Elizabeth Costello

Style and Technique

The novel "Elizabeth Costello" by John Maxwell Coetzee is distinguished by its complex and layered structure, consisting of eight lessons, each representing a separate lecture or presentation by the main character, writer Elizabeth Costello. Coetzee's style is characterized by philosophical depth and analytical precision, employing numerous literary devices such as intertextuality, metaphors, and allegories. The language of the work is rich with intellectual reflections and philosophical dialogues, emphasizing the protagonist's internal conflicts and moral dilemmas. The author also actively employs postmodern techniques, including blurring the lines between reality and fiction, as well as metanarrative, where the storytelling process itself becomes a subject of analysis.