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 in
selected novels of J. M. Coetzee through a corpus-assisted stylistic framework. While existing
scholarship has largely examined Coetzee’s fiction from political, postcolonial, and
philosophical perspectives, limited attention has been paid to the systematic linguistic patterns
that shape his distinctive narrative voice. Addressing this gap, the present research combines
quantitative corpus tools with qualitative close reading to examine lexical density, sentence
length distribution, modality, passive constructions, and patterns of speech representation in
Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, and Disgrace.