TRADITIONAL AESTHETICS TRANSFER AND THE AFRICAN NOVELISTS

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TRADITIONAL AESTHETICS TRANSFER AND THE AFRICAN NOVELISTS

ABSTRACT

African novelists draw their raw materials from different sources, some draw their raw materials from the folktales being told at night, some writes about the village life before the Colonial masters while some transfer the beauty in African tradition into their works. Laye’s The African Child and Achebe’s Things fall Apart are embodiment of African tradition as observed by other critics. Therefore this research work examines the transfer of traditional aesthetics in The African Child and Things fall Apart. This research work limits it’s analysis to the traditional aesthetics in The African Child and Things fall Apart. In conclusion, through the research findings, it has been discovered that The African Child and Things fall Apart are loaded with the best of traditional aesthetics. The two novelists through the use of traditional aesthetics in their novels have been able to show to the world, the beauty in African tradition.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Reading through African novels, this research work was triggered by a lot of borrowing from oral traditional aesthetics in to the written form by African novelists. The transfer of traditional aesthetics is a common feature in African novels. According to Bodunde (2001) “…. aesthetic transfer investigates the transformation of different aspects of indigenous heritage….” (p.7)

African traditional setting in general comprises cultural activities that constitute the concept of beauty or aesthetics. These aesthetics are enriched in the belief of or custom handed down from one generation to another. The aesthetics can be found in the people’s early beliefs, religions, customs, festival, myth, legends, laws, folktales, settings, communities, metaphysics and magical ceremonies of the people. African novelists mostly source their raw materials from African traditions. This is why the transferred aesthetics were formally oral.

TRADITIONAL AESTHETIC TRANSFER AND THE AFRICAN

NOVELISTS

Many African novelists owe much to traditional aesthetics. There are many examples of African novelists that their works show evidence of traditional aesthetic. Good examples are: Wole Soyinka, Amos Tutuola, Sembene Ousmane and Ngugi wa Thiongo. These writers are African novelists and they are competent in using traditional aesthetics in their works. Amos Tutuola in his novel The Palm wine Drunkard makes use of lots of traditional aesthetics. Amos Tutuola writes about African cosmology, myth, legend, folktales, belief in supernatural powers and the African sociology. The novel is rich in morals, rituals, and entertainment. The novel brings out rich cultural elements Just as Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye had brought about the cultural elements in Things fall Apart and The African Child.

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