African Oral Literature
"... its pages come alive with wonderful illustrative material coupled with sensitve and insightful commentary." —Reviews in Anthropology\ "... the scope, breadth, and lucidity of this excellent study confirm that Okpewho is undoubtedly the most important authority writing on African oral literature right now... "—Research in African Literatures\ "Truly a tour de force of individual scholarship... "—World Literature Today\ "... excellent... " —African Affairs\ "... a thorough synthesis of the...
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"... its pages come alive with wonderful illustrative material coupled with sensitve and insightful commentary." — Reviews in Anthropology"... the scope, breadth, and lucidity of this excellent study confirm that Okpewho is undoubtedly the most important authority writing on African oral literature right now... " — Research in African Literatures"Truly a tour de force of individual scholarship... " — World Literature Today"... excellent... " — African Affairs"... a thorough synthesis of the main issues of oral literature criticism, as well as a grounding in experienced fieldwork, a wide-ranging theoretical base, and a clarity of argument rare among academics." — Multicultural Review"This is a breathtakingly ambitious project... " — Harold Scheub"... a definitive accounting of the evidence of living oral traditions in Africa today. Professor Okpewho's authority as an expert in this important new field is unrivaled." — Gregory Nagy"Isidore Okpewho's African Oral Literature is a marvelous piece of scholarship and wide-ranging research. It presents the most comprehensive survey of the field of oral literature in Africa." — Emmanuel Obiechina"... a tour de force of scholarship in which Okpewho casts his net across the African continent, searching for its verbal forms through voluminous recent writings and presents African oral literature in a new voice, proclaiming the literariness of African folklore." — Dan Ben-Amos"This is an outstanding book by a scholar whose work has already influenced how African literature should be conceived.... Professor Okpewho is a scholar with a special talent to nurture scholarship in others. After this work, African literature will never be the same." — Mazisi KuneneIsidore Okpewho, for many years Professor of English at the University of Ibadan, is one of the handful of African scholars who has facilitated the growth of African oral literature to its status today as a literary enterprise concerned with the artistic foundations of human culture. This comprehensive critical work firmly establishes oral literature as a landmark of high artistic achievement and situates it within the broader framework of contemporary African culture.
Pt. 1Backgrounds and Resources1The Study of African Oral Literature3What Is "Oral Literature"?3An Interest in Culture5An Interest in Society9An Interest in Literature12Benefits of the New Trends172The Oral Artist20Training and Preparation21Artists and Patrons25The Artist as Maker30The Personality of the Artist34The Artist's Place in Society393The Oral Performance42Varieties of Performance42Paralinguistic Resources46Performer and Accompanist51Performer and Audience57Performer and Recorder63Composition and Performance674Stylistic Qualities70Repetition71Parallelism78Piling and Association83Tonality88Ideophones92Digression96Imagery98Allusion100Symbolism1015Social Relevance105Entertainment and Relaxation106Asserting Interests and Outlooks110Teaching Ideals and Conduct115Recording Life118Pt. 2Types and Themes6Songs and Chants127Problems of Classification127The Nature of Songs and Chants130Major Themes1377Oral Narratives163Schools of Thought164Categories of the Oral Narrative181Storytelling in Africa2218Witticisms226Proverbs226Riddles239Puns and Tongue-Twisters2509Musical and Dramatic Forms253The Poetry of Tone Instruments253Ritual Drama261Popular Drama272Pt. 3The Survival of Oral Literature10Oral Literature and Modern African Literature293Translation294Adaptation301Exploitation31411Preserving Oral Literature: Fieldwork and After328Attitudes328Preparations334Meeting the Artist341Recording the Artist343Transcription and Translation347Storage354What Do They Get for Their Pains?35512Suggested Further Work360Fieldwork and Documentation360The Urban Scene361Biocritical Studies363Other Specialized Investigations365Notes369Bibliography375Index385
