Thesis Abstract

The modernist era as one of the epochs in literature has been attributed to the West by many people. Also, it is perceived that features of long gone eras cannot be found in works of the 21st century. It is in this light that this research has attempted to situate African writers within the modernist foldto show that modernismis not restricted to the West using two texts Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah (1987). The texts have also been selected to determine whether the literary tenets of an older generation can still find expression in works of contemporary literature. The work has investigated the features of modernist writings in the two novels and proved that though modernism is a literary tradition of the 20th century, writers of the 21st century still employ modernist techniques, both as regards to themes and to narrative techniques in their works. Furthermore, the research has shown that modernism and any other literary trend for that matter, is not an exclusive preserve of the West. This is why it is possible to deploy such techniques in African novels as Achebe and Adichie have done.

Thesis Overview

            Towards the end of the nineteenth century, globalisation and industrialisation coupled with the first and second world wars brought a new literary style into existence. This was a sharp breakaway or departure from the earlier trends such as classicism, medievalism, neoclassicism, romanticism and realism. This new style was called modernism. The era placed emphasis on newness hence the production of unique literature not just in content but especially in style. The world became a global village as a result of industrialisation, globalisation and the first and the second world wars. People began to question the future of humanity and wonder what was becoming of the world.