Hell and Redemption in Greig Coetzee’s Johnny Boskak is Feeling Funny

This paper analyses the ways in which Coetzee creates a hybrid tragi-comic epic through presenting the moral journey of very flawed, ordinary characters struggling with the aftermath of social change in a post-apartheid South Africa. The play, , is analysed for those elements which work towards a serious examination of the journey of the individual towards greater self-knowledge, or of the soul towards salvation. Karen Armstrong’s identification of the elements of myth provides a basis for comparison with the allegoric world created by Coetzee and experienced by the characters in the play. The balance between tragedy and comedy is considered to be the hallmark of this work and thus the paper also engages with aspects of style, such as characterisation, language, imagery and plot, which categorise the play as comic. With reference to Bergson’s classic writing on the play is shown to reveal many of the traditional comic elements. Throughout the play, the audience member alternates between an intellectual appreciation of the accuracy of the satire and a growing understanding of the darker implications of the story. Coetzee’s facility with language is examined, both in its literary and performance aspects, as is his ability to create recognisable characters and meaningful imagery.