The Cameroonian Novel of English Expression. An Introduction

An Introduction

Publication Year: 2009

Initially considered something of a black sheep within the Anglophone Cameroon literary genres, the Anglophone novel has gradually grown to carve out a respectable niche for itself in the Anglophone Cameroon sub-system, imposing itself in a way that makes it impossible for critics to ignore it. Now a vibrant genre, it even threatens to overtake drama and poetry, both of which have enjoyed more critical attention. This book is a study of how Anglophone Cameroon has contributed in extending the possibilities of the novel as a literary form, and of some of the established conventions necessary for a fruitful evaluation of the growing body of the Cameroonian novel in English. In this eclectic and compelling book, Ambanasom sets out to achieve three primary objectives: to introduce the reader to the extensive body of Cameroonian novels in English, to re-examine the distorting and limiting criteria upon which the critical assessment of the Cameroonian novel in English has so far been based, and to bridge the widening chasm between literary theory and actual critical practice. To achieve these objectives, Ambanasom begins by elaborating an alternative and flexible theoretical framework which he christens the 'Socio-Artistic Approach' and which, according to him, is 'concerned with both a text's thematic, moral, cultural or ideological issues, on the one hand, and its central literary analysis, on the other.' He then proceeds to use this new critical framework to examine twenty-seven major Cameroonian novels in English. There are critical voices, already emerging within the Anglophone Cameroonian literary circles, calling for rigorous teaching and practice of theory in the interpretation of literary works, setting in motion a critical discourse. Such a call is salutary, and welcome. Those university lecturers whose responsibility it is to teach theoretical courses should take this call very seriously, moving from theory to hands-on practice. This book is Ambanasom's contribution to that critical debate.

Published by: African Books Collective

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Given the monumental problems and professional engagements with which I was encumbered during the final phase of this project, completing it against all odds was nothing short of a miracle. Consequently, I am eternally grateful to the Almighty God for...

Foreword

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pp. xi-xii

It would be difficult today to find any consensus about either an accepted critical approach to prose fiction, or an established body of the Cameroonian novel of English Expression to which such an approach should be applied. This study is an...

Preface

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pp. xiii-xiv

Part One: The Theoretical Framework

Introduction

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pp. 3-6

In November 2005 the government of the bilingual Republic of Cameroon conducted a general population census. Although by 2007 the results of the exercise had not been released, unofficial estimates put the population of Cameroon at 17 million. Out of this...

1. The Socio-Artistic Approach

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pp. 7-31

In reviewing literature on African literary criticism, around the last quarter of the 20th century, the present writer discovered roughly three critical tendencies in matters of valuation. The first tendency consists of critics like Charles Larson and Eustace Palmer...

2. Enlightened Eclecticism

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pp. 33-43

Literature is the site where ideologies collide, the location for the dramatisation of conflicting worldviews. Consequently, the exploration of the sociological dimension of the Socio-Artistic Approach will often lead to the examination of ideological or...

Part Two: Practical Analysis of Novels

3. Encounter With Europe

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pp. 47-76

It is a truism, in the history of African literature, that many early African writers whose novels are set in the colonial past were writing against a backdrop of negative Hegelian stereotypical ideas of Africa, victim of the twin evils of slavery and colonialism...

4. Anti-Heroes and Societal Crooks

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pp. 77-112

Unlike the three novelists in the previous chapter who are concerned with the theme of cultural conflict between the Cameroonian way of life and the European civilization, the imaginative writers examined in this chapter...

5. Women and Sexuality

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pp. 113-136

If the novelists discussed in Chapter Four are generally pre-occupied with the dark underbelly of the Cameroonian society, those in this chapter are concerned with women, particularly with hetero-sexual intimacy between a man and a woman, a relationship...

6. Opposing Visions of Feminism

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pp. 137-153

A literary fact about Cameroonian imaginative writing of English expression is that it is generally phallic. For instance, a feminist reading of the Anglophone Cameroonian novels will reveal that nearly all of them, by male writers, embody embedded biases...

7. Alternative Ideological Visions

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pp. 155-200

The Cameroonian creative writers of English expression have adopted an imperial language, English, and the novelistic art form to serve the Cameroonian vision. As we have seen in the previous chapters, through their works, these writers are exploring...

Conclusion

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pp. 201-203

Until quite recently in Cameroon, discussions of Cameroon Anglophone literature have been dominated by interest in poetry and drama, particularly drama, with the novel largely neglected. But as we have seen in this study, the recent proliferation of novels...

Biographical Notes on the Novelists

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pp. 205-209

Works Cited

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pp. 211-217

Back Cover

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E-ISBN-13: 9789956716340
Print-ISBN-13: 9789956558698

Page Count: 232
Publication Year: 2009

The Cameroonian Novel of English Expression. An Introduction

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Foreword

Preface

Part One: The Theoretical Framework

Introduction

1. The Socio-Artistic Approach

2. Enlightened Eclecticism

Part Two: Practical Analysis of Novels

3. Encounter With Europe

4. Anti-Heroes and Societal Crooks

5. Women and Sexuality

6. Opposing Visions of Feminism

7. Alternative Ideological Visions

Conclusion

Biographical Notes on the Novelists

Works Cited

Back Cover

Research Areas

Welcome to Project MUSE

Connect with Project MUSE

Cover 1

Cover 2

Cover 3

The Cameroonian Novel of English Expression. An Introduction

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Foreword

Preface

Part One: The Theoretical Framework

Introduction

1. The Socio-Artistic Approach

2. Enlightened Eclecticism

Part Two: Practical Analysis of Novels

3. Encounter With Europe

4. Anti-Heroes and Societal Crooks

5. Women and Sexuality

6. Opposing Visions of Feminism

7. Alternative Ideological Visions

Conclusion

Biographical Notes on the Novelists

Works Cited

Back Cover

Research Areas

Recommend

Related Content

Welcome to Project MUSE

Connect with Project MUSE

Cover 1

Cover 2

Cover 3