Both Ben Okri and Segun Afolabi also engage with the theme of migration in several levels. First, both authors were born in Nigeria and have relocated to the metropolis. Second, the main characters depicted in their stories, in Okri’s ‘A Hidden History’ and Afolabi’s ‘Moses’ have similarly crossed borders into the UK but, quite in contrast to the writers are condemned to what Bhabha calls ‘ a life lived on the cultural margins of modern society.’ Third, a main thematic concern in the stories is the sessions between the protagonists’ place of liminality and the cultural, political, and social main stream.
Different touch of literary genre has been observed in Okri’s writing including aspects of life within Nigeria and in the World at large.
…show more content…
However, this short piece tells more than just Agodi and his troubles. It also tells of a military leader or head of the state, fearing another unexpected change, as a result of vision he had in traffic, decided to relinquish power to elected civilian government; and there is a midget who goes about advertising his protective prowess through physical demonstrations of his strength. The whole situation of both the stories turns so rapidly into some unexpected elements that Okri seems to have a deep engagement with both …show more content…
All Okri’s literary work rationally and constantly compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez for magical realism. Whereas with Chinua Achebe for his great Nigerian literary touch. Once Achebe was questioned to elucidate who represented a new generation of African writer for him, he precisely called out ‘Okri’.
Okri’s story ‘The Famished Road’ includes several features of magical realism. Precisely, instances of hybridity happen often. The character Azaro wrongly believes a character by the river to be the ferry man of the dead, he develops that she is in fact an amalgam woman, young in body but ‘with an old woman’s face’. The illustration is also a mixture of ancient ritual and custom.
Like other magical realist authors such as Kwame Anthony Appiah, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Allejo Carpentier, Mario Vargas Llosa, Kojo Laing, Isabel Allende, Toni Morrison, Syl Cheney-Coker and Ben Okri has his own idea that overcomes the option of transformation in magical
Theim, Jon. "The Textualization of the Reader in Magical Realist Fiction." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham; N.C.: Duke UP, 1995. 235-247.
Delbaere-Garant, Jeannie. "Variations on Magical Realism". Magical Realism Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkison Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham" Duke U.P., 1995. 249-263.
Louise Erdrich’s stories combine wildly dynamic characters with metaphoric language and elements of the supernatural to create tales that challenge the demarcations of cultural reality. In her stories “Plunge of the Brave,” “Scales,” and “Fleur,” Erdrich utilizes magical realism to help mystic elements seem more relatable to readers. The short stories, while otherwise straight-forward, are infused with touches of colorful language and mystic descriptions that, many critics claim, classifies Erdrich as a magical realist author. She uses magical realism in her stories to encourage readers to reconsider perceived ideas and question the determined realities of ethnic or cultural groups. By adding a few elements of the supernatural, Erdrich is actually inviting readers to expand their knowledge of different cultures and perceptions of the world.
Many opinions exist as to the true origins of Magical Realism. Flores has claimed that Borges, with his accomplished writings, began the movement. Flores also believes The Metamorphosis, written by Kafka, greatly influenced Borges, while other theories support Franz Roh as the source of this new movement. It seems the phrase was first coined by Roh while describing a new method of artwork in the 1920’s. This new artwork combined reality with a small addition of a nonrealistic aspect. For the most part, the general idea follows the theory of Roh’s creation.
For these reasons, based on the examination of these two works, one cannot assume that Sublime literature and Magical Realist literature are the same, nor can one assume that they are genres of one another. They seem to have many characteristics in common, and therefore one would assume that they maintain a close relationship, although independently. By comparing and contrasting another genre of literature with Magical Realism, the defining boundaries that make up Magical Realism are narrowed.
A successful writer is he who is able to transmit ideas, emotions, and wisdom on to his readers. He is cable of stirring emotions and capturing the reader's attention with vivid descriptions and clever dialogues. The writer can even play with the meanings of words and fuse reality with fiction to achieve his goal of taking the reader on a wonderful journey. His tools are but words, yet the art of writing is found in the use of the language to create though-provoking pieces that defy the changing times. Between the lines, voices and images emerge. Not everyone can write effectively and invoke these voices. It is those few who can create certain psychological effects on the reader who can seize him (or her) with inspiring teachings, frightening thoughts, and playful games with the language. These people are true writers…
By 1980s it had become a well-established ‘label’ for some forms of fiction. It has been applied, for instance, to the work of Luis Borges (1899-1988), the Argentinian who in 1935 published his Historian universal de la infamies, regarded by many as the first work of magical realism. The Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez is also regarded as a notable exponent of this kind of fiction, especially his novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ (1967). The Cuban Alejo Carpenter is another writer described as a magic realist.’ ‘Experiments in magical realism affects and techniques’ are to be found in the fiction of Italo Calvino John Fowler, Gunter Grass, Emma Tennant, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie and Ben
"Magical realism was first used by the art critic Franz Roh to designate the pictorial output of the Postexpressionist period, beginning around 1925" (Leal 120). Later, this term was applied to forms of literature. This type of literature contains characteristics such as real and unreal elements, no hesitation, and hidden meanings. Given these and other characteristics, it is easy to see that magical realism can be applied to things outside of literature, such as psychology.
Faris, Wendy B. Ordinary Enchantments: Magical Realism and the Remystification of Narrative. Nashville: Vanderbilt UP, 2004. 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. 21
Angel Flores has several good points in his essay on magical realism. He says that it “has been studied mostly through the thematic or biographical approach. The thematic approach has dwelt on geographical settings....The biographical approach on the other hand, has surveyed the literary production chronologically” (109). Flores believes that Jorge Luis Borges’ 1935 book A Universal History of Infamy was the first use of magical realism. He describes magical realism as transforming “the common and the everyday into the awesome and the unreal.” He says the writers “cling to reality as if to prevent ‘literature’ from getting in their way, as if to prevent their myth from flying off, as in fairy tales, to supernatural realms. The narrative proceeds in well-prepared, increasingly intense steps, which ultimately may lead to one great ambiguity or confusion....All magical realists have this in common” (qtd. in Leal 119-120). Flores states that “magical realists do not cater to a popular taste, rather they address themselves to the sophisticated, those not merely initiated in aesthetic mysteries but versed in subtleties” (qtd....
Achebe after war life reincarnated his love and passion for writing, securing a double position at two separate top publishing company based in Enugu and Ibadan, although he initially worked for the latter company in a different field eight years before. Achebe maximizes his opportunities as the director of both Nwamife and Heinemann publishing firms, to battle racism in literature. He assisted in creating the awareness for African writers, bringing the international spotlight to Nigeria. He started lecturing in the seventies at various institutions across the world starting at Nsukka the University of Nigeria and then at the University of Massachusetts and Connecticut. He established in an organization called Okike: A Nigerian journal of New Writing in
Chinua Achebe was an influential Nigerian author during the 1900’s who was credited with his three essays which have been fused together into the book “Home and Exile”. In his stories he discusses things such as his own Igbo people, the problems with colonialization, the strength that stories can have and many more topics. A big part of his essays are on his thoughts of colonialism, the impact it has had on his home of Nigeria, and how stories written by others either helped justify colonialism or rejected it. Chinua argues that stories have their own power to fight, and while stories themselves do not have the ability to directly fight colonialism; they do, however with their power of words, stories can motivate and encourage people to stand up against colonialism. In proving this thesis to be a true statement, I will be providing evidence of the how, why and the extent to which stories can fight colonialism.
Throughout Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah, there are several thematic elements used to express the corruption of the government in post-colonial Nigeria. Nigeria has been culturally changed due to colonial British rule. Colonial Britain has changed the way Nigerians govern, which has resulted in many coups throughout the timeline of Nigeria. The way and life now for Nigerians is very different than it would be without interference from outsiders. Anthills of the Savannah demonstrates the hardships that the people of Nigeria faced due to colonial British rule and corruption of their own government by using symbolism, foreshadowing, and, motifs throughout the novel.
...temporary Nigerian novels 1" in Journal of Postcolonial Writing, Routledge, 2008, Vol. 44(4), pp. 321-332.
Well-acclaimed author, Chinua Achebe from Wes Africa, is recognized worldwide for his exquisite and intelligent usage of literary devices to bring to the limelight pertinent issues facing the African continent, more specifically Nigeria. He introduces the world to his main character Obi Okonkwo whom; through his eyes, a glimpse is given into the world of a Nigerian .In Things Fall Apart, his first of three novels, Okonkwo, upon his arrival from England is completely detached from his African heritage. From the novel, it is noticed that Obi Okonkwo slowly becomes a part of a dominant class whose corruption he finds repugnant. In an effort to choose between the acceptance of traditional values and the pleasures of a fast changing world, Obi finds himself in a tight fix .He is faced with growing pressures from the expectations of his family, his community, and the larger society around him. With unprecedented lucidity and a growing passion, Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease remains till date a brilliant account of the challenges facing Nigeria today. This paper seeks to examine the representation of the colonial experiences of Obi Okonkwo in the fiction of Chinua Achebe.