TINTINNABULATION OF LITERARY THEORY : traversing genres to contemporary experience.

255 Pages·2018·3.249 MB·English

by  NYONGESA, ANDREW

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There can never be literary growth in the contemporary world devoid of ntf
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literary criticism the backbone of which is literary theory. Literature is no mI
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longer a mere narration of stories and prudent literary writers know that oE
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great literature is based on those theoretical frameworks that give their arA
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works an edge in the intellectual world. In this book, Tintinnabulation of EY
Literary Theory: Traversing Genres to Contemporary Experience, Andrew Nyongesa x T
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demonstrates how five theoretical frameworks, namely: Marxism, Feminism, rE
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Postcolonialism, Psychoanalysis and Stylistic are applied to genres of nR
literature. The last chapter shows how theory has moved away from the ceY
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lecture hall to real life experience. The book is a practical guide to university
students and tutors of literature in their undying desire to embrace Literary
Criticism.
ANDREW NYONGESA is a novelist, short story writer, poet, literary scholar
and teacher with great passion for literature. His novels are The Rise of Rodedom
(2013) and The Endless Battle (2016), The Blissabyss (2017) and The Water Cycle
(2018); all of which spin around the struggle of the underdog to subvert the values
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of the dominant group. His writing revolves around desire to dethrone dominant
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beliefs that incarcerate the otherwise free person. He has a voracious appetite for d
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postcolonial literatures hence the focus of his scholarly works. He holds Masters of w

Arts (Literature) from Kenyatta University and is pursuing PhD in the same field. N
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e TINTINNABULATION of
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LITERARY THEORY:
Traversing Genres to Contemporary Experience
Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd
Chitungwiza Zimbabwe
Andrew Nyongesa
TINTINNABULATION OF
LITERARY THEORY
:

TRAVERSING GENRES TO CONTEMPORARY
EXPERIENCE

Andrew Nyongesa

Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd,
Chitungwiza Zimbabwe
*
Creativity, Wisdom and Beauty

i
Publisher:
Mmap
Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd
24 Svosve Road, Zengeza 1
Chitungwiza Zimbabwe
[email protected]
https//mwanakamediaandpublishing.weebly.com

Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective
[email protected]
www.africanbookscollective.com

ISBN: 978-0-7974-96439
EAN: 9780797496439

© Andrew Nyongesa 2018

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be
stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher

DISCLAIMER
All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of Mmap.

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to thank Dr. Murimi Gaita for his insightful lectures of theory
in literature. I also appreciate Dr Wallace Mbugua for his emphasis on
the importance of literary theory in literary criticism. I am indebted to
Dr Justus Makokha for his wonderful exposition of feminism and
exceptional mentorship. I will not forget Dr Kaigai Kimani for
teaching me the nexus between postcolonial criticism and migration.
Finally, I am grateful to Professor John Mugubi for his insightful
exposition of stylistics and its essential role in literature.

iii
Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………v
Chapter 1: ASPECTS OF LITERARY THEORY ………………….1
Chapter 2: MARXISTST THEORY ………………………………..4
Chapter 3: FEMINIST THEORY…………………………………30
Chapter 4: POSTCOLONIAL CRITICISM………………………..59
Chapter 5: PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY………………….......133
Chapter 6: STYSTICS- THE MAGIC WAND …………………...172
Chapter 7: PHILOSOPHY AND CONTEMPORATY AFRICAN
EXPERIENCE …………………………………………………..200

iv
Introduction

The recent past has seen the emergence of literary theory in literary
criticism the world over. Literary critics in universities use
philosophical ideas to analyse novels and plays to bolster knowledge
of literature. Literary writers, particularly, novelists and playwrights
base their works on philosophical canons that crown them great
literatures. All these efforts are appreciable as they have drawn the
study of literature away from the dreary of formalism where critics
would only analyse plot, character, themes and style in a work of art.
However, it is evident that the application of literary theory to oral
literature (folklore) and contemporary African experiences is scarce.
In his essay, “What Philosophy can do Africa,” Kwasi Wiredu
observes that proponents of theory have ideas that can benefit the
African continent and it is therefore imprudent to relegate
philosophical ideas to the analysis of texts in journals. Besides
applying theories on oral literature, the author in this book
interrogates the benefits of philosophical ideas to the African society.
How best can Africa apply feminist ideas for her own good? How can
Africa employ Bhabha’s hybridity and Fanon’s nationalism? If
independent African leaders applied Fanon ideas, would Africa be as
it is? Should politics be a preserve of political scientists when social
scientists have mastery of the hearts and minds of the people? It is
time to take literary theory away from the confines of the academic
journal and apply it to day to day life like Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

v
CHAPTER ONE:

ASPECTS OF LITERARY THEORY

L
iterary theory is the systematic study of literature; it is
application of established canons like Marxism, post-
colonialism, new historicism, psychoanalysis, travel
theory, trauma theory and feminism to works of literature. Literary
theory is a subset of literary criticism. Modern literary criticism is
influenced by theory. Theory is concerned with the commonality
between different proponents. All proponents of post colonialism for
instance will focus on the struggle of the marginal group to upset the
dominant group. From Edward Said, Frantz Fanon through to Homi
Bhabha, they strive to destroy the narrative of the dominant group.
Theory has a number of aspects: first, it is speculative. The
explanations that proponents of theory do offer cannot be verified to
determine their truth or falsity. The feminists’ claim that the position
of women as endangered the world over cannot be attested to a few
works of art from some communities because people are not
homogeneous. There are many a community in the world with
matriarchal systems and women lord it over men. Moreover, literary
theory has a certain level of complexity that makes it tough to grasp.
Jacquine Lacan’s The Mirror Stage is a typical example of this. Lacan’s
infant (Cited from Rafey Habib), starts as something inseparable from
its mother because it has no sense of self or individualized identity (7).
When the baby looks at the mirror, it is able to recognize its image. It
sees it as the ideal image; a complete form of the object (baby) and
conceptualizes it as the other. The baby is now capable of
distinguishing the I from the other, which is estrangement from oneself
1
and the mother who is the Other. The child is now henceforth able to
grow up as an independent subject. How will critic apply this
complicated theory to literature? The intellectual complexity is quite
evident.
Literary theory is multidisciplinary because most ideas stem from
fields outside literature. Marxism emanates from the political and
economic fields of knowledge; psychoanalysis is a branch of
psychology, postcolonialism is quite political while feminism is both
sociological and political.
Literary theory is practical. When literary critics and writers
espouse theory, they think differently about issues that affect society.
Theory brings common sense notions under detailed scrutiny. Under
this aspect, we may define literary theory as a pugnacious critique of
common sense notions. Michel Foucault, for instance, disputes
definition of madness as violation of rationality or mental illness.
Foucault observes that the European society imprisoned “poor
vagabonds, criminals and the unemployed” (7) in the pretext that they
were deranged minds. Anyone who behaved in manner that did not
conform to the morals of society; anyone who looked miserable was
undesirable and viewed as mad.
Moreover, literary theory is analytical as it breaks a concept clearly
and highlights all its aspects. According to Sigmund Freud, writing is a
mental illness which enables the writer to express his or her forbidden
wishes. In his work Interpretation of Dreams, Freud observed that there is
a tight relationship between the creative action and the artist and the
neuroses and the role of the unconscious in the artistic creation must
be determined. There is a close relationship between the artist and
dreaming and for that reason, the artist is sort of mentally ill. Nawal
El Saadawi’s wicked desire to kill all oppressive men is concealed in
Zakeya’s decision to take a hoe and kill the Mayor in God Dies by the
Nile. For Rousseau, writing gives the writer the ability to conceal the
2
self or inner reality because the signs used by the writer are not
transparent.
Literary theory is reflexive as it encourages critics to think deeply
about subjects. Proponents of stylistics grapple with what really is
literature as opposed to language. Wales K. (2001) defines stylistics as
the study of literary style. He notes that the main aim of stylistics is
not just description of the formal features of a text but “to show the
functional significance for the interpretation of a text” (437). Wales
therefore suggests that literary writers use style to express their
subjects and themes. Literary language is therefore much different
from language as it contains fragrant violation of linguistic norms.
Literature is a speech act or textual event that elicits a certain kind of
attention. It is aesthetic, and for Kant E. (1892), the aesthetic value
has a purposiveness without a purpose,” [12]. Kant possibly means
that the end result of a work of art is nothing but art itself.

REFERENCES
Focault M. (1961). Madness and Civilization. London. Roultedge
Classics.
Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams. London: Horgand.
Habib, M. (2008). Modern Literacy Criticism and Theory: A History.USA:
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Wales, K (2001). A Dictionary of Stylistics. Harlow: Longman.
Kant E. (1951). Crtitique of Judgement. Trans. J. H Benard. New York.
Hafner Publishing.

3
CHAPTER TWO:

MARXIST THEORY

2.1 Introduction

O
ne of the oldest theories that have shaped the history
of the world is Marxism. Many Western nations and
world religions dreaded Marxism in the nineties, and
the frosty relationships that exists between Russia and China on one
hand and the West on the other stems from implementation of
Marxism in former nations. Marxism challenged religion and existing
political systems thereby causing world tensions. Historians believe
that the failure of Britain and France to stop the rise of Nazzism was
deliberate because they saw Hitler as a solution to Marxism. France
and Britain wanted Adolf Hitler to destroy Russia and eradicate
communism. Walsh B. (2008) writes:

Stalin had been very worried about the German threat to Soviet
Union ever since Hitler came to power in 1933. Hitler had openly
stated his interest in conquering Russian land. He had denounced
communism and imprisoned and killed communists in Germany.
Even so, Stalin could not reach any kind of lasting agreement with
Britain and France.[ …] indeed some in Britain seemed even to
welcome a stronger Germany as a force to fight communism. (271)

These are Stalin’s suspicions that laid the foundation to the Cold
War after 1945. For Marx, Communism is the praxis of socialism
where a classless society is formed after a socialist revolution.
Although Marx observed that communism is the end-product of
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