i THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DIMENSIONS REFLECTED IN THE NOVELS OF SELECTED AFRICAN WRITERS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Batangas State University Batangas City, Philippines In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major in English by NGUYEN THI MINH LOAN 2015 e ii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation entitled “HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DIMENSIONS REFLECTED IN THE NOVELS OF SELECTED AFRICAN WRITERS” prepared and submitted by NGUYEN THI MINH LOAN in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination. Adviser PANEL OF EXAMINERS Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of _______. DIMAANO Chairman DR. PANOPIO Member Member DR.
SULIT External Representative Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English. Comprehensive Examination: PASSED ________________ MATILDA H. Date Dean, Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences e iii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines ABSTRACT Title: HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DIMENSIONS REFLECTED IN THE NOVELS OF SELECTED AFRICAN WRITERS Author: Nguyen Thi Minh Loan Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Major: English Year: 2015 Adviser: Maria Luisa A. _______________________________________________________________ Summary From the beginning of colonial situation, literature was the sharp weapon of African writers to oppose colonialism and proudly assert the values of the cultures that the colonials had tried to destroy.
Therefore, many of African writers chose to use their works to explore, portray, and expose these social experiences in their different works. Among African writers, Chinua Achebe, Ayi Kwei Armah and Tsi- tsi Dangarembga are the pioneers in using the pen as the weapon against colonialism. The wisdom embodied in the selected works of these African writers could be one of the motivating factors that could help readers in the world understand about internal and external pressures African people suffered as e iv THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines well as the values they lost in colonial and post-colonial periods. The representative literary works were analyzed: No Longer at Ease by Achebe, Fragments by Armah and Nervous Conditions by Dangarembga.
The said selections were chosen because of the correlation between the aforementioned themes, literary devices and approaches which helped in unveiling the authors’ philosophy of life. The study yielded the following findings: Although No Longer at Ease cannot strictly be considered a historical document, it is still an ethnographic record of a chaotic African society in a period of social transformation from traditional tribal life to modern urban life and from colonial to postcolonial. Fragments deploys the image of a neo-colony in order to sustain the fact that Ghana in particular and Africa in general are still controlled by the West. Set in the Rhodesia of the 1950s to early 1970s, Nervous Conditions spans important historical periods in the history of Zimbabwe.
Although for a reader unfamiliar with Zimbabwe’s history, the political significance of some important years is not apparent in the novel, three events all allude to the national events. Sociological characters of the time conveyed through these novels refer to the following issues: customs, traditions and beliefs. These writers mention a fact that the old African ways and customs have been nearly or completely e v THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines abandoned for the new system in their novels. The literacy devices used in No Longer at Ease, Fragments and Nervous Conditions play a crucial role in enhancing these novels’ themes and bring the novels their widespread acceptance as quality pieces of literature.
The author’s talent is highly appreciated with their flexible use of symbolism, flashback, foreshadowing, and figures of speech. In the treatment of Achebe’s three novels, the study used the following approaches. The historical approach attempts to show that the function of Achebe, Armah and Dangarembga's fiction is to investigate historical conditions of African societies. Secondly, using sociological approach, the researcher clarified the elements of the African society including customs, traditions and beliefs social organization in No Longer at Ease, Fragments and Nervous Conditions.
Finally, the philosophical approach clarifies African philosophy in three novels such as fatalism, principle of balance and co-existence, the notion of life and death, and the philosophy of unhu. The study drew Achebe’s philosophy of life as a realist and Armah’s philosophy of life as an existentialist. Dagarembga may be considered as a feminist in the way that she functions as a role model for African women to fulfill their own dreams. e vi THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines ACKNOWLEDGMENT The researcher wishes to express her personal thanks and appreciation to those, in one way or another helped her accomplish this work.
First and foremost, to Batangas State University and the Thai Nguyen University, for giving her the opportunity to finish this dissertation under their International Academic Cooperation Program. Sincere thanks also goes to Dr. Dang Kim Vui, the President of the Thai Nguyen University, Assoc. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Assoc Prof.
Dang Xuan Binh, Prof. Nguyen The Hung, the former Directors of the TNU International Training and Development Center, Dr. Hoang Thi Bich Thao, the current Director of TNU ITDC, Dr. Le Hong Thang, the Dean of the TNU School of Foreign Languages, for their motivation and wisdom that helped hasten the completion of this study.
She also would like to thank Dr. Valdez, the Dean of Colleges and Head of the Graduate School of the Batangas State University ARASOF Nasugbu Campus, the researcher’s dissertation adviser, for her constant motivation, support, and patience, which inspired diligent research for the realization of this study. Dimaano, the Chairman of the Panel of Examiners, for e vii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines her thorough dissection and candid remarks that drew up the essential and relevant dimensions in this research. Panopio, and Dr.
Sulit, the Members of the Panel of Examiners, for their valuable suggestions and criticism which motivated conscientiously the researcher during the conduct of this study. Magnaye, the Recording Secretary and Ms. Le Quynh Anh, the ITDC Administrative Staff, for their words of encouragement and kind gestures. To the writers whose works were included in this study for their emboldened wisdom in every page of this dissertation.
The researcher’s colleagues and friends, all of whom generously gave their time, advice, and prayers. They made her realize the value of truth and principles about people and human experiences. The researcher is also very grateful for the wholehearted support and love that her husband, Pham Duy Hiep and her children, Minh Pham and Quan Pham along with her parents, have extended during the writing process. Their spiritual support accompanied the realization of this paper.
Nguyen Thi Minh Loan e viii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines DEDICATION To the essence of my existence, my loving husband Pham Duy Hiep and my ever dearest sons Minh Pham and Quan Pham, Nguyen Thi Minh Loan e ix THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. ix LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………. THE PROBLEM Introduction.
1 Statement of the Problem. 7 Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study. 8 Significance of the Study. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Literature.
31 e x THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines Synthesis. 44 Definition of Terms. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design. 52 Treatment of Materials.
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Summary of Findings. 204 Summaries of the Novels…….………………………… 205 CURRICULUM VITAE…………………………………………………… 210 e xi THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines LIST OF FIGURES Figure Title Page 1 Conceptual Paradigm of the Study 46 e xii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction History plays a fundamental role in shaping literature in the way that every literary piece is influenced by the social context, the author and the whole community that frames the whole work. Readers cannot understand the work if they are not provided with the historical context in which the work is written.
Simultaneously, readers can investigate the history and culture through literature. That literature is a reflection of the society has been widely acknowledged. Literature influences the society, and the society is reflected in literature; therefore, there has been a close interaction between them. The readers can explore a variety of historical and socio-political themes in many works of famous writers such as colonialism, post-colonialism, morality, racial identity, oppression, politics, leadership, gender issues, war and many others.
A literary work can provide a more detailed picture of a society in terms of cultural, social, religious, and political dimensions more than any history textbooks and anthropological records do (Diamond, 1989). Sociological character refers to an individual’s manifestation of behavior that is characteristic or ideal to a behavior that is likewise manifested by a e xiii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines majority of the society. This congruence with the behavior of others warrants its classification as being within the acceptable standards of a particular society’s norms. A person’s character thus is considered normal depending on its manifested adherence to the specific limitations determined by the society as having historical, religious, educational, political and philosophical bases.
This illustrates the close link between philosophy and literature. While philosophy supplies ideology and themes for literature, literature, on the other hand, provides vivid illustrations of the meaning and abstract thought of philosophy. Literature is considered as a channel to show the author’s philosophy of life. Indeed, in literature the philosophical theme is conveyed through literary works and is an essential part of their aesthetic value.
There is a considerable number of well-known works in the world of literature in which philosophical views are put forward, suggested, or play a central role such as Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, and The Idiot; Tolstoy’s War and Peace; Proust’s In Search of Lost Time; Mann’s Magic Mountain, etc. By studying literary works, readers are introduced to central philosophical issues in relation to freedom, responsibility, religious belief and personal identity. Furthermore, a literary work clarifies not only historical and cultural e xiv THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines context, philosophical issues but also literary techniques that the author employs. These techniques are used to express artistic meanings through the use of language.
They combine information, function and aesthetics in conveying ideas. In other words, literary techniques are added to make the author’s message clear to the reader and add more beauty to the work. Based on the use of literary techniques, readers can partly decide an author’s tone and style. African literature is closely tied with historical, cultural and societal issues.
For the countries in Africa, the experience of colonialism is considered as the one of the most important factors in understanding the present condition of the African continent, the African people and their history. Therefore, a close examination of the phenomenon of colonialism is essential to assess not only the economic and political development in Africa but also the African people’s perception of themselves. From the beginning of colonial situation, literature was the best weapon used by African writers to oppose colonialism and proudly assert the values of the cultures that the colonials had tried to destroy. Many of African writers chose to use their works to explore, portray, and expose these social experiences in their different works.