Nigerian Literary Imagination and the Nationhood Project

Description

This book explores how modern Nigerian fiction is rooted in writers’ understanding of their identity and perception of Nigeria as a country and home. Surveying a broad range of authors and texts, the book shows how these fictionalized representations of Nigeria reveal authentic perceptions of Nigeria’s history and culture today. Many of the lessons in these works of literature provide cautionary tales and critiques of Nigeria, as well as an examination of the lasting impact of colonialism. Furthermore, the book presents the nation as both the framework and subject of its narrative. By conducting literary analyses of Nigerian fiction with historical reference points, this work demonstrates how Nigerian literature can convey profound themes and knowledge that resonates with audiences, teaching Nigerians and non-Nigerians about the colonial and postcolonial experience. The chapters cover topics on nationhood, women’s writing, postcolonial modernity, and Nigerian literature in the digital age. Preface Acknowledgments About the Book Praise for Nigerian Literary Imagination and the Nationhood Project Contents About the Author List of Figures Chapter 1: The Nation as Fiction/Fictionalizing the Nation Introduction Part I: Colonial Phase Chapter 2: Literature and the Colonized Nation Introduction Self Against the Other: Tutuola, Achebe, Soyinka, Others Against Colonialism The Fate of Women in the Literature of the Colonized Classics as Reflections of Nigerian Culture and a Counter-Discourse Post-Independence Literature Conclusion Chapter 3: Literary Founding Fathers and Ideas of Nationhood Introduction Nationhood and Nationalism Ethnic Nationality: The Threat to Nationhood The Quest for Nationhood in Chinua Achebe’s Works Violence in the Journey to Nationhood National Character in the Writings of Nigerian Literary Founding Fathers Conclusion Chapter 4: Women Writers and the (Post)colony: (Writing) the Colony in Nigerian Women’s Literature Introduction Women’s Writing: Its Origin, Definition, and Periodization in Nigeria Women Writers The First Generation of Women’s Writers in Nigeria The Representation of Postcolonial Nigeria in Women’s Writings Androcentricism in the (Post)colony: Writing as the “Other” in the Post (Colony) The (Post)colony as Slave to the Colonial Master: Suppressed and Castrated Male Figures The (Post)colony and the Colonialists’ Religion: Religious and Cultural Domination Rape as a Metaphor for the Possession and Colonization of the (Post)colony The Empire and the Colony: Power Relations Between the Nation and Nigerian Women The (Post)colony and Women’s Liberation Struggle The Marginalization of the (Post)colony and the Female Child Sexism and Gendered (Post)colony The (Post)colony and Class Consciousness In a Man’s World: Domination and Control of the Female Body in the Colony Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the (Post)colony The Dissonance with Colonial Nigeria and Marginalization of Women in Politics Living in a Hybrid Society: The Woman in the (Post)colony The Politics of Gender, Culture, and Colonialism in the (Post)colony Representation of the (Post)colony in Female Writers’ Thematic Preoccupation Spatio-temporal Setting as Symbolization of Suppressed (Post)colony Conclusion Part II: Postcolonial Phase Chapter 5: Postcolonial Modernity and Literary Imagination Introduction Themes and Motifs The Empire Writes Back to the Center Morality and Utilitarianism Defense of African Culture Spiritualism Law and Justice African Orality The Empire Writes to Itself Literary Imagination and Postcolonial Modernity Conclusion Chapter 6: Contemporary Women Writers and the Imagining of Postcolonial Nigeria Introduction Literary Periods/Generations Contemporary Women Writers Military Regimes and Repression Religious Bigotry and Intolerance A Country of Corrupt and Profligate Leaders Sex and Sexual Liberty The Crude Oil Era and Its Impacts A State of Lawlessness and Criminality A Failed Nation and Alienated Citizens A Country of Terrorism Feminists and Women’s Activism The Civil War in Nigeria Infant Country in Search of Growth and Identity Social Realistic Portrayal of Nigeria Spatial and Temporal Settings Characterization as Metaphor Conclusion Chapter 7: Literature and Nigeria in the Digital Age Introduction Fan Fiction as a Digital Phenomenon in Nigeria Literature on the Go: Social Media and Literary Blogs Themes and Topical Issues in the Literature of Nigerian Digital Platforms Orality Reincarnated Emojis: Metaphors Redefining the Digital Age Conclusion Part III: Concluding Thoughts Chapter 8: Shifts and Ambiguities: Unstable Literature or Unstable Nation? Introduction Bibliography Index