"Othello" written by William Shakespeare play explores themes of jealousy, manipulation, betrayal

Summary:

                Set in post-apartheid South-Africa, J.M. Coetzee's searing novel tells the story of David Lurie, a twice divorced, 52 year old professor of communication and romantic Poetry at Cape Technical University which before the "great rationalization", had been the modern language department at Cape Town University college in Cape Town, South Africa. Lurie is a scholar of romanticism and history, who also reflects on himself and those around him and on his past and present and his interpretations are tinged with a certain irony directed at others and occasionally at himself.

          Lurie believes that he has created a comfortable, if somewhat passionless, life for himself. He lives within his financial and emotional means. Though his position at the university has been reduced, he teaches his classes dutifully and while age has diminished his attractiveness, weekly visits to a prostitute(Soraya) satisfy his sexual needs. He considers himself happy. But when Lurie seduces one of his students, Melanie Isaacs, he sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter his complacency and leave him utterly disgraced.

          Lurie pursues his relationship with the young Melanie, whom he described as having hips "as slim as a twelve year old's" obesessively and narcissistically, ignoring on one occess, her wish not to have sex. When Melanie and her father lodge a complaint against him, Lurie is brought before an academic committee. Investigated by the committee, Lurie admits his guilt but refuses to apologize and express his remorse over the affair. In the fur ore of the scandal, jeered at by students, threatened by Melanie's boyfriend, ridiculed by his ex-wife Rosalind, Lurie is forced to resign to escape outright dismissal.

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