Lewe en dood en die religieuse aspekte van plaasvervanging in Fees van die ongenooides (PG du Plessis) en De aanslag (Harry Mulisch) en die filmweergawes van die romans

Abstract

Different perspectives on the relation between life and death in war are examined in two novels, namely PG du Plessis’ Fees van die ongenooides and Harry Mulisch’s De aanslag. Religious aspects of life and death as well as substitution are regarded as essential in the novels. A deep Christian reflection on how the authors and filmmakers view these aspects is necessary. Du Plessis uses magic realism in his novel to both engage in the horrors of war and create new possibilities. In this regard, the child character Finatjie, who has the gift of seeing hidden things, especially death, is placed in the centre of the novel. The religious element is strongly portrayed in the grandfather Daniel. He loses his faith in the face of the many deaths in the British concentration camps. He desperately asks the question: “Where is God?” The film version Feast of the uninvited, a series on Mnet, was released prior to the publication of the novel. The book and the series refer to the same history and the implications of visual effects in the series are relevant for the evaluation of the book and the series. Life and the horrors of death in war are also noted in Harry Mulisch’s De aanslag. The young Anton experiences the horrors of his families’ death by the Nazis after being captured by them. During his entire life, he experienced the disruption of the past. The film version aptly shows the horror of war. Ultimately, there may be hope when Anton’s son Peter represents his brother who was killed. The two novels and the film versions relate to the horrors of war. The reality of death remains a deep challenge to the experiences of the characters. Both the books and the films explain how Christian images are related to the questions of life and death and open the door for the interpretation of these issues, although from an own perspective.