What does quantity have to do with it: a closer look at Chinua Achebe’s short stories.

• Main Author: Chng, Rebecca Hui Shan.
• Other Authors: Sim Wai Chew
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::English
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/46365
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Chinua Achebe, the prolific Igbo author from Nigeria, has long been credited as the father of African literature, so to speak. Those of his works which have been received with critical acclaim include what is usually referred to as the African Trilogy, consisting of his first novel Things Fall Apart, the sequel No Longer At Ease and the final installment in the series, Arrow of God. Another notable piece of Achebe’s is his critical response to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness- in which he famously accuses the Polish novelist of being a “bloody racist”- in his essay An Image of Africa. Because these writings combine to overshadow others in Achebe’s repertoire, it is lesser known that he has also penned a collection of short stories entitled Girls at War and Other Stories. This thesis will focus on Achebe’s short fiction, which I will contend are undervalued in their own right. I will also argue that the greatest strength of the stories lie in their demonstration of Achebe’s aptitude for versatility as he writes specifically about the African people and their experiences. Simultaneously, he also imbues readers from outside Africa with knowledge about a misunderstood continent. Hence, Africa, in this context, signifies “not only a geographical expression... but also a metaphysical landscape - it is in fact a view of the world and of the whole cosmos perceived from a particular position” (Hopes 92). Nevertheless, that is not to Chng 2 say that any other reader from outside Africa cannot also be informed, instructed and/or interested by the works in this collection. In terms of Achebe’s chosen medium of expression, this thesis will also discuss the lack of critical success of Girls at War and Other Stories in relation to the perception of the short story as an inferior literary form.