Picaresque narrative techniques and popular literature in African prose fiction
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Date
2022
Authors
Etyang, Philip
Makokha, Justus Siboe
Obura, Oluoch
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
jozac
Abstract
The Picaresque tradition is a mode of writing that began in Spain in the 16th century and flourished
in the 17th and 18th centuries throughout the rest of Europe. It is a literary tradition that has continued to
influence modern fiction writing to date. The current paper examined the picaresque and popular African
literature narrative techniques through conducting an in-depth analysis of the following texts; Kill Me Quick, Mission to Kala, The Angels Die, and A Sport of Nature. To effectively address the task, the study examined
narratives and narrative techniques in the prose fiction under study. The paper then deployed the Structural
Literary Theory in an effort to decode the intertextuality between the texts. The study established that the texts
under study are interconnected through the main characters, especially the picaro/picara. An examination of
Gustav Freytag’s narrative structure was conducted and similarities and differences in the narrative structures of
the texts under study was observed. The Postcolonial Literary Theory was also consulted where specific strands
of the theory as propounded by Vorn Gorp, and Frantz Fanon were blended to furnish the study with the
necessary theoretical backbone to exhaustively study picaresque narratives in popular literature. In conclusion,
the study established that the Picaresque and Popular Literature writing modes are interconnected through the
use plot and main characters. The study also established that the non-linear and episodic plot structures are the
most commonly used techniques in picaresque and popular writing modes.
Description
Article
Keywords
Mwangian man, Narrative structure, Picaresque, Plot, Popular literature
Citation
Etyang, P., Makokha, J. S., & Obura, O. (2022). Picaresque narrative techniques and popular literature in African prose fiction. Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies, 2(4), 187-198.