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poetics of the affective-expressive in the novels of Chinua Achebe

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Date Issued:
1998
Summary:
Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's most renowned writers. However, the excellence of his work is compromised by the assumptions of Western poetics, that is, mimesis. European critics contend African writing suffers from the prevalent use of proverbs, and obtrusive authorship, among others. But, Earl Miner, through his discourse on the poetics of the affective-expressive, challenges mimesis. He shows that only Western poetics is rooted in drama, all others are rooted in lyric. This fact reverses the table. African writing, rather than being an oddity, represents a global poetics. Miner shows new ways of analyzing literature by incorporating monogatari, re-evaluating the relationship between history and fiction, looking at points of attention, and examining a lyrical poetics. By taking another look at Achebe's work, particularly Things and Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah in the affective-expressive mode, Achebe's real genius as a writer is all the more evident.
Title: The poetics of the affective-expressive in the novels of Chinua Achebe.
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Name(s): Brown-McDonald, Patricia Rena.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Lewis, Krishnakali, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1998
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 97 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's most renowned writers. However, the excellence of his work is compromised by the assumptions of Western poetics, that is, mimesis. European critics contend African writing suffers from the prevalent use of proverbs, and obtrusive authorship, among others. But, Earl Miner, through his discourse on the poetics of the affective-expressive, challenges mimesis. He shows that only Western poetics is rooted in drama, all others are rooted in lyric. This fact reverses the table. African writing, rather than being an oddity, represents a global poetics. Miner shows new ways of analyzing literature by incorporating monogatari, re-evaluating the relationship between history and fiction, looking at points of attention, and examining a lyrical poetics. By taking another look at Achebe's work, particularly Things and Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah in the affective-expressive mode, Achebe's real genius as a writer is all the more evident.
Identifier: 9780591753080 (isbn), 15526 (digitool), FADT15526 (IID), fau:12288 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1998.
Subject(s): Achebe, Chinua--Criticism and interpretation
Poetics
African literature (English)
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15526
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.