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Magical Realism in Ben Okri. A Critical Reading of "Laughter Beneath the Bridge" and "What the Tapster Saw"

Title: Magical Realism in Ben Okri. A Critical Reading of "Laughter Beneath the Bridge" and "What the Tapster Saw"

Essay , 2012 , 13 Pages , Grade: 1

Autor:in: Melanie Heiland (Author)

Literature - Comparative Literature
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Summary Excerpt Details

The major part of my essay will focus on two short stories by Okri: “Laughter Beneath the Bridge” and “What the Tapster Saw”. After giving a brief survey of the literary and critical context of “Stars of the New Curfew” and “Incidents at the Shrine”, the short story collections within which the stories were published, I am going to analyze the texts in terms of style, main ideas and narrative structure. On this occasion I will mainly concentrate on the narrative voice and the characters of the stories, particularly examining the way the author constructs his stories through his protagonists, as well as the elements of magical realism that can be found in the texts and their function.

The following questions are going to lead me troughout the whole essay: What is so specific about Okri’s writing? How are his characters depicted, and to what extent is the narrative point of view important for the reader’s perception of the story? In what way is Okri’s work represantative of Magical Realism, and what is the function of magical events in his work?

Excerpt


Inhaltsverzeichnis

  • Magical Realism in Ben Okri: A Critical Reading of Laughter Beneath the Bridge and What the Tapster Saw
  • Introduction
  • Ben Okri and his Literary Background
  • Magical Realism in Ben Okri’s Work: A Critical Analysis of “What the Tapster Saw” and “Laughter Beneath the Bridge”
  • “What the Tapster Saw”: A Detailed Analysis of the Text
  • Magical Realism in “What the Tapster Saw”
  • “Laughter Beneath the Bridge”: A Detailed Analysis of the Text
  • Magical Realism in “Laughter Beneath the Bridge”
  • Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Werk des nigerianischen Schriftstellers Ben Okri, insbesondere mit seinen Kurzgeschichten "Laughter Beneath the Bridge" und "What the Tapster Saw". Sie untersucht die Stilelemente, die Hauptthemen und die narrative Struktur dieser Werke, wobei ein besonderes Augenmerk auf die Verwendung von magischem Realismus gelegt wird.

  • Ben Okris literarischer Hintergrund und seine Einordnung in die postkoloniale Literatur
  • Die Rolle des magischen Realismus in Okris Werk
  • Analyse der erzählerischen Struktur und der Charakterdarstellung in "What the Tapster Saw" und "Laughter Beneath the Bridge"
  • Die Funktion von magischen Elementen in Okris Geschichten
  • Okris literarische Kritik an der postkolonialen Gesellschaft

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

Das erste Kapitel bietet einen Überblick über Ben Okris literarischen Hintergrund und seine Einordnung in die postkoloniale Literatur. Es werden seine wichtigsten Werke und seine literarischen Einflüsse besprochen.

Kapitel zwei führt in die Konzepte des magischen Realismus ein und untersucht die Funktion dieses Genres in Okris Werk. Es analysiert die wichtigsten Merkmale des magischen Realismus in Okris Geschichten und wie sie zum Verständnis der narrativen Struktur und der Themen der Geschichten beitragen.

Kapitel drei analysiert die Kurzgeschichte "What the Tapster Saw". Es wird die narrative Struktur, die Charakterdarstellung und die Verwendung von magischen Elementen in der Geschichte untersucht. Die Analyse beleuchtet die Rolle der Traumsequenzen und die Ambivalenz zwischen Realität und Traum in der Geschichte.

Schlüsselwörter

Die Arbeit fokussiert auf die folgenden Schlüsselwörter: Ben Okri, magischer Realismus, postkoloniale Literatur, Nigeria, "What the Tapster Saw", "Laughter Beneath the Bridge", narrative Struktur, Charakterdarstellung, Traum, Realität.

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Details

Title
Magical Realism in Ben Okri. A Critical Reading of "Laughter Beneath the Bridge" and "What the Tapster Saw"
College
University of Vienna
Grade
1
Author
Melanie Heiland (Author)
Publication Year
2012
Pages
13
Catalog Number
V448723
ISBN (eBook)
9783668834392
ISBN (Book)
9783668834408
Language
German
Tags
magical realism okri critical reading laughter beneath bridge what tapster
Product Safety
GRIN Publishing GmbH
Quote paper
Melanie Heiland (Author), 2012, Magical Realism in Ben Okri. A Critical Reading of "Laughter Beneath the Bridge" and "What the Tapster Saw", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/448723
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