The New Nigerian Novel

Critics who explore the literary output of contemporary Nigerian authors, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Helon Habila to Sefi Atta and Chris Abani, do so under the catchphrase ‘Third Generation Nigerian Literature’. First coined by Pius Adesanmi and Chris Dunton, the term refers to a growing body of literary texts that differ markedly from those by preceding generations of Nigerian writers. In their introduction to a special issue of English in Africa (2005), they define the third generation as occupied with -nomadism, exile, displacement, and deracination” (16) as opposed to the anticolonial ‘writing back’ strategies that characterized earlier literary projects. Seeking to familiarize students with the key concepts of and recent debates within Postcolonial Studies, we shall read Chinua Achebe’s internationally acclaimed classic No Longer at Ease (1960) before investigating how two third-generation authors redefine the thematic and aesthetic concerns of a Nigerian writing tradition. Achebe’s novel is set on the heels of Nigeria’s independence and deals with the havoc colonial rule wreaked on Igbo society and culture. Both Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Helon Habila’s Measuring Time (2007) allude to Achebe to inquire into the implications of negotiating Nigeria’s violent history for a Euro-American audience. On the fictional level, the novels suggest a new kind of historiographic writing that centres on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Required Reading: Please buy Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease (1960), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Helon Habila’s Measuring Time (2007) and read at least Achebe prior to class. All other texts covered in the seminar will be available in a reader (Copyshop Stork, Körnerstraße 3) or on StudIP. Gasthörendenstudium BritA / AAS3, AAS5 / Atlantic Studies: WP Globalisierung und transkulturelle Räume Registration – StudIP 1.9.2016 - 30.9.2016 Assessment Tasks – will be specified in class Prerequisites – AmerBritF1 Size restriction – 30 Further information – hannah.pardey@engsem.~ Universität Hannover WiSe 2016/17 Englisch, Ergänzungsstudiengang 3. Fach LA Gym. (M. A.) Pardey Hannah M A