Ossana Álvarez, María Eugenia
Herrero Granado, María Dolores (dir.)
Universidad de Zaragoza,
2022
Abstract: El aclamado autor anglo-nigeriano Ben Okri ha definido el momento presente de la literatura africana como un renacimiento. Recientemente, muchas obras de fiction publicadas tanto en el continente como en occidente han ganado prominencia y están creciendo exponencialmente. Por consiguiente, el objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral ha sido analizar la producción literaria de la llamada cuarta generación de escritoras nigerianas —también definida como la Generation-Me. Mi objetivo ha sido demostrar que estas autoras procuran redefinir la literatura de Nigeria puesto que incorporan temas alternativos y taboos —experiencia transgénero, violencia doméstica, narradores éticamente ambiguos, espacios de curación diferentes— a la vez que experimentan con los géneros literarios. Mi argumento es que dichas escritoras usan tropos originales relacionados con la oscuridad o la negrura atribuyéndole una connotación positiva. También, recurren a la creación de un locus definido como “familiaridad,” (homeliness) es decir, un lugar de pertenencia —no necesariamente geográfico— en el cual las protagonistas ficcionales pueden generar un espacio de curación. Además, sostengo que muchas de estas ficciones contemporáneas procuran empoderar a sus protagonistas femeninas en el trasfondo social nigeriano, fuertemente patriarcal. Para demostrar mi hipótesis, he procurado definir las circunstancias históricas y principales preocupaciones de las generaciones literarias nigerianas previas a la actual, concentrándome especialmente en las autoras mujeres. Por otro lado, he analizado tres novelas debutantes: My Sister, the Serial Killer (2018) de Oyinkan Braithwaite, A Small Silence (2019) de Jumoke Verissimo y Freshwater (2018) de Akwaeke Emezi. En lo concerniente a metodología, estas ficciones han sido enmarcadas dentro de teorías literarias como el Metamodernismo y el Transmodernidad, incorporando ontologías africanas pre-coloniales, estudios cognitivos de trauma y el concepto the herida moral, así como también se incluyen nociones de narratología, sociología y filosofía. Los resultados de mi análisis demuestran que la oscuridad/negro son usados como recursos de sátira social o la ironía, como espacios de curación y como dialéctica entre la ontología Igbo y posturas occidentales relacionadas con la salud y el género, respectivamente. Por añadidura, las tres ficciones evidencian nuevos tratamientos de la memoria traumática, caminos no convencionales de curación y de acción política femenina. Además, los personajes femeninos literarios emergen fortalecidos, si bien deben negociar moralmente sus circunstancias personales. En resumen, la presente tesis subraya el intento de estas escritoras de cuarta generación por re-definir el canon nigeriano. Este trabajo de investigación puede ser ampliado y enriquecido incorporando las numerosas producciones literarias de otros países del continente africano.
Abstract (other lang.): The acclaimed British-Nigerian author Ben Okri has defined the present moment of African literature a renaissance. Fictional works published either in the continent or in the West have recently gained more visibility and are exponentially growing. Thus, the aim of the present PhD thesis is to analyse this prominent production of Nigerian female authors of the so-called fourth generation —also defined as the Me-Generation. My aim is to argue that these writers are engaged in a process of re-defining Nigerian literature since they are boldly tackling alternative and taboo tropes, such as the transgender experience, domestic violence, unreliable narration, ambiguous narratorial stances and new healing spaces. At the same time, these authors are experimenting with genre. My contention is that many Nigerian female writers deploy original aesthetic tropes related to darkness or blackness, which is given a positive attribution. They also evince a location of homeliness —not necessarily a geographical space— defined as a locus of belonging, and especially, of individual psychological cure. By the same token, I contend that many of these contemporary fictions seek to endow their main female literary protagonists with agency against the backdrop of a strongly patriarchal Nigerian context. In order to demonstrate my hypothesis, I have delved on the main historical and literary concerns of the previous literary generations, particularly focusing on female writers. Furthermore, I have analysed three debut novels: My Sister, the Serial Killer (2018) by Oyinkan Braithwaite, A Small Silence (2019) by Jumoke Verissimo and Freshwater (2018) by Akwaeke Emezi. As far as methodology is concerned, I have framed these fictions through the lens of literary theories related to Metamodenism and Transmodernity, African precolonial ontologies, cognitive Trauma Studies and the concept of moral injury as well as insights from narratology, sociology and philosophy. The findings of my analyses will show that darkness/black is used as a recourse to expose social satire and irony, as a healing space for trauma and as an alternative dialectic between Igbo ontology and western health and gender issues, respectively. In addition, the three fictions delve on new spaces for traumatic remembrance and unconventional roads to health and female agency. In sum, the present thesis underlines the present writers’ attempt to redefine the Nigerian canon. This research work could be further extended and enriched by exploring other literary productions from the African continent.
Abstract (other lang.): The acclaimed British-Nigerian author Ben Okri has defined the present moment of African literature a renaissance. Fictional works published either in the continent or in the West have recently gained more visibility and are exponentially growing. Thus, the aim of the present PhD thesis is to analyse this prominent production of Nigerian female authors of the so-called fourth generation —also defined as the Me-Generation. My aim is to argue that these writers are engaged in a process of re-defining Nigerian literature since they are boldly tackling alternative and taboo tropes, such as the transgender experience, domestic violence, unreliable narration, ambiguous narratorial stances and new healing spaces. At the same time, these authors are experimenting with genre. My contention is that many Nigerian female writers deploy original aesthetic tropes related to darkness or blackness, which is given a positive attribution. They also evince a location of homeliness —not necessarily a geographical space— defined as a locus of belonging, and especially, of individual psychological cure. By the same token, I contend that many of these contemporary fictions seek to endow their main female literary protagonists with agency against the backdrop of a strongly patriarchal Nigerian context. In order to demonstrate my hypothesis, I have delved on the main historical and literary concerns of the previous literary generations, particularly focusing on female writers. Furthermore, I have analysed three debut novels: My Sister, the Serial Killer (2018) by Oyinkan Braithwaite, A Small Silence (2019) by Jumoke Verissimo and Freshwater (2018) by Akwaeke Emezi. As far as methodology is concerned, I have framed these fictions through the lens of literary theories related to Metamodenism and Transmodernity, African precolonial ontologies, cognitive Trauma Studies and the concept of moral injury as well as insights from narratology, sociology and philosophy. The findings of my analyses will show that darkness/black is used as a recourse to expose social satire and irony, as a healing space for trauma and as an alternative dialectic between Igbo ontology and western health and gender issues, respectively. In addition, the three fictions delve on new spaces for traumatic remembrance and unconventional roads to health and female agency. In sum, the present thesis underlines the present writers’ attempt to redefine the Nigerian canon. This research work could be further extended and enriched by exploring other literary productions from the African continent.
Pal. clave: teoría análisis y critica literarios ; análisis literario ; estilo y estética literarios
Titulación: Programa de Doctorado en Estudios Ingleses
Plan(es): Plan 478
Nota: Presentado: 18 01 2022
Nota: Tesis-Univ. Zaragoza, , 2022
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Record created 2023-04-26, last modified 2023-04-26
