he

Novelist
as
Teacher:
a21st
Century
Criticism
Mildred
Ibeginbyclarifyingmystandinmakingthiscriticism.IholdChinuaAchebeinhighesteemasalegendof Barya
Africanliteraturesandtheentirerangeofpostcolonialthought.Irecognisethevitalpositionhisdebut,Things
FallApart,occupiesinAfricanliteratures,asaresultofwhichtodaywearecelebratingitsfiftiethbirthday.My
criticismofAchebesconceptofthenovelistasateacher,drawingtextualinstancesfromThingsFallApart,is
not, of course, aimed at debunking the claims of the novel as a classic. I come from the premise, quite
commontoeveryliterarycritic,thatnoclassicisdevoidofartisticflaws.Myprimaryinterestistoproblematise
Achebesconceptofthenovelistasateacher,establishitsextraliteraryexcessesandpointoutitsnegative
influenceontwentyfirstcenturyNigerianfiction.
AchebesthesisinTheNovelistasTeacherbegins from a context which appeals to all of us as Africans
reduced to a subaltern denomination by colonialism. For a writer who decided to take fiction, and not
journalismorhistory,asaweaponagainsttheracistMisterJohnsonandHeartofDarkness,Achebecameto
writefictionwithashapeofmindthatwouldseehimreorientatingAfricanstowardstherelevanceofartsto
society and its use in confronting human indignity in Africa. His expository essay, therefore, theoretically
underpinstheideasthathavebeenputintohisearlyfiction,begottenofapressingintentionandgivena
definitegoal.
Achebesorientation,ofcourse,istraditionaltoAfricanphilosophyandorality.For,asChinweizuetalhave
pointedout,
[because] in Africa we recognize that art is in the public domain, a sense of social
commitmentismandatoryupontheartist.
WeknowtheartistsplaceinAfricanculturestobethatofashaperofacommunalpsyche.Weknowthatthe
traditionalpoetorraconteurisacustodianofwhatOkechukwuS.Mezucallsacollectiveexperience,and
his performances create a formidable relationship between him and his audience. Art, whatever its form,
belongstothepublicsphereandtheartistconsidershisvoiceascommunal.Heexpressesthepainsand
joys,thesuccessesandfailuresofhispeople.Anovelistcomingfromthisoraltraditionwouldcertainlyfind
theselfcomplacent,supremeartofthemodernisttraditionquitesuspicious.
ForAchebe,then,itisnotwhatthewriter,iconoclasticandfree,expectsfromhissociety,butwhatsociety
expectsofitswriters.Itisthatcommunalsenseinhimthatprojectsitself,thatplaceshimatthecentreofthe
community,andmakeshimnotonlyconsciousofthecommunalneedsbutalsowillingtousehisartasa
handlewithwhichtoshiftthesocietyfromapointofignorancetothatofenlightenment.Acheberecognises
hisaudienceatonceashisbrothers,fellowsufferersinsearchofwheretherainsstartedbeatingthem.Heas
anartisthasknownwheretherainsstartedanditismandatoryonhimtoshowthemtheplace.Itisthisself
consciousknowerwhosays
[m]ostofmyreadersareyoung.Theyareeitherinschoolorcollegeorhaveonlyrecentlyleft.
Andmanyofthemlookuptomeasakindofteacher.
ThetextureofAchebespropositionshowsthatthisisnotjustamatterofmereteaching,butofradicalre
orientation and emancipation of a colonised society from the ineptitude, the lies and the cruelties of
colonialism.Sothenovelistmustrisetoteach,and,indoingso,help[his]societyregainbeliefinitselfand
putawaythecomplexesoftheyearsofdenigrationandselfabasement.Inthelongrun,Achebedeclares,I
would be quite satisfied if my novelsdid no more than teach my readers that the past with all its
imperfectionswasnotonelongnightofsavageryfromwhichthefirstEuropeansactingonGodsbehalf
delivered them. This seeming wish, which is, in fact, a manifesto powering Achebes fiction, should elicit
somequestions:howeffectiveisfictioninspiteofhistoryandjournalismineducatingpeople,especiallya
people,likethewhites,whohavelongcodifiedtheirillegal,wantonanddehumanisingopinionsonAfrica?
How many white people read Achebes novels then and are still reading them, and have been really
educatedandhavechangedtheirracistattitudestowardstheblackrace?Whateffectdoesaworkofart,
say,anovel,haveonitsaudienceifitpointedlysetsouttoinstructandredirecttheperceptionsofpeople
aboutaparticularthing?

Anovelisaworkofart.Aworkofart,touseAchebesbucolicmetaphor,isamasqueradedancinginthe
marketsquare.Everybodycomesaroundtowatchit.Everybodywatchesitfromwhateverangleheorshe
chooses.Afterwatchingit,everybodytakesawaywhateverheorshepleasestotakeaway:forsomeitis
pleasure,forothersitisalessonforsomeitisbeauty,forothersitisuglinessforsomeitistheappreciation
ofskill,forothersitisthecondemnationofmediocrity.Itisonthisbasisthataproblem,bothconceptualand
exegetical,arisesifawritercomesoutinaselfimportantwaytotellhisorherreadersthatitis,ofcourse,for
soandsoreasonthatheorshehascreatedaworkofart.Oneofthebasicskills,indeedadifficultone,to
attainbymostwritersinapostcolonialstateistheabilitytostrikeabalancebetweenthethornyissuesthat
havetodowiththeforgingofnationhood,whichoftenformthethemesofhisworks,andtherespecthemust
haveforthedignityofart.Nobodyisanovelistorapoetsimplybecausehecanscribbleanythinghefeels
aboutthesociopoliticalissuesinhissociety.Anovel,KolawoleOgungbesanpointsout,isnotsavedbya
greattheme.
Itisadmissiblethatgiventhehistoricalprocess,protestdependent,thathasevolvedtheAfricannationhood
andisstillstrugglingtofullyrealisethisnationhood,modernAfricanliteraturehasthetemptationtosuccumb
to burning sociopolitical and cultural needs. Most African writers were not as immodest (or, perhaps,
courageous)asChristopherOkigbotosay,ina1965interviewwithMarjoryWhitelaw,Idontlikewriting
thatiscommitted.Ithinkitisverycheapatatimewhenitwasfashionableforwriterstocomeoutandsay
theyhadwritten,ascommittedartists(orappliedartists),toteachtheworldwhatitdidnotknowaboutAfrica.
Infact,Okigbomadeamoreblasphemousstatementatthattimewhen,in1966whilerejectingAfricasfirst
prizeinpoetryattheFestivalofNegroArtsinDakar,hedeclared,[t]hereisnosuchthingasNegroArts
thereisnoAfricanwritingthatsall.AfricanliteratureissimplyliteratureinAfrica.Clearly,Okigbo,here,was
resisting the temptation, like a few other African writers, to define a pedagogic manifesto in the context of
socialcommitment.
Really,theargumentisnotthatAfricanwritersshouldrejectanyconnectionbetweenartandthepoliticsof
theirsocietyitisthattheAfricanwriter,whethertraditionalormodern,shouldfirstofallrecognisethatartis
autonomousandselfsufficientthatitsgreatnessliesnotinthethemesorsocialideasitpeddles,butinthe
craftthatisputintoit.Awriter,whetherAfricanornot,shouldavoidanygospelabouthisduty,hisintentionor
anyinstructionshewantshisaudiencetogetfromhiswork.Ifawriterwrites,asNardineGordimersays,to
thetransformationofreality,inwhateverformsandmodesofexpression[andisset]tomakesenseoflife
asheknowsandexperiencesit,thensocialthemesnaturallycomeinsinceanyhumanbeingisapolitical
andsocialanimal.Awriterdoesnotneedtolaboriouslyworksocialissuesintohiswriting,andspendhis
timetheorisingonthat.Ogungbesanputsitthisway:
Thewriterisamemberofsocietyandhissensibilityisconditionedbythesocialandpolitical
happenings around him. These issues willbe present in his work, but they must be more
implicitthanotherwise.
Thewriter,smartingfromtherealisationofsuffocatingsocialandhumanillsaroundhim,eagertopointout
theillsandsuggestsolutions,toplacehisideasbeforethecraft,toreducearttoaweaponofsocialchange,
eitherdoesnotgraspthemeaningofartorchoosestobetrayart.Inaway,forimplyingthatheisanapplied
artistandbeginninganarrativetraditionthatplacesartbeneaththetremblingsocialissuesofhissociety,
Achebebetraysart,for,asOgungbesansays,[it]isabetrayalofartforthewritertoputhiswritingsatthe
serviceofacause,evenifitissuchalaudableanduncontroversialcauseastheeducationofthepeople.
To set out to be a novelist should imply that one is interested in the craft, is triggered by that interest, is
dedicated to the perfection of the craft and the social issues found in the craft should come from a deep
philosophyofimagination,notfromtheprogrammaticselectionoftheeducationist.
Whiletheargumentbetweentheartistsdedicationtosocietyversusdedicationtoartisnotnewinliterary
scholarshipinAfrica,andmaysoundliketherehashingofthegreatdebateofthetwentiethcenturyEnglish
literature,itisstillveryrelevantinourtimebecausenewAfricanwritersandcriticshavenottranscendedthe
undueattentiongiventosocietalissuestothedetrimentofart.Thewriteriseagertomakehisworkcarrythe
burdensofthesocietywithoutgivingdueattentiontocraft.Thecriticislookingfornothinginaworkofart
otherthanthesocialburdenitcarries.Today,ourliteraryprizesandjudgesonlywanttoknowhowvociferous
awomanisinprojectingthestrugglesandsufferingofthewomaninthesocietyhowawriterfromtheNiger
Deltaisabletopaintthepictureofdegradationandinhumanityintheareahowrealisticawriterfromthe
north shows the lifestyle and culture of the northern people. Such prizes should have been meant for
sociological/ anthropological writings, not creative writings. Most Nigerian writers today show those things
withoutrecoursetoliterarinessandgettheprizes.OtherwisewhatdoyousayoftheLagosbasedwriterwho
sweepsallprizesinNigeriawithoutlittleornocraftinhercreativefiction?Theproblemwefacewiththis
tradition is that most of our new writings, in spite of the postcolonial accolades they get, are infantile and
inadequatetocaterfortheentirescopeofhumanimagination.Thisproblemisnaturaltoaphilosophyofart
thatreducescreativewritingtoinstructionalisationandpedagogy.

ToreturntoAchebesfiction.ItismyopinionthatThingsFallApartwouldhavebeenaroundlyaccomplished
noveliftheauthordidnothaveadefined,tooconsciousintentionforwritingitorifhedidnotsaddleitwitha
grandgoal.Aworkofart,suchasThingsFallApart,oughttobeabeautifullyadornedmasquerade,apublic
one dancing in the market square, and every viewer will watch its dance step with delight and take away
whateverlessonshewantstotake.ThingsFallApartisanovel,astoryoftheriseandfalloftheprotagonist
Okonkwo and of a changing society which he belongs. The story itself is selfcontained, human in
perspective,fascinatingtoboth'high'and'low'persons,andthematicallypenetrative.Inhumanlife,thereare
peoplewhoriseandfalleverydaytherearesocietieswhoareinaconstantfluxofchange,whetherpositive
or negative. A story such as this simply needs to be garbed in a captivating plot, exciting narration, vivid
description,deepcharacterisation,appropriatepointofview,meaningfulimageryandprofoundtheme.
Toreducesuchastorytobackgroundsofintentionalpedagogy,asAchebehasdone,istounderminethe
craftoftheart.TakingacuefromthepremiseofsocialintentionprojectedbyAchebe,almostallcriticsand
scholars approach Things Fall Apart not really as a novel but as a social document (laced with certain
literariness though) which is foremost in prioritising the sociological and anthropological facts and
embellishmentofaprecolonialAfrica.MostreadingsofthenovelthereforemainstreamAchebesintention,
movinginadirectionthatidolisesthenovelasadocumentthatfirstbroughttothewhitemansknowledge
thatthepastofAfricawasfullofgloryandhumandignity.WhilethosereadingsfulfillAchebesintentionfor
writingthenovel,weneedrereadings,inequalproportions,thatwillinterrogatethevalidityofThings Fall
ApartinshowingthegloryandhumandignityofAfrica.Somefewvoiceshaveasked:isOkonkwoorEzeulu
rational enough to convey the human dignity of the past of Africa? How is Obi, in spite of his education,
different from Mister Johnson when he succumbs to bribery and lacks the willpower to rise beyond the
inhumanphenomenonoftheosucaste?
IdothinkthatbecauseoftheintentionbehindcreatingThingsFallApart,Achebechoosesapointofviewthat
is unsuited. The chief ingredient of that novel, the centre of fascination, is the story of Okonkwo his
philosophy of being great rooted in the cultural demands of his society and his idiosyncratic stance to
confront,evenifsinglehandedly,thechangethatcomesuponthesociety.Asuitablepointofviewforsucha
characterdrivenstoryiswhatNormanFriedmancallsthethedramaticmode,whichislargelydemonstrated
by what the characters do and say so that the reader apparently listens to no one but the characters
themselves,whomoveasitwereuponastage.InsteadofuswatchingOkonkwoonstage,weseemoreof
Achebe, deafening us with what he says about Okonkwo. Consequently, the plot of Things Fall Apart is
unbalancedwithtoomuchofbackgroundexplanationstakingupthemostpartofit,leavingjustsmallforthe
actionsthatshouldindeedactoutthestory.Aplotisactivatedandremainsactiveinitslifespanthrougha
sequenceofactionsitsurvivesonthepopularviewthatastorytelleristoshow,nottotell.
Thefirstparagraphofthenovelisnodoubtaninterestingnarrationandwemayperhapsapproachitwith
what the narratologist Roland Barthes calls a hermeneutic code. It is like a stage direction that presents
Okonkwotheactor.Ourdesireistoknowmoreabouthowaneighteenyearboycanbeatahugelyfamous
wrestlerlikeAmalinzethecat.Tosatisfyourcuriosity,Achebedeploysthemosteffectivemode:flashback.But
alastheflashback,whichoughttoshow,onlytellsthestorytothereadersdissatisfaction:
Thedrumsbeatandtheflutessangandthespectatorsheldtheirbreath.Amalinzewasawily
craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water. Every nerve and every muscle
stoodoutontheirarms,ontheirbacksandtheirthighs,andonealmostheardthemstretching
tobreakingpoint.IntheendOkonkwothrewtheCat(3).
What we see here are summaries of things we need to see. How is Amalinze wily? How is Okonkwo
slippery?HowdoesOkonkwothrowthecat?Thisflashbackshowsnothingbutmerelyexpandsasentencein
thefirstparagraph:AsayoungmanofeighteenhehadbroughthonourtohisvillagebythrowingAmalinze
theCat(3).ItissimplyasketchofthesceneAchebeoughttohaveshownhisreaders.Suchstillbornscenes
arefoundthroughoutthenovelandaffectthebalanceoftheplot.Thebeginningofchaptertwoofthenovelis
onesuch.GiventheauthorsprivilegingofthesociologyandanthropologyoftheIgbopeople,oneexpects
thatthefirstencounterthereaderishavingwiththetowncriershouldhavebeenshownasascene.Butitis
narratedthroughtheeyesofOkonkwo.
AnotherimportantscenenotshownistherealityofnaturethepeopleofUmuofiafacewhenOkonkwotakes
yamseedsfromNwakibietoexpandhisfarm.Theyearturnsouttobeabadone.Thebadyear,insteadof
beingshown,istoldthus:
That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the
miserableandrottingyams.Onemantiedhisclothtoatreebranchandhangedhimself(17).
The showing of this scene is pertinent because it will make the reader see Okonkwos natural reaction to
such an unfortunate year, given his attitude and inclination. Such stillborn scenes weaken Okonkwos
characterisation.MostofthethingsweknowaboutOkonkwocomesthroughtheauthorsintrusivevoice.The

author,forinstance,doesnotneedtotellusthatOkonkworuledhishouseholdwithaheavyhand(9)or
Okonkwodidnothavethestartinlifewhichmanyyoungmenusuallyhad(12).Theideasexpressedin
thosesentencesarecentraltothecharacterdevelopmentofOkonkwoandthereaderisinterestedinseeing
themshowninseeingsceneswhereOkonkwodisplaysaheavyhand.InalltheplacesAchebeoughtto
showOkonkwosheavyhand,hemerelysummarisesbysayinghebeat[hiswife,hischild]veryheavily
(21),exceptwhereOkonkwofiresagunathiswife.Howdoesthereadercreateinhismindthepictureof
Okonkwobeatinghiswifeorhischildveryheavilywhenitistheauthorsdutytodramatisesuchacrucial
habitofhisprotagonist?
OneotherpertinentshortcominginAchebeshandlingofthecharacterofOkonkwoishissummarizationof
whatpeoplesayaboutOkonkwo,especiallywhenitisnecessarythatthepeoplesvoiceshouldbeheard.An
exampleis:afterhehasbeatenhiswifeduringtheweekofpeaceandheischastised,he,characteristically,
refuses to show his repentance openly. It is an opportunity the people, especially his detractors, have to
criticisehimbytalkingamongthemselves.Achebedeniesusthevoicesanddramasofthosewhocriticise
him:
Andsopeoplesaidhehadnorespectforthegodsoftheclan.Hisenemiessaidhisgood
fortunehadgonetohishead.Theycalledhimthelittlebirdnzawhosofarforgothimselfafter
aheavymealthathechallengedhischi(22).
EvenOkonkwoswivesandchildrendonothavetheirvoicesagainstthishusbandandfatherwhoisheavy
handed.InAchebespeculiarmannerofintruding,hedoesnotjusttellusaboutOkonkwobuthealsoseems
to be sympathetic with Okonkwo as if he were one of the characters in the novel. An instance is where
Achebewrites,Okonkwowasprovokedtojustifiableangerbyhisyoungestwife,whowenttoplaitherhairat
herfriendshouseanddidnotreturnearlyenoughtocooktheafternoonmeal(italicmine,21).Here,the
authordecidesthatOkonkwosangerisjustifiableeventhoughhehasnottoldorshownusthatthewifehas
stayedawayoutofstupidity.ElsewhereAchebe,takinghisreadersforgranted(sinceheisteachingthem,
anyway),says,ButalthoughOkonkwowasagreatmanwhoseprowesswasuniversallyacknowledged,he
wasnotahunter(italicmine,27).DoestheauthorneedtotellusthatOkonkwosgreatpowerisuniversally
acknowledged?What,forafictionwriter,isthesemanticlimitofthephraseuniversallyacknowledged?Too
muchofsummarizationinThingsFallApartmakesitasketchofagreaternovelyettobewritten.
Besidesundueauthorialintrusionsandstillbornscenes,Achebeofferstoomuchofsociologicalinformation,
givingthenovelanaspectoftheinstructionaltextbook.Textbooksaredullnovelsarepleasurable.People
escape from textbooks into novels in search of pleasure which art offers. The argument here is that the
novelist who successfully shows the story does not need to bring in sociological and anthropological
commentariesbecausetheywillbepartofwhatthereaderwillnaturallysee.IfAchebeisshowingus,as
thecaseshouldbe,alifeofanIgbomaninanIgbosociety,doesheneedtoteachusanythingaboutthe
Igbopeople?
Theauthor,forinstance,doesnotneedtotellhisreadersthatinIgboland,asinotherlandsinAfrica,[t]he
thickdregsofpalmwineweresupposedtobegoodformenwhoweregoingintotheirwives(15).Ifsuchan
instructionmustappearinfiction,itisbetterblendedintoadialogue.Achebe,thenarrator,doesnot,himself,
needtoeducateusthat[b]uttheIbopeoplehaveaproverbthatwhenamansaysyeshischisaysyesalso
(19).Therearecharactersinthenovelqualifiedtonotonlysaythis,butalsoshowit.Proverbs,suchasthis,
not spoken by the characters are misplaced. Achebes commentary on yam here is better suited for a
textbook(noteventhepersonificationgivesitaplaceinfiction):
Yam,thekingofcrops,wasaveryexactingking.Forthreeorfourmoonsitdemandedhard
work and constant attention from cockcrow till the chickens went back to roost. The young
tendrils were protected from earthheat with rings of sisal leaves. The yams were then
staked,firstwithlittlesticksandlaterwithtallandbigtreebranches.Thewomenweededthe
farmthreetimesatdefiniteperiodsinthelifeoftheyams,neitherearlynorlate(24).
Thisisagenerallessonfromthenovelistasateacherhebreaksupthenarrativetogiveusthelesson.The
question,forinstance,ofaudienceselectivitycomesin.IfAchebesaudienceistheIgbopeopleorAfricans,
dotheyneedthisgenerallesson?Ifthetargetaudienceisthewhitepeople,ofcoursethiswillfascinatethem
because it offers them an insight into how primitive people cultivate yam. In another instance, Achebe
educatesusonhow,inIgbosociety,loudcallsareanswered.WhenNwoyesmothercallsEkwefi,thelatter
answers by saying Is that me? Achebe the novelisteducationist will not let that go without giving us a
sociological/anthropological lesson: That was the way people answered calls from outside. They never
answeredyesforfearitmightbeanevilspiritcalling(29).
Thisisanotherexampleofinformationthatshouldbeputintodialogue.Forinstance,theinquisitiveEzinma
canaskhermotherwhysheanswersthatwayandtheinformationcancomefromthevoiceofthemother.Itis
a matter of intention for the writer to be certain that his audience needs that additional information. Given
Achebes propensity for instructional fiction, such commentaries are found now and then throughout the

novel.Theyslowdownthepaceofthenovel,distractthesequenceofactions,and,inmyopinion,borethe
readerwhoisouttoenjoythestoryofOkonkwo.
Itisworryingthattheseliteraryflaws(ifyouarepersuadedtoseethemassuch)continuetoexistinNigerian
fictiontilltoday.NewNigerianfictionwriterscomeonthescenetomeetanexistingnarrativetradition.Things
FallApartisapioneeringagentintheformationofthistradition.Infactsomecriticsandcommentatorshave
argued that it is the foremost agent in the formation of Africas narrative tradition, given its grand theme,
distinctivelanguageanditsacceptancebythepublic.ThelegacyfromThingsFallApartis inherent in this
tradition:acourageousthemethathitsbackataonesidednarrativewithacounternarrativeadomesticated
foreignlanguagethatenablesthewritertofeeldoublyequippedforliteraryexpressivityandamoraldutyon
thepartofthewritertodefineanintentionfortheevolutionofaliteraryvision.
Thistraditionhascontinuedtogiverisetoaliteratureofprotest,ofsocialcommitment,ofquasiMarxistcast,
andofAfricanrealism.Inthisnarrativetradition,thenovelistmusthaveadefinedgoal,aproper(byallmeans
political)intentionforwritingbecause,asAgwunchaNwankwosays,therelevanceofthewriterislocatedin
hisgraspandunderstandingoftheinterplayofsocialforceswithinhissociopoliticalrealityandhowhe
harnesseshistalentinreactiontotheseforces.FromFestusIyayisarrestingMarxismtoBuchiEmechetas
acidfeminism,downtotheloudMarxistfeminismofSefiAttaandIfeomaChinwuba,andtoChimamanda
NgoziAdichiesIgbocentricpostcolonialism,theNigeriannovelisthascontinuedtopayundueattentionto
sociopoliticaltheme,insteadofbalancingitwithcraft,toavoidbeingseenasirrelevanttohissociety.Forthis
reason,thenovelistisnotjustcontentedwiththesubmergenceofhisideasinthecharactersinhisworks,but
isloudinmakingcommentariesthatrenderthenovelheavilythematic.
IhavedecidedtouseAttasnovelasexample.OneexpectsthatAttasEverythingGoodWillCome,beinga
novel published in the twentyfirst century, will shy away from sociological and anthropological
commentaries. If it is for the interest of the white people, as it were, that sociological and anthropological
notesareinsertedintoearlyAfricannovelssuchasThingsFallApart(in spite of the literary subalternity it
implies),arethewhitepeopleofthiscenturystillinterestedinourprimitiveanthropology?Iftheyare,should
itbeourduty,asAfricanwriters,tofeedthemwiththisanthropologyandthenturnroundtomaskourselves
withpostcolonialism?Withthistrajectoryofselfpityingsubalternfictioncomingevenfromnewwriters,oneis
temptedtoagreewithTitiAdepitanthat[t]hetruthisthatnewwriterskeepgrindingoutversionsofThings
FallApart,imaginingthattheyareAchebeandthattherestoftheworld,inundatedwithtelevisionimagesof
Africaasajungle,isdyingforanaccountofthelatestritualorsuperstitionfromthecontinent.
Atta writes in the twentyfirst century with the indication that she is teaching nonNigerians, nonAfricans
certainthingsaboutlifeinNigeriaandaboutthesprawlingcityofLagoswherehernovelisset.Despiteher
use of the first person narrative point of view which should enable the author to give up what Norman
Friedman calls channels of information, we clearly discern Attas voice pushing through the voice of her
protagonistinsuchutterancesas:
Inmycountry,weappreciatetheendresult,butnotthecraft,perhapsbecausewedidnthave
fancynames.Paringwascutit.Juliennewascutitwell.Choppingwascutitwellwell,and
soontillyouhadpuree,whichwouldprobablybemashit.And,ifanyonewasmeasuringany
ingredientinakitchen,itmeantthattheyreallydidntknowwhattheyweredoing(126).
Certainly, Atta has taken leave of fiction here to teach her nonNigerian audience a topic in Nigerian
sociology.ThisisnotadialoguebetweenEnitanandherforeignfriendinEverythingGoodWillComeitisa
dialogue,instructiveinsuchateachfultone,betweentheauthorAttaandherforeignaudience.Elsewhere
Attabreaksupthenarrativetoexplaintoheraudiencehowtheword,like,isusedinLagos:
InLagosweusedthewordlikethisway.Youlikedtostare,youlikedtocriticise,youlikedto
makeappointmentsandnotkeepthem.Therewasanassumption,badEnglishaside,thatif
youdidsomethingoften,youlikedit(151).
Thisofcourseisalessoninanthropologicalphilology.Attasforeignaudiencewillbenefitfromthislessonin
thesensethattheywillknowhowLagosians,Nigerians,andAfricanshavealwaysbeenimperfectusersof
English,ananthropologicalconclusionthatwillfurtherestablishthesecondclassstatusoftheAfricans.Atta
alsogivesherforeignreadersalessoninLinguistics:
Yorubaisalanguagethatdoesntrecognisegenderhethesameasshe,himthesameas
herbutrespectisalwaysimportant(316).
TherearemorelessonsabouttheimpossiblecitycalledLagos:
On a Lagos street, justice happened straight away. You knocked someones car and they
beatyouup.Thepeoplewouldcomeouttowatch.Youknockedsomeone,andthepeople

themselveswouldbeatyouup.Youstoleanything,andthepeoplecouldbeatyouuntilthey
killedyou(152).
Here,Attaisnotdescribinganyparticularscene,asanovelistshoulddo,butisgivinggeneralknowledge,a
phenomenonwhichisoutsidethesphereoffiction.Theskillofthenovelistdemandsthatsuchknowledgeis
workedintoavividdescription.ThecommentaryaboveisunnecessaryanddamagingsinceAttahas,inthe
previousparagraphs,describedasceneofLagosstreetjustice.
The new Nigerian novelist who locates his space within the theory of the novelist as a teacher labours
constantlytodullhisstorywithbackgroundsandcommentariesthatgivethenovelanaspectofapamphlet
or a textbook. I have recently read two stories which would have been great novels but for the authors
indulgence on teachful thematics. I am talking of the muchpraised Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie and
ChinwubasWaitingforMaria.RemoveAdichiesessayisticinsertionswhichshecallsTheBook:TheWorld
WasSilentWhenWeDiedandyouhaveagreatstoryoflove,survivalandselfdevelopmentinwartime.In
fact,whatshehaslabouredtoputintheessaysarealreadywellblendedinthenarrativeandassuchthe
readergetsdistractedbywhatAdichiethinksshehasusedtoestablishagrandtheme.Amoreinteresting
storyisChinwubasWaitingforMaria,which,alas,isrubbishedbyinsufficientcraft.Itisagoodexampleofa
novelthatlacksthebalancebetweensocialissuesandcrafteverypageisheavywithonesocialmessageor
theother.Thefeelingyouhave,whenreadingthenovel,isthatthewriterisinahurrytoteachherreadera
number of things about the prison situation in Nigeria and the plight of women in a nation that is
metaphoricallyaprison.
Let me conclude by saying that in criticising Achebes concept of the novelist as a teacher and in
demonstratingwhatIconsidertheimperfectionsthatareinherentinfictionthattakesitsrootsinthatconcept,I
amtakingapositionwhichisobvious:anadvocacyfortheliberationofthenoveland,indeed,anyworkofart
from the undue grip of the authors intention, sociological commentaries and the grand theme of
postcolonial Africa. Lewis Nkosi has observed and warned against the journalistic fact parading
outrageouslyasimaginativeliteratureinAfrica.ThecriticSolomonIyaserehasalsoraisedfearthatjudging
fromtheincreasingcriticismofAfricanliteraturebyAfricans,weAfricansourselveswithalloursocalled
insideknowledgeofthesocialrealitiesbehindthenovelsatourdisposalhavenotprovidedsignificantly
moreinsightfulcriticism.This,tohim,istheresultoftheAfricancriticsfailuretoseethatAfricanliterature
demandsmorethanaknowledgeofthesocialrealitiesbehindthework.Literature,hesays,requiresfor
successfulstudyaspecificfaculty,akeenaestheticsensibility,andathoroughknowledgeofthetechniques
oflanguage.
ItishightimeNigerian,nayAfrican,writersandcriticsapproachedcreativewritingandliterarycriticismfrom
an alternative perspective a perspective that sees the novel or any genre of art as a selfcontained craft
whichshouldnotbeameansofteachingpeopleaboutlifebutameansofshowingpeoplelifeoutofwhich
thepeoplemaychoosetotakeornottotakeanylessonfrom.Anovelistsdesireshouldbetotell(i.e.show)
a good story in a good manner. If the African novelist of the twentieth century used the novel to teach
because of the circumstances in which he found himself (however he justified that), we expect a shift of
paradigmfromthetwentyfirstcenturyAfricannovelist.Thisisnottoadvocateartforartssakebecausethere
wasandisactuallynothingofsuchnature.Thisisnottosaytherearenotnovelistswhoaretellinggood
storiesinagoodmannerinAfrica.Butthetruth,asyouandIknow,isthatmanyofwhatarepraisedasour
novelstodaylabourtoteachusinsteadofgivinguswellcraftedstories