Shaken Wisdom: Irony and Meaning in Postcolonial African Fiction

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Shaken Wisdom Shaken Wisdom i ron y a n d m e a n i ng i n postcol on i a l a fr ica n fict ion Gloria Nne Onyeoziri universit y of virginia press Charlottesville and London University of Virginia Press© 2011 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper First published 2011 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Onyeoziri, Gloria Nne. Shaken wisdom : irony and meaning in postcolonial African fiction / Gloria Nne Onyeoziri.   p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8139-3186-9 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8139-3187-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8139-3200-2 (e-book) 1. Kourouma, Ahmadou—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Achebe, Chinua—Criticism and interpretation. 3. Beyala, Calixthe—Criticism and interpretation. 4. African literature (French)—20th century—History and criticism. 5. African literature (English)—20th century—History and criticism. 6. Irony in literature. 7. Meaning (Philosophy) in literature. 8. Postcolonialism in literature. I. Title. PQ3989.2.K58Z77 2011 820.9'960904 dc23 2011022867 this book is made possible by a collaborative grant from the andrew w. mellon foundation. To my husband, Robert Miller, and my son, Amarachi Miller, and in memory of my parents, Jonathan and Martha Onyeoziri ...