"Father to my story": Writing "Foe", De-authorizing (De)Foe

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..". (7). Wo ks Ci ed Ba hes, Roland (1977): "F om Wo k o Tex ". Image-Music-Tex . New Yo k: Hill and Wang, 155-164. Becke , Samuel (1979): The Becke T ilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable. London: Picado . Bo ges, Jo ge Luis (1985): "Funes el memo ioso". Ficciones. Ba celona: Plane a, 121-132. Cixous,Helene(1986): "So ies". TheNewlyBomWoman. In: Theo yandHis o yo Li e a u e, Volume24. Minneapolis: Uni e si y o Minneso a P ess, 63-132. Coe zee, J.M (1987): Foe. Ha mondswo h: Penguin. . (1999): "In oduc ion", Daniel De oe. Robinson C usoe. Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, -xi. . (2003): "He and His Man". Online documen . A ailable a : h p: //www. nobel. se/li e a u e/lau ea es/2003 /coe zee-lec u e-e. h ml. . (2004): Elizabe h Cos ello. London: Vin age. Cos ello, Pe e (1981): LeopoldBloom: A Biog aphy. Dublin: Gilí and Macmillan. Begley, Adam(1993): "DonDeLillo: AnIn e iew". Pa ísRe iew 35: 128 (Fall): 274-306. Hi sch, Sallie A (1999): "Agendas o In e ex uali y: Aime Cesai e, J.M. Coe zee, Daniel De oe, and William Shakespea e". Making Connec ions: A Jou nal o Teache s o Cul u ally Di e se Li e a u es 3,8-10. Hu cheon, Linda (1989): The Poli ics o Pos mode nism. London: Rou ledge. K is o , Nicholas D. (2004): "God and Sex". Online documen . A ailable a : h p: //www. ny imes. com/2004/ 10/23/opinion/23k is o .h ml. Manguel, Albe o (1997): A His o y o Reading. New Yo k: Penguin. . (2001): "La Biblia no es la Biblia". Online documen . A ailable a : h p: //w w w. elpais. es/suplemen os/babelia/20010623 /b2. h ml. Ma shall, B enda (1992): Teaching he Pos mode n. Fic ion and Theo y. New Yo k: Rou ledge. Mo gan, Pe e E. (1994) "Foe' s De oe and La JeuneNée: es ablishingame apho ical e e en o he elided emale oice". C i ique: S udiesin Con empo a y Fic ion. 35:2 (Win e ): 81-96. O'B ien, Flann (1980): A Swim-Two-Bi ds. Ha mondswo h: Penguin. Pos ,Robe M(1989): "TheNoiseo F eedom: J.M. Coe zee'sFoe", C i ique. 30(3): 143-154. Rich, Ad ienne (1973): "Di ing In o he W eck". Poems 1971-1972. New Yo k: No on, 22-23. Spi ak, Gaya i (1988): " Can he Subal e n Speak? ". Ma xism and he In e p e a ion o Cul u e. Eds. Ca y Nelson and La y G ossbe g. Chicago:Uni e si y o Illinois P ess, 271-313. Wende s, Wim (1994): Lisbon S o y. Road Mo ies Filmp oduk ion: Be lin. Whi e, Hayden (1973): Me ahis o y: The His o icalImagina ion in Nine een h-Cen u y Eu ope. Bal imo e, Md.: Johns Hopkins Uni e si y P ess.