The Violent Fishermen: A Study of Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen as a Blending of Popular Literature and Traditional Folkloric Conventions

Abstract

In one of his finest literary essays, i.e., “Tradition and Individual Talent”, T. S. Eliot opined that past works of art forms an order of tradition and this tradition is the foundation of long-lasting literature. Folklore is also a work of art, and it seems that no one knows better how to use folkloric elements in their novels than African writers. Folklore is an embodiment of individual dignity and social justice, explored in a traditional way. Most writers from the African continent including Chinua Achebe, Ngugiwa Thiong’o, Ben Okri etc. have made extensive use of African folklore and folk culture in their novels. In contrast, modern fiction writers across the globe have adopted a new fondness for popular culture in their writings. Popular culture generally refers to the set of contemporary practices, entertainment media including music, films, fashion, politics, use of technology etc. Some social science experts emphasise the importance of considering folk culture and folk beliefs as part of popular culture. However, popular culture commonly refers to modern cultural practices that have influenced a larger group of people. Chigozie Obioma is a writer from Nigeria—an African country with vibrant and rich cultural heritage. In his famous novel The Fishermen, he sets out to mix-up these two seemingly different areas i.e., folk culture and popular culture. This article examines how the novelist has blended popular culture with traditional and folkloric conventions, which represent two different poles of time and space.
This article also examines the author’s unique narrative style which enables him to combine folk culture and popular culture with extraordinary ease of writing. This study aims to understand the multilayered dynamics of popular culture and oral folkloric traditions, with special reference to their use in this novel. Besides, it will look into how a traditionally orthodox Nigerian society is gradually transforming into a society of modern developments which are being reflected in this novel. The primary purpose of the study is to examine the intermingling of popular culture and traditional folkloric culture in the Nigerian society with special reference to the novel The Fishermen.
In doing so, the primary approach of the researcher was speculative and analytical in nature. The study uses the method of closed reading of the primary text for detailed analysis of the topic concerned. The method of analyzing different situations and characters in connection to the concerned topic has been thoroughly used for this study. Apart from the study of the primary text, method of reading connected socio-cultural concepts and theories have also been used for this research article.
It is believed that this article will pave a new path for the study of the intermingling of popular culture with folkloric conventions not only in the texts of the African continent but also encourage researchers to do the same in Oriental fictions which are equally rich in the blending of popular culture with folkloric conventions. This research will help readers and researchers engage in a new area of study where modern developments in the field of literature and folklore can be explored. This study will contribute to the study of Nigerian novels in connection to their very own folkloric conventions. In addition, this study will help create a new ecosystem of knowledge where folklore and popular culture within literature can be easily studied.