LINGUISTIC MINIMALISM AND ETHICAL AMBIGUITY: A CORPUS- ASSISTED STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF NARRATIVE VOICE IN SELECTED NOVELS OF J. M. COETZEE

Abstract

This study investigates linguistic minimalism and its relationship to ethical ambiguity inselected novels of J. M. Coetzee through a corpus-assisted stylistic framework. While existingscholarship has largely examined Coetzee’s fiction from political, postcolonial, andphilosophical perspectives, limited attention has been paid to the systematic linguistic patternsthat shape his distinctive narrative voice. Addressing this gap, the present research combinesquantitative corpus tools with qualitative close reading to examine lexical density, sentencelength distribution, modality, passive constructions, and patterns of speech representation inWaiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, and Disgrace