Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Articles

Vol. 5 No.1: June 2017

Subverting the Patriarchal Narrative of the Female Character in the African Novel: A Feminist Reading of Amma Darko’s Novels

  • Dele Maxwell Ugwanyi
Submitted
June 13, 2017
Published
2017-06-14

Abstract

The paper re-examines feminist issues that are prevalent in the African literary discourse. Many feminist writers have on several occasions alleged lack of adequate, positive, active and credible roles in the male-dominated literary space in Africa. They contend that women have been relegated to the background for too long in African societies. Besides, women having found their voice back through the instrumentality of literature are now fighting back with all the weapons at their disposal. The paper holds that feminist writers, especially female writers are also guilty of the same misrepresentation which they accuse male writers of. The paper finds out that the female writers see nothing good in any of their male characters. The paper, therefore, contends that female writers are simply trying to whip up sentiments, recreating and reconstructing the gender questions and narratives to their advantage. The paper submits that the gender war and issues remain open in the African literary discourse.