Unveiling intrigue: A comparative analysis of detective stories in Sepedi and Afrikaans, Nnete Fela and Ikarus/Prooi

Abstract

 Comparative literature studies promotes multilingual education in several ways because when students in language departments engage with texts written in different languages, they develop proficiency in multiple languages, enhance their linguistic skills and get to know the cultural nuances embedded within each language. In South Africa, the development of comparative literature studies in English, African languages and Afrikaans is not linear or directly comparable across languages, given the complexities of language, culture, and academic contexts. In the spirit of renewal, many scholars have compared literary works from different South African languages and cultures. This study proposes a comparison of a Sepedi detective story and an Afrikaans detective series by Deon Meyer. It considers suspense and mystery as literary-theoretical concepts and moves on to the reader's engagement with the mystery, the protagonist and their journey. The comparison renders differences and similarities between the Sepedi and Afrikaans literary texts. Nnete Fela’s Ariel Meso and Bennie Griessel in Ikarus and Prooi are found to be contrasting character archetypes. Ariel and Bennie have contrasting fortunes, with Ariel being a lucky person all round, and Bennie suffering one misfortune after another. Ariel is successful in love and personal relationships, while Bennie’s life is generally in turmoil. Both investigators are shown to be moral anchors in their respective narratives, but they are contrasting character archetypes, they have contrasting fortunes, and experience different degrees of success in love and personal relationships.