African Literature In English Research Articles

“A Primary Need as Strong as Hunger”: The Rhetoric of Urgency in South African Literary Culture under Apartheid

Under apartheid, discussions of literary function and value in South African literature in English are refracted through an elaborate rhetoric that posits “urgency” as the necessary correlative and consequence of political commitment. My essay examines this “rhetoric of urgency”in the context of the overwhelmingly realist dominant of South African literary culture in English. I suggest that South African literary critics of both liberal and radical orientations have been unwitting partners in a commonly held instrumentalist concept of language. A clear regime of meaning may be discerned in literary studies in English which seeks to effect closure between the word and the world in order to safeguard the ethical claims of South African literary culture.

The Lion on the Freeway: A Thematic Introduction to Contemporary South African Literature in English, and: The Novels of Alex La Guma (review)

The Novels of Alex La Guma, by Katherine Balutansky. Boulder: Three Continents/Lynne Rienner, 1990. 142 pp. ISBN 0-89410-558-2 paper.

BOOK REVIEW: Coord. and ed. Debbie Landman.A SELECT INDEX TO SOUTH AFRICAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH. Grahamstown: National English Literary Museum, 1996.

BOOK REVIEW: Coord. and ed. Debbie Landman.<b>A SELECT INDEX TO SOUTH AFRICAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH</b>. Grahamstown: National English Literary Museum, 1996.

A Select Index to South African Literature in English (review)

A Select Index to South African Literature in English (review)

The Problem of Identity: South Africa, Storytelling, and Literary History

Commission with families and friends recollecting those who were bludgeoned to death by the forces of the racist state? A single-authored literary history, Southern African Literatures covers work from the expression of stone-age Bushmen to that of writers such as Gordimer, Brink, Breytenbach, and Coetzee. In considering the questions of what constitutes a usable past, what value may be assigned to traditional, elite, and popular forms, generally how after apartheid one might understand the linguistic and cultural complexity of the southern African region, the study inherited a literary culture that had been constructed upon of linguistic-racial exclusivities. I use the term assumptions rather than principles: although a few critics have consistently called for integrative study, the practice?a practice very short on theory?has favored surveys, anthologies, and histories delineated according to the several languages and races of the region. There are in consequence separate studies of Afrikaans litera ture, South African English literature, Zulu literature, Xhosa literature, Sotho literature, a few on white writing, and a few on black writing.2 Southern African Literatures, in contrast, presents a single though multi vocal narrative based on principles of comparison and translation. In crossing language and race barriers it asks questions such as: would Xhosa expression have developed the way it did had it not encountered a British settler presence on its ancient land? Conversely, would South

Black African Literature in English, 1987-1991

Black African Literature in English, 1987-1991

Black African Literature in English, 1987-1991

Black African Literature in English, 1987-1991

Modern South African Literature in English: A Reader's Guide to Some Recent Critical and Bibliographic Resources

Modern South African Literature in English: A Reader's Guide to Some Recent Critical and Bibliographic Resources

Black African literature in English, 1987-1991

Black African literature in English, 1987-1991

Syntactic variation in West African English

ABSTRACT: The major focus of this paper is a description of syntactic variation in West African English with examples from West African English literature. The following categories of syntactic variation in West African English are identified and described: subjectless sentences, deletion of the ‐ly morpheme in manner adjuncts, omission of function words, reduplication, formation of interrogatives without changing the position of subject and auxiliary items, tag questions, the use of the progressive aspect with mental processes, non‐distinctive use of reciprocal pronouns, substitution of prepositions in idiomatic usage, and focus constructions. The fact that many of the syntactic features of West African English are also found in other varieties of non‐native Englishes around the world indicates that, contrary to the speculation of some scholars, the new Englishes have acquired some stable linguistic characteristics and that their usage cuts across various educational and socio‐economic strata in countries where English is used as an institutionalized second language. However, more comparative studies need to be done to uncover additional facts about the mutual linguistic relationships among the new Englishes.

A survey of South African English literature

Grounds of Contest. Malvern van Wyk Smith 1990. Kenwyn: Jutalit

Black African Literature in English, 1982-1986

Black African Literature in English, 1982-1986

The black woman in South African English literature

Summary The article examines representations of black women in South African writing from the seventeenth century to the present. It is suggested that both race and gender are important factors in the formulation of several stereotypical depictions which recur in the work of white authors. These types are variously classified as “untouchables”, “unattainables” and “destroyers”. The article concludes with a brief consideration of the “Mother Africa” figure created by black male authors.

Wole Soyinka. The Profile of a Nobel Prize Winner.

It is always difficult to define exactly why a particular author has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This approach will deal with four different aspects which may have contributed to Wole Soyinka's. award. It cannot be denied that Soyinka is the author of an extensive and richly varied work, which has been appreciated by critics the world over. Especially the satirical qualities of his style have been praised on many occasions. But we have to focus our attention on two other important aspects. We can only achieve a full understanding of Soyinka's dramas when we interpret them against the background of Yoruba drama and Yoruba cultural tradition. And we can only appreciate Soyinka's work if we pay attention to the social context in which it is situated. This political commitment, as well as the international reputation Soyinka has helped to create as a director and an actor, are essential elements that have contributed to this Nobel Prize award. KEYWORDS : African literature in English, Nobel Prize, Wole Soyinka

A Vision of Order: A Study of Black South African Literature in English (1914-1980)

A Vision of Order: A Study of Black South African Literature in English (1914-1980)

A Vision of Order: A Study of Black South African Literature in English (1914-1980)

A Vision of Order: A Study of Black South African Literature in English (1914-1980)

A Bibliography of East African Literature in English, 1964-1981

A Bibliography of East African Literature in English, 1964-1981

Problems of historiography of South African English literature from union to the end of the commonwealth period (1910–1961)1

Problems of historiography of South African English literature from union to the end of the commonwealth period (1910–1961)1

Black African Literature in English. A Guide to Information Sources. By Bernth Lindfors. (Vol. 23 of American Literature, English Literature, and World Literature in English.) Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1979.

Black African Literature in English. A Guide to Information Sources. By Bernth Lindfors. (Vol. 23 of American Literature, English Literature, and World Literature in English.) Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1979. - Volume 6 Issue 3

Review: Black African Literature in English: A Guide to Information Sources by Bernth Lindfors

Book Review| July 01 1980 Review: Black African Literature in English: A Guide to Information Sources by Bernth Lindfors BERNTH LINDFORS, BLACK AFRICAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH: A GUIDE TO INFORMATION SOURCES. (American Literature, Eng1ish literature, and World Literatures in English Information Guide Series, v. 23). Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1979. pp. 482. $24.00. Helen MacLam Helen MacLam Dartmouth College Library Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Explorations in Ethnic Studies (1980) 3 (2): 55. https://doi.org/10.1525/ees.1980.3.2.55 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Helen MacLam; Review: Black African Literature in English: A Guide to Information Sources by Bernth Lindfors. Explorations in Ethnic Studies 1 July 1980; 3 (2): 55. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/ees.1980.3.2.55 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentEthnic Studies Review Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 19801980 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.