Visualizing myths and legends for grotesque gender configuration in Adimora-Ezeigbo’s trilogy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper critically examined Adimora-Ezeigbo’s use of myths and legends as avenues for articulating gender equality in her novels: The Last of the Strong Ones, House of Symbols, and Children of the Eagle. Gender equality is an expression frequently used in feminist criticism to denote the striving of women to have equal treatment with men at work, home and in society generally. Feminism itself, as world-wide movement has significantly contributed so much in advancing the cause of women in most countries. Besides, the concept of feminism has been given regional, cultural and religious interpretations, thus leading to different brands in different parts of the world. Notably, African feminism rests on the pillars of marriage, motherhood and complementarity in marriage. In using African feminism to examine the author’s deployment of myths and legends in her trilogy, this study found that the author deployed these rhetorical devices to articulate gender equality in society; thus, advancing the cause of women in Nigeria.