The approach that we choose to study African Literature enables us to make consideration between the complex realities of African literature. In the article Reading Through Western Eyes by Christopher L. Miller, the author describes much about how Westerners read African literature from their culture perspective; since most Westerners don’t really know the culture they read what the western scholars critique. In order to critique and better understand African literature, the following paragraphs will be focusing on some major approaches such as those of anthropologists, famous African writers, and much of Francophone ideas in order to inform readers with some viewpoints on African critics and the backgrounds on literature. It is also important
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His idea shows how the division of labor has been unequal between Western society and the African creation. Many readers believe what is written in the text; rather they don’t have knowledge of what’s happening in the African Literature society. Nevertheless, the article was mainly based on what the author’s belief and other’s peoples opinion of Western literature; according to what Milller’s article of Reading Through Western eyes “ Much of what I will be arguing here grows out of my basic belief that no responsible Western reading of African literature can take place in the vacuum of a “direct and immediate relationship with the text” (446). Despite the idea behind how Westerners see African literature, there are some changes altering the western critics with a positive role for readers to form an idea of Africa and its culture. That is, such as Anthropologists are studying the history of African literature. Nonetheless, anthropology of African Literature, criticism supports key texts that are otherwise difficult to see. Also the work of Francophone African literature cannot be forgotten. It shows the basic links between African Literature and anthropology in a sense that matter of history and the matter of rhetoric (447). It is some kind of form that represents cultures between African Literature and …show more content…
They are often known as literatures of revolt. Sometimes it often creates a revolting against colonialism, responding to literature. Novels such as, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart are sometimes described as literatures of testimony, because those novels represent African reality and African culture. Achebe was one of the most well known credited African writers in that time period. He was a Nigerian novelist and his first novel was Things Fall Apart in 1958. In Miller’s article, the author mentioned the work of Chinua Achebe criticizing Western critics who think they understand Africa better than African writers. Most of the Western analyses were based on what they believe and from some of the African literature. African writers in that time period try to impress the western audience by exaggerating a lot of different things. And many of them look upon on European and sometimes they even put them in charge of anything. It’s a self-abasement that African believes and the condemnation ruled by European for many years. It’s a “brain drain” system that African philosopher Paulin Hountondji mentioned in Reading through Western Eyes and described African literature as “African produces raw material and European finished the product such as the work of African Literature” (445). For some period of time there has been a lack of understanding or something that has to be done with
His idea shows how the division of labor has been unequal between Western society and the African creation. Many readers believe what is written in the text; rather they don’t have knowledge of what’s happening in the African Literature society. Nevertheless, the article was mainly based on what the author’s belief and other’s peoples opinion of Western literature; according to what Milller’s article of Reading Through Western eyes “ Much of what I will be arguing here grows out of my basic belief that no responsible Western reading of African literature can take place in the vacuum of a “direct and immediate relationship with the text” (446). Despite the idea behind how Westerners see African literature, there are some changes altering the western critics with a positive role for readers to form an idea of Africa and its culture. That is, such as Anthropologists are studying the history of African literature. Nonetheless, anthropology of African Literature, criticism supports key texts that are otherwise difficult to see. Also the work of Francophone African literature cannot be forgotten. It shows the basic links between African Literature and anthropology in a sense that matter of history and the matter of rhetoric (447). It is some kind of form that represents cultures between African Literature and …show more content…
They are often known as literatures of revolt. Sometimes it often creates a revolting against colonialism, responding to literature. Novels such as, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart are sometimes described as literatures of testimony, because those novels represent African reality and African culture. Achebe was one of the most well known credited African writers in that time period. He was a Nigerian novelist and his first novel was Things Fall Apart in 1958. In Miller’s article, the author mentioned the work of Chinua Achebe criticizing Western critics who think they understand Africa better than African writers. Most of the Western analyses were based on what they believe and from some of the African literature. African writers in that time period try to impress the western audience by exaggerating a lot of different things. And many of them look upon on European and sometimes they even put them in charge of anything. It’s a self-abasement that African believes and the condemnation ruled by European for many years. It’s a “brain drain” system that African philosopher Paulin Hountondji mentioned in Reading through Western Eyes and described African literature as “African produces raw material and European finished the product such as the work of African Literature” (445). For some period of time there has been a lack of understanding or something that has to be done with