Study Guide to Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

Ray Moore’s Study Guides aim to provide readers with insights into important texts, so that readers can develop their own ideas about the novel. Disgrace is a novel by Nobel Prize Winning author J. M. Coetzee. It traces the mid-life crisis of Professor David Lurie following his expulsion from the university for sexual misconduct. Lurie’s search for his own identity takes place in the context of a post-apartheid South Africa trying to come to terms with its racist past. This guide offers the reader insight into Coetzee’s ability to tell multiple stories which intertwine and interact. - An introduction; - A detailed discussion of characters, genre, narrative voice, and themes; - A detailed chapter-by-chapter commentary, with helpful explanatory notes, and guiding questions that suggest topics for further discussion and thought; - A graphic organizer that allows the reader to make notes; - A glossary of relevant literary terms; - A literary terms activity; - Suggestions for group discussion and post-reading activities.