Female Roles In Contemporary African Drama: A Study of Selected Plays By Wole Soyinka And Asiedu Yirenkyi

Abstract

Gender-related studies have now been firmly established in Contemporary African literature. The current trend is to explore the various images and specific roles writers give their female characters in novels, poetry and drama. This thesis is a modest contribution to the controversy surrounding the claim by some critics as regards the status and role of women that they have been unfairly represented. Rather than dealing with a very wide coverage of both texts and authors, the study is limited in scope to two primary texts each by Wole Soyinka and Asiedu Yirenkyi. The rational behind this selection is explained in the main thesis. Characterisation, more than anything else, has been the main focus for the discussion. And essentially, it is the female characters that have been dealt with. Any other elements such as theme and language discussed serve illustrative purposes only. The study is divided into four main sections. The first section, the introductory chapter, provides a general background to the study, and to the literary debates that necessitate this project. It also discusses the theories within which each author is interpreted, and outlines the methodology employed.. Also forming part of this chapter is the review of critical literature relevant to the study. Two chapters, chapters two and three, which constitute the core of the study, are made up of textual analyses of the selected primary texts, while the concluding chapter presents my findings, observations and personal reactions.