The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2019 |
Outros Autores: | |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | por |
Título da fonte: | Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) |
Texto Completo: | http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/46447 |
Resumo: | This paper aims to analyze the short-story ‘The dream-vendor's August’, authored by Nigerian writer Ben Okri, based on critical approaches that relate that specific African postcolonial writing to the notions of expenditure and the gift advanced, respectively, by Georges Bataille (1997) and Jacques Derrida (1992). It is a critical examination in which the idea of loss is taken as an important feature of that Nigerian fictional text, especially in the late 1980s and 1990s, a period portrayed by Okri in his narrative. Among the questions raised in this study is the possibility that the context of a large postcolonial African city, such as Lagos, implies specific processes of expenditure and exchanging gifts, different from those experienced in metropolis of developed countries. Cultural issues transform or even subvert in some way such experiences. Therefore, the investigation focuses on the discursive displacement of Okri's postcolonial narrative in order to discuss the political, economic, and mainly cultural reality of Nigeria at that time. In such a configuration, expenditure seems to reach virtually every sphere in the existence of the postcolonial subject portrayed in the story. However, at the same time, there are mechanisms that interrupt the experience of excessive or unproductive loss in terms possibly different from those present in other societies. In this sense, the reading of postcolonial narratives poses new problems for Western literary criticism. |
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The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben OkriA noção de dispêndio no contexto pós-colonial: uma análise de um conto de Ben Okrinigerian literature; narrative; postcolonial criticism; Ben Okri.literatura nigeriana; narrativa; escrita pós-colonial; Ben Okri.This paper aims to analyze the short-story ‘The dream-vendor's August’, authored by Nigerian writer Ben Okri, based on critical approaches that relate that specific African postcolonial writing to the notions of expenditure and the gift advanced, respectively, by Georges Bataille (1997) and Jacques Derrida (1992). It is a critical examination in which the idea of loss is taken as an important feature of that Nigerian fictional text, especially in the late 1980s and 1990s, a period portrayed by Okri in his narrative. Among the questions raised in this study is the possibility that the context of a large postcolonial African city, such as Lagos, implies specific processes of expenditure and exchanging gifts, different from those experienced in metropolis of developed countries. Cultural issues transform or even subvert in some way such experiences. Therefore, the investigation focuses on the discursive displacement of Okri's postcolonial narrative in order to discuss the political, economic, and mainly cultural reality of Nigeria at that time. In such a configuration, expenditure seems to reach virtually every sphere in the existence of the postcolonial subject portrayed in the story. However, at the same time, there are mechanisms that interrupt the experience of excessive or unproductive loss in terms possibly different from those present in other societies. In this sense, the reading of postcolonial narratives poses new problems for Western literary criticism.Este trabalho analisa o conto The dream-vendor's August, do escritor nigeriano Ben Okri, a partir de enfoques críticos que relacionam essa escrita pós-colonial às noções de dispêndio e de presente defendidas, respectivamente, por Georges Bataille (1997) e Jacques Derrida (1992). Trata-se de uma reflexão crítica em que se toma a ideia de perda como importante característica desse texto ficcional nigeriano, sobretudo no período entre o final dos anos 1980 e a década de 1990, momento retratado na narrativa de Okri. Entre os questionamentos levantados, encontra-se a possibilidade de que o contexto de uma grande cidade africana pós-colonial, como Lagos, implica processos de dispêndio e de presentear específicos, diferentes daqueles experimentados em metrópoles de países desenvolvidos. A questão cultural transforma ou até mesmo subverte, de alguma maneira, tais experiências. Dessa forma, investiga-se o deslocamento discursivo da narrativa pós-colonial de Okri a fim de discutir a realidade política, econômica e principalmente cultural da Nigéria nessa época. Em tal configuração, o dispêndio parece atingir praticamente todas as esferas da existência do sujeito pós-colonial retratado no conto. Porém, ao mesmo tempo, há mecanismos que interrompem a experiência da perda excessiva ou improdutiva em termos possivelmente diversos daqueles presentes em outras sociedades. Nesse sentido, a leitura da narrativa pós-colonial coloca novos problemas para a crítica literária ocidental.Universidade Estadual De Maringá2019-10-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/4644710.4025/actascilangcult.v41i2.46447Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture; Vol 41 No 2 (2019): July-Dec.; e46447Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture; v. 41 n. 2 (2019): July-Dec.; e464471983-46831983-4675reponame:Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online)instname:Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)instacron:UEMporhttp://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/46447/751375148470Copyright (c) 2019 Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culturehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessCarbonieri, DivanizeOliveira, Adilson Vagner de2022-02-20T22:25:23Zoai:periodicos.uem.br/ojs:article/46447Revistahttp://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCultPUBhttp://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/oai||actalan@uem.br1983-46831983-4675opendoar:2022-02-20T22:25:23Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) - Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)false |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri A noção de dispêndio no contexto pós-colonial: uma análise de um conto de Ben Okri |
title |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
spellingShingle |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri Carbonieri, Divanize nigerian literature; narrative; postcolonial criticism; Ben Okri. literatura nigeriana; narrativa; escrita pós-colonial; Ben Okri. |
title_short |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
title_full |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
title_fullStr |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
title_full_unstemmed |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
title_sort |
The notion of expenditure in postcolonial context: an analysis of a short story by Ben Okri |
author |
Carbonieri, Divanize |
author_facet |
Carbonieri, Divanize Oliveira, Adilson Vagner de |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Oliveira, Adilson Vagner de |
author2_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Carbonieri, Divanize Oliveira, Adilson Vagner de |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
nigerian literature; narrative; postcolonial criticism; Ben Okri. literatura nigeriana; narrativa; escrita pós-colonial; Ben Okri. |
topic |
nigerian literature; narrative; postcolonial criticism; Ben Okri. literatura nigeriana; narrativa; escrita pós-colonial; Ben Okri. |
description |
This paper aims to analyze the short-story ‘The dream-vendor's August’, authored by Nigerian writer Ben Okri, based on critical approaches that relate that specific African postcolonial writing to the notions of expenditure and the gift advanced, respectively, by Georges Bataille (1997) and Jacques Derrida (1992). It is a critical examination in which the idea of loss is taken as an important feature of that Nigerian fictional text, especially in the late 1980s and 1990s, a period portrayed by Okri in his narrative. Among the questions raised in this study is the possibility that the context of a large postcolonial African city, such as Lagos, implies specific processes of expenditure and exchanging gifts, different from those experienced in metropolis of developed countries. Cultural issues transform or even subvert in some way such experiences. Therefore, the investigation focuses on the discursive displacement of Okri's postcolonial narrative in order to discuss the political, economic, and mainly cultural reality of Nigeria at that time. In such a configuration, expenditure seems to reach virtually every sphere in the existence of the postcolonial subject portrayed in the story. However, at the same time, there are mechanisms that interrupt the experience of excessive or unproductive loss in terms possibly different from those present in other societies. In this sense, the reading of postcolonial narratives poses new problems for Western literary criticism. |
publishDate |
2019 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2019-10-01 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/46447 10.4025/actascilangcult.v41i2.46447 |
url |
http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/46447 |
identifier_str_mv |
10.4025/actascilangcult.v41i2.46447 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
por |
language |
por |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciLangCult/article/view/46447/751375148470 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2019 Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2019 Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Universidade Estadual De Maringá |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Universidade Estadual De Maringá |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture; Vol 41 No 2 (2019): July-Dec.; e46447 Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture; v. 41 n. 2 (2019): July-Dec.; e46447 1983-4683 1983-4675 reponame:Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) instname:Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) instacron:UEM |
instname_str |
Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) |
instacron_str |
UEM |
institution |
UEM |
reponame_str |
Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) |
collection |
Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture (Online) - Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
||actalan@uem.br |
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1799317466345635840 |