Hushed Resolve, Reticence, and Rape In J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace

Select secondary literature regarding J. M. Coetzee's novel Disgrace frames Lucy Lurie's response to rape, or the apparent lack thereof, as a passive collusion with the degrading message of rape's native violence. In this essay, I deconstruct such a reading by exposing its conceptual prejudices regarding silence, agency, public speech, and the preemptive use of abstract terms. Taking Lucy's reticence as the guiding clue, I offer an alternative conceptual language to elucidate her hushed resolve and proactive silence.