Crises heterotopias and nature’s healing influence in Chinchilla (Nanette van Rooyen)

In this article, Michel Foucault’s term crises heterotopia is used to understand and describe the main character’s unique experience of particular places in Chinchilla. The article investigates the manner in which nature becomes part of the experience of crises heterotopias, and how the natural environment creates a space conducive to the processing of trauma within the novel. Images and experiences of nature offer the main character a “bridge” to an expressive representation of events that could not initially be otherwise verbalised. Contact with and influences from nature contribute to a new spiritual calm, energy, and perspective, as well as a rediscovery of her intuitive feminine wisdom and powers that leads to positive decisions regarding the future. Taking care of nature’s creatures leads to the recognition of some aspects of the main character’s own situation, and provides the associative stimuli for reliving the suppressed traumatic events; thereby helping to lift the silence, which aids the healing of the traumatised character in the story.

Key words : Nanette van Rooyen, Michel Foucault, nature, healing, farm novel.

Article text in Afrikaans