摘要：Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (2015) is an intriguing novel for anyone familiar with the early fiction of J.M. Coetzee. Nguyen’s debut novel has as its theme the war in Vietnam, which is not surprising given his background and his scholarly work preceding its publication. Interestingly, Coetzee’s first novel, Dusklands (1974) comprised two novellas, the first of which, called “The Vietnam Project”, is also related to the US invasion of Vietnam. Both works offer critical insights into US war-mongering in the post-World War II era. Additionally, Coetzee’s third novel, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), bears thematic resemblances with both his and Nguyen’s debut novels, as they, in one way or another, are concerned with imperialism’s modus operandi and its continuation through the subjugation, intimidation, and annihilation of collective subjects. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the parallels and overlaps that can be detected among these three novels that are germane to the stratagems adopted by an imperialist power to sustain its dominion, legitimize its presence, and justify brutality. These stratagems mediate the way the imperial force relates to or conceives of the other. Of the concepts employed in this article, the following are of particular significance: representation, grievability, and framing.
关键词：Representation;metaphysics of comprehension;mythography;affect;precarity;just memory
