A writer and his gods : a study of the importance of Yoruba myths and religious ideas to the writing of Wole Soyinka

• The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to examine how the anglophone Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka uses the myths of his people, the Yoruba, in his literary texts. The thesis consists of four parts: "Introduction", "Section I", "Section II", and "Conclusion". In the Introduction, I state my purpose and give an account of my sources. "Section I", subtitled "Wole Soyinka. The Myths", contains two relatively short chapters dealing with (1) the life of Wole Soyinka, and (2) the most important divinities of the Yoruba pantheon. "Section II: Wole Soyinka and the Myths", which is the main section of the thesis, contains three chapters dealing with the use of Yoruba myths in (1) Soyinka's dramas, (2) his poetry, and (3) his narrative prose. I conclude that Yoruba myths, especially the myth of the god Ogun, have been of considerable importance to Soyinka; that Soyinka's main object is to draw attention to present conditions, using myths to make clear the hidden patterns of the here and now; and that, to Soyinka, the mythical figures represent a positive attitude to life, which is apparent from the fact that they are almost completely absent from his most pessimistic works.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

dok (subject category)