola ly
commi ee,
Bishop
Banc o " s ipula ed ha "[ he
ansla o s] would ollow, as closely as possible, he ea lie Bishops' Bible o 1568 (a e ised
edi ion o he so-called G ea
Bible,
which was in u n
a
e isión o
he
Ma hew's Bible, i sel
a
composi e o he incomple e
Bible
o William
Tyndale
and
he
i s p in ed edi ion o he comple e
English Bible, p oduced by Miles Co e dale)" (271-272), and "e en i
he
o iginal sugges ed a
mo e aecu a e
ansla ion, adi ionalusage would p e ailo e exae ness. Ino he wo ds, Banc o
acknowledged ha an es ablished eading o e ode ha o
he
au ho " (272-273).
15.
Implici in my a gumen a his poin is he al eady es ablished pen = penis equa ion,
coun e balanced
by
Cixous' s"
sup eme
hole"
(Cixous
85).
Tha F iday is la e de ined in e ms
o
"hole"
u ns him in o a eminine igu e. See Mo gan o an analysis along hese
lines.
Susan also
conside s F iday's mu ila ion in a way in which ongue and penis a e made equal: "I
wonde ed...whe he he los ongue migh s and no only o i sel bu o a mo e a ocious
mu ila ion; whe he by a dumb sla e I was o unde s and a sla e unmanned" (119).
16.
As said ea lie , au ho ship is also p esen in Coe zee's Nobel lec u e in wha seems o be
ano he u n o he sc ew o
he
s o y
we
ha e in
Foe.
In he
lec u e,
we
ha e he s o y o a " eal"
C usoe li ing
in B is ol,
oíd
and e i ed om
his
ade,
who eads
he ch onicles which an i ine an
24 Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
F iday w i es o him.
17.
In his way, he implica ion
is
ha
a
eade
has
ecei ed
ideas
o wha
o
expec
in a
s o y,
some hing ha o Susan can be misleading: "Fo eade s ea ed on a elle s' ales, he wo ds
dese isle
may conju e up a place o so sands and shady ees whe e b ooks un o quench he
cas away's hi s and ipe ui alls in o his hand, whe e no mo e is asked o him han
o
d owse
he days
away ill
a ship
calis o e ch
him
home.
Bu
he
island on which
I
was cas away
was
qui e
ano he
place..".
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