Unizulu academics break new ground with books
Addison, a full professor in the Department of English, published her debut book ‘A Genealogy of the Verse Novel’ in September
THE University of Zululand (Unizulu) has applauded Faculty of Arts Professor Catherine Addison and Khenani Makhoba, who have become the first individuals to publish books in their chosen genres.
Addison, a full professor in the Department of English, published her debut book ‘A Genealogy of the Verse Novel’ in September.
The book covers the theory of verse (poetry) novels and analyses the chronological historical aspects of the genre.
‘When one writes a novel in verse, it isn’t just a matter of cutting your discourse into lines. One also provides various other kinds of stylisation, for example metre and rhyme, and image and metaphor, and this affects the message because when you read a novel written in verse, you hear the ‘music’ in it.
‘So what I wanted to do in this book was to show how that ‘music’ affects the story. I feel it is also quite important for narratologists to look at verse structure, because a story written in this way actually gives it (the story) a different dynamic,’ Prof Addison explained.
Meanwhile Makhoba, a columnist and writer who has a number of books underthe belt, recently published ‘Amancoko Okuqala’, which studies the genre of jokes. He is the first individual to publish a book in his chosen genre in IsiZulu.
The lecturer in the Department of African Languages and Culture says his love for comedy dates back to his childhood.
‘With jokes, communication is made easier, accessible and understandable to everyone.
‘I sometimes use jokes as ice-breakers when I lecture my students. I find that jokes are applicable to every aspect of life, but the trick is in the interpretation. Some jokes may not be funny to some because of language barriers,’ Makhoba said.
The book covers the theory behind jokes and features a variety of jokes which Makhoba either wrote or borrowed from friends and family.
‘I believe that such books would be essential for primary schools as they would encourage children to be more confident to speak in different spheres.
‘But most importantly, I believe that there is always a lesson to be learnt in jokes. Cartoonists such as Jonathan Shapiro, for instance, are a good example of this,’ he said.
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