Nnafrican oral literature backgrounds character and continuity pdf

Introduction african proverbs in african literature. Form and content, as tools of coming up with literature, complement each other in numerous ways in the process of creating literary works. It presents the most comprehensive survey of the field of oral literature in africa. African literature african literature the influence of oral traditions on modern writers. Project muse introduction to african oral literature and. African literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature. African literature possessing those qualities that define it as such. Examples of traditional literature are divination text, drum language, poem, appellation, tales, songs, riddles, proverbs, myths and legends. International society for studies in oral tradition issot. Mar 20, 20 these clips, together with original photographs taken during her research, will be an invaluable resource to scholars of african literature and culture.

Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Backgrounds, character, and continuity is the book that recommended to you to see. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature. Backgrounds, character, and continuity in 1992, his study was described by the research in african. Section three examines the place of oral literature in modern african literature as well as the steps necessary to. Recent trends in african studies and the revival of interest in oral literature. Oral literature in africa is part of the world oral literature series published in conjunction with the world oral literature project. Modern african literature is the natural inheritor of traditional african literature and though. Indeed, to suggest that one historical account can represent all of the literatures, across time, from all of the regions of africa is misleading. The prose is often mythological or historical and can include tales of the trickster character. Oral literature is a broad term which may include ritual texts, curative chants, epic poems, musical genres, folk tales, creation tales, songs, myths, spells, legends, proverbs, riddles, tonguetwisters, word games, recitations, life histories or historical narratives. Oral narratives schools of thought categories of the oral narrative storytelling in africa.

This literature through narrative, poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, and texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by the society at its. Some evidence in the literature indicates that pulsed lavage can be. That is why i trace response to oral poetic performances as of the udje and ijala and the continuation into modern works in english, french, or portuguese, among others. All students are also expected to read chinua achebes novel things fall apart new york. A brief background and history of african literatures oral. Examples of traditional literature are divination text, drum language, poem, appellation, tales, songs. Oral literature by ruth finnegan investigates how culture, tradition, and various forms of communication have been passed down from different parts of africa. The study analyzes how oral literature relates to media, music, technology, text, gender, religion, power, politics. The perception of african oral literature nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Okpewho has also published a collection of poetry, heritage of african poetry, and a collection of essays, oral performance in africa 1990. So much work has been done on african oral literature in the two decades since the publication of ruth finnegans epochmaking and immensely useful oral literature in africa that there is need for a more uptodate critical introduction such as i have tried to provide in this book.

What are the characteristics of african literature. Section three examines the place of oral literature in modern african literature as well as the steps necessary to ensure proper recording and study of the subject. There was close collaboration between linguists and missionaries, and many of the great collections of texts in the nineteenth century were a. Throughout africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. After this work, african literature will never be the same. The former are relatively well knownat any rate the recent writings in european languages much work remains to be publicized on earlier arabic and local written. Oral literature or orature may be in prose or verse.

Witticisms proverbs riddles puns and tonguetwisters. The theories will then be applied in the analysis of oral literature material. African literature the influence of oral traditions on. Backgrounds, character, and continuity by isidore okpewho. The importance of song in africa oral literature aucccom.

The second section presents the major types of oral literature practiced in africa, the principal concerns of the literature, and its relation to other forms of traditional art. Okpewho department of africana studies suny at binghamton binghamton, ny 9026000. It deals with the role of theory in the study of oral literature. This paper grapples with the question of choice of theory in the study of african oral literature. African literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature or orature, in the term coined by ugandan scholar pio zirimu as george joseph notes in his chapter on african literature in understanding contemporary africa, whereas european views of literature often stressed a separation of art and content, african awareness is inclusive. Backgrounds, character, and continuity by isidore okpewho isbn.

Traditional written literature, which is limited to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature, is most characteristic. Many of you know that i have developed a special place in my heart for the oral literature tradition since i started working with sidiky last spring. Oral literature by ruth finnegan, is a book of history as to how culture, tradition and the various forms of communication has been passed down, to various parts of africa from nigeria and senegal to rwanda. The book is available as a free pdf and ebook download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue. Chinweizu maintains that writing traveled from these regions of the nile valley to the mediterranean cultures of crete, greece etc, p. The paper argues that while it is easy and desirable to choose a facilitative theory in the analysis of a written work of literature, such a process poses challenges when it comes to the oral type of african literature. After decades of outstanding research, for which she was awarded an order of the british empire, oral literature in africa remains the book closest to finnegans heart. A mazisi kuneneisidore okpewho, for many years professor of english at the university of ibadan, is one of the handful of african scholars who has facilitated the growth of african oral literature to its status today as a literary enterprise concerned with the artistic foundations. Oral literature in africa by ruth finnegan, paperback.

Get an answer for what are the basic characteristics of african english literature. Apr 03, 2016 african literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature. This work refutes this idea in its entirety by presenting 22 chapters, which firmly place the study of oral literature within contemporary african existence. Only when it is clear how the text stands to the performance and the other to the tradition can an analysis of the contents of the message begin, vansina, 1985. Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. Themes in the literary traditions of contemporary africa are worked out frequently within the strictures laid down by the imported religions christianity and islam and within the struggle between traditional and modern, between rural and newly urban, between genders, and between generations. Oral literature in africa bibliography open book publishers. Interpreting these proverbs to bring out their meaning becomes an interesting activity for one to indulge in. Oral literature in africa world oral literature by ruth finnegan is an interesting read and i found it especially fascinating to look at some of the pictures from sierra leone among other places that depict the storytellers and actual places. In contrast to the common perception of european literature which generally refers only to written documents, african literature greatly involves and includes oral literature. Backgrounds, character, and continuity isidore okpewho, professor of africana studies english and comparative literature isidore okpewho indiana university press, 1992 literary criticism 392 pages. Backgrounds, character and continuity, okpewho postulates that. African oral literature aims to establish oral literature as a landmark of artistic achievement, and situate it within the framework of contemporary. The significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition.

Content refers to what an author desires to say or write, while form refers to how she chooses to write or say it. Backgrounds, character, and continuity, african affairs, volume 94, issue 374, 1 january 1995, pages 12412 we use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. Introduction to african oral literature february 7, 2012 at 1. It is thus clearly evident that form cannot be separated from content if literature is to perform its functions fully and effectively.

African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in afroasiatic and african languages together with works written by africans in european languages. Full text of oral literature in africa internet archive. Because start from on preschool until university need this specific african oral literature. Sidiky grew up learning an unwritten language, and therefore the transmission of folk tales and other stories by an oral means was very important in his culture. A considerable amount of work has been published on the subject of african oral literature in the last century or so. The digital editions of this book are free to download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue. Traditionally, africans have revered good stories and storytellers, as have most past and present peoples around the world who are rooted in oral cultures and traditions. Theory and methods in oral literature unit description. Chinweizu maintains that writing traveled from these regions of the nile valley to. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, drum language and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in africa. Sep 17, 2012 world oral literature series volume 1. Musical and dramatic forms the poetry of tone instruments ritual drama popular drama. The presentation of content in literature is dependent on the employment of form for the achievement of the desired effect. These clips, together with original photographs taken during her research, will be an invaluable resource to scholars of african literature and culture.

It is my contention that africas oral literature derives its strength largely from the preponderance of proverbs and that these proverbs contribute much towards establishing the linguistic character of. Backgrounds, character and continuity, bloomington. In addition to the insights i have gained from the extensive fieldwork and analyses undertaken by my students. Runnerup, nigerian newsprint manufacturing company prize, 1990. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Theory and methods in oral literature unit description the unit is an introduction to the theoretical approaches to the study of oral literature. Afroasian literature overview of african literature page 1 a brief background and history of african literatures africa has a long and complex literary history. This revised edition makes finnegans groundbreaking research available to the next generation of scholars. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature anders pettersson encyclopedia of life support systems eolss in an oral culture, there will not only be spontaneous, oneoff utterances, but also more durable, repeatable verbal compositions that could be called texts. Interactions and intersections edited by daniela merolla leiden university, the netherlands introduction the studies of oral literature are countless, and the educational function of storytelling is certainly one of recurring topics.

The perception of african oral literature 31 linguistic studies was to aid the evangelization of africa, and grammars, vocabularies, and collections of texts appeared by and for missionaries. Oral literature is a spoken word that has been transmitted from generation to generation. It forms part of africas rich cultures that are expressed in diverse ways. Oral literature is the repository of the critical knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom for nonliterate societies. Oral literature in africa is part of our world oral literature series in.

Apr 06, 2016 by bernice bessey oral literature is a spoken word that has been transmitted from generation to generation. His radical redirections of perspective have culminated in his most recent book, african oral literature. Pressure injuries pressure ulcers and wound care treatment. Backgrounds, character, and continuity 9780253207104. Amongst the topics covered are translation problems, understanding proverbs, oral narrative as discourse, the use of audio visual aids in teaching, general and the politics of control, images of women in african oral literature, the relationship with material culture, and oral literature as part of oral traditions. Key performance characteristics of major wound dressing types. This course provides an overview of african oral literature, introduces some methodological and. One way of communicating language is no better than another, but we can learn a lot from each other. After an introductory chapter, section 1 includes three chapters, the sources and origins of african oral literature and performance, fieldwork practice and research methodology in oral literature and performance, and archetypes.